Farts and Blood Pressure

You hate when someone farts near you, dont you?  Well, the person is letting out Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S).  It is created not by the person but by the bacteria living in the human colon.

A new study points to how the gas produced by cells lining the blood vessels of mice help lower the rodent’s blood pressure by relaxing its blood vessels.

Snyder and his colleagues compared normal mice to mice that were missing a gene for an enzyme known as CSE, long suspected as being responsible for making hydrogen sulfide. As they measured hydrogen sulfide levels taken from tissues of the CSE-deficient mice, the scientists found that the gas was depleted in the cardiovascular systems of the altered mice. By contrast, normal mice had higher levels of the gas, thereby showing that hydrogen sulfide is naturally made by mammalian tissues using CSE.

The scientists are now trying to design drug therapies that enhance its formation as an alternative to the current methods of treatment for hypertension.

SO, next time someone farts or let’s out the H2S gas around you when you are stuck on the airline seat – and continues to do that for a substantial span of time.. repeatedly! – as was what happened to me on my last flight.. then remember that at least the other guy has his nerves fully under control!! 🙂