The Stink in Farts Controls Blood Pressure

Posted by Miss Cellania in Science & Tech on October 24, 2008 at 9:05 am


It looks like beans ARE really good for your heart!

The unpleasant aroma of the gas, called hydrogen sulfide (H2S), can be a little too familiar, as it is expelled by bacteria living in the human colon and eventually makes its way, well, out.

The new research found that cells lining mice’s blood vessels naturally make the gas and this action can help keep the rodents’ blood pressure low by relaxing the blood vessels to prevent hypertension (high blood pressure). This gas is “no doubt” produced in cells lining human blood vessels too, the researchers said.

“Now that we know hydrogen sulfide’s role in regulating blood pressure, it may be possible to design drug therapies that enhance its formation as an alternative to the current methods of treatment for hypertension,” said Johns Hopkins neuroscientist Solomon H. Snyder, M.D., a co-author of the study detailed in the Oct. 24th issue of the journal Science.

Link -via reddit

(image credit: Towsonu2003)


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11 comments to "The Stink in Farts Controls Blood Pressure"

  1. andiscandis
    October 24th, 2008 at 9:26 am

    I don't buy it. Research (done by me, in my house) shows that men who create vast quantities of H2S can still have high blood pressure.

  2. renderanything
    October 24th, 2008 at 9:28 am

    So it basically boils down to: Which would you rather have? Grandpa with hypertension, or grandpa who farts all the time?

  3. just a guy
    October 24th, 2008 at 9:33 am

    Oh great, fart pills.

    It's funny too, because overweight people often have high blood pressure, and overweight people are often made fun of for farting (esp men). so..

  4. Jayne
    October 24th, 2008 at 3:01 pm

    If this is true it adds more weight to the phrase "tight assed."

  5. DOJ
    October 24th, 2008 at 6:24 pm

    Wow, girls never have high blood pressure?

  6. donna
    October 25th, 2008 at 1:27 am

    I'm a girl with hypertension. Yes, girls do have it.

    I love this new excuse for farting, too!

    "Sorry, just adjusting my blood pressure..."

  7. phart
    October 25th, 2008 at 1:45 pm

    future boy: "mom I can't find my nasal inhaler!"

    future mom: "dad just ate a breakfast burrito, if you can sit tight for about 5 minutes we won't have to call the ambulence"

  8. Aki
    October 26th, 2008 at 6:39 am

    Best I ensure that my bf reads this not...Man his fart -stinks-It lasts only awhile...Thank god..:)

  9. MoonCake
    October 26th, 2008 at 7:56 am

    this was not mentioned, but perhaps farting a lot may be a SIGN of hypertension because your body does not hold in the hydrogen sulfide long enough for optimum use(?). so it would make sense that overweight people and/or people with high blood pressure fart a lot. the scientists working on this should look into remedies that will naturally create the gas but at the same time hold it in so your blood may absorb it, so basically it will make you NOT fart. then again, it may make you bloated or constipated. interesting!

  10. chrismandogwood
    December 12th, 2008 at 2:26 am

    i'm gonna show THIS to my gf

  11. DCNorm
    March 3rd, 2009 at 3:10 pm

    Mooncake may have a point but there are other aspects to consider relative to maintaining the H2S in one's system. I try not to keep it trapped in my body and so voluminous quantities may be in my house. Although my BP is low, my wife's fluctuates directly with the amount I release. I don't understand this phenomena since my releases are pleasantly fragrant like a fine perfume and, as its said that laughter is the best medicine, I am able to laugh away all of my stresses while she just increases hers along with her BP. My sister, who produces volume sufficient to cause people who get out of her car to get a case of the bends when moving to the lower pressure of the outdoors, also keeps her BP low by enjoying the various musical tones she creates and the sights of her passengers bailing out and trying to recover from their intolerance. So, as Tommy Chong once said, "It's a natural function, man", let 'er rip and enjoy your good health!


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