Research at the University of Exeter indicates that farts have health benefits from one of the main ingredients for the foul-smelling hydrogen sulphide hydrogen sulphide.
Despite the sometimes unbearable smell, hydrogen sulphide is practically harmless in small quantities. However, exposure to a higher concentration of this chemical can have adverse health effects, including various respiratory and nervous system disorders.
Hydrogen sulfide against various diseases
This new study, published by researchers in the journal Medical Chemistry Communications, analyzed the impact of hydrogen sulphide gas on humans when they were exposed to minute amounts of it. Found toxic in high doses, the researchers also discovered that cellular exposure to small amounts of this gas can prevent mitochondrial damage, which has many other beneficial health consequences.
Mark Wood, one of the lead researchers in the study, said that although hydrogen sulphide is known as a pungent and smelly gas emanating from rotten eggs and farts, it is naturally produced in the body and could, in fact, be beneficial to health.
Hydrogen sulfide has been shown to have many health benefits, including reducing the risk of life-threatening diseases such as cancer, stroke and heart attacks. It has also been proven that it can prevent inhibitory diseases such as arthritis and dementia in the elderly.
A positive result of research
The end result of this study was the synthesis of a new compound called AP39, which guarantees that your body produces and retains the right amount of hydrogen sulphide and that researchers believe it will be the key to the development future therapies.
To explain how it works, it's important to know how your body is fighting the disease at the microbial level. When your cells are stressed by the disease, they suck up enzymes to generate tiny amounts of hydrogen sulfide. This keeps the mitochondria, organelles responsible for regulating the cell cycle, in good condition and allows the cells to fight the disease. If this process stops, cells die and lose the ability to regulate survival and control inflammation.
The creation of AP39 and the possibility of administering it to specific cells means that stressed mitochondria can be fueled by the compound, thus remaining protected and, in turn, keeping cells alive.
Research also indicates that administering AP39 to distressing mitochondria in distressing conditions can help up to 80% of mitochondria survive. Some early results also suggest that the compound helps regulate blood pressure and greatly increases the chances of survival after a heart attack by slowing a person's heart rate.
Since the research is still in its infancy, the results may not be definitive and conclusive. But the team hopes to move on to human trials and hopes that their discovery will change the way we fight against certain diseases.
Which foods produce a strong smell of gas?
Since sulfur compounds produce the smell of gas, eating foods rich in sulfur compounds will increase the smell of your pets. Foods rich in sulfur include meat, poultry, eggs, onions, garlic, broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts and cauliflower.
Which foods cause the most gas?
Some carbohydrates are particularly difficult to digest by the body. This group of short-chain carbohydrates is known as FODMAP, which means "fermentable, oligo, di-, monosaccharides and polyols." Foods rich in FODMAP include garlic, onions, asparagus, high-fructose fruit, milk, yogurt and fruit juice, all of which can cause increased gas production.
These foods are poorly digested by the small intestine, leaving more waste to be treated by the large intestine, where bacteria create gases. People with a normal digestive system can eat these foods with only a slight increase in gas production. If foods high in FODMAP cause you to feel abdominal bloating and pain, this could be an indication of intolerance to certain foods, which can produce excess gas.