DAILYMAIL.COM – Whoopi Goldberg has a reputation for causing quite the stir by expressing her often-controversial opinions on her daytime talk show The View, but the actress-turned-TV host has recently been kicking up a stink online for a very different reason: her habit of breaking wind live on-air.
Now, after the 67-year-old sparked a frenzy among viewers with her latest gassy interruption, doctors have revealed exactly what might be causing her on-air flatulence – detailing how her diet and her struggle with sciatica could be to blame.
“When people get older the anal sphincter — or exit from the intestines — may also weaken, raising the risk of uncontrolled flatulence.”
The actress’ co-hosts burst into laughter Wednesday as she appeared to break wind, with Whoopi seemingly confirming their suspicions when she admitted: ‘That was gas.’
But for all the laughter, millions will also sympathize with the Oscar-winner’s bouts of inopportune gas, which are commonplace, particularly as people get older.
For Whoopi in particular, who suffers from sciatica and is known to indulge in fast food, her age is just one factor which experts cite as a contributing factor.
Dr Ahmed Albusoda, a gastroenterologist at The Princess Grace Hospital in London, told DailyMail.com: ‘In general, people with sciatica are less active, which is a risk factor for constipation because there is more fermenting in the stools.
‘They also take painkillers, and a lot of those can cause constipation because they cause more fermentation and gas in the stools.’
The iconic Hollywood star was also diagnosed with sciatica in 2021, leading to her stepping away from the show for a week last summer.
Sufferers of sciatica, which affects up to 40 per cent of people at some point during their life, experience pain, weakness, numbness and tingling on their legs.
It is caused by an issue with the sciatic nerve — one of the longest in the body that runs from the buttocks down to the foot … READ MORE.
