Health
The smell of flatulence has a therapeutic effect and can prevent cancer, stroke, heart attack and dementia, scientists say.
Hydrogen sulfide is one of the odorous gases produced by bacteria when food breaks down in the intestines. It is toxic in large quantities, but in small quantities it helps protect cells and fight diseases.
When cells are stressed by illness, they try to attract enzymes to produce small amounts of hydrogen sulfide.
The smell of hydrogen sulfide
Specialists from the University of Exeter English Medical School believe that hydrogen sulfide prevents or repairs mitochondrial damage, which is a key strategy in treating such diseases such as stroke, heart attack, diabetes, arthritis, dementia and aging.
© Koldunov/Getty Images
Scientists have created a compound called AP39, which gradually delivers small amounts of this gas to the mitochondria. The mitochondria in stressed cells treated with AP39 were protected and the cells remained alive.
The researchers conducted preliminary tests and found that up to 80 percent of mitochondria survived devastating diseases such as cardiovascular diseases.
Hydrogen sulfide is known for its pungent, fetid smell of rotten eggs or gases in the intestines. It is naturally produced in our body and can help treat many diseases in the future.
Gases in the intestines
© Catalin205/Getty Images Pro
Flatulence is a condition in which there is an excess of gastric or intestinal gases. This can lead to an unpleasant feeling of bloating, belching, and gas.
Most people release gases about 14 times a day.
You can read about what causes increased gas production and bloating and which foods most often cause flatulence in the article: