The health reason you shouldn’t avoid farts

You may have heard that holding in gas is bad for you, but new research suggests that not only should you let it out when you feel it –you shouldn’t be afraid to take a deep breath.

Before you get completely disgusted, researchers aren’t really saying that you should expose yourself to farts to improve your health, but they are saying that occasional exposure to hydrogen sulfide (the compound that gives farts a rotten egg smell) could keep cells healthy and functional.

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“Although hydrogen sulfide is well known as a pungent, foul-smelling gas in rotten eggs and flatulence, it is naturally produced in the body and could in fact be a healthcare hero with significant implications for future therapies for a variety of diseases,” said study researcher, Dr. Mark Wood in a statement.

The new study comes from experts out of the University of Exeter, who found that hydrogen sulfide created within the body has implications for use in treatment for diabetes, dementia, heart disease, and even stroke. How does it work? According to Dr. Matt Whiteman, a University of Exeter professor, it all has to do with how hydrogen sulfide interacts with cell mitochondria.

“When cells become stressed by disease, they draw in enzymes to generate minute quantities of hydrogen sulfide,” explained Whiteman. “This keeps the mitochondria ticking over and allows cells to live. If this doesn’t happen, the cells die and lose the ability to regulate survival and control inflammation. We have exploited this natural process by making a compound, called AP39, which slowly delivers very small amounts of this gas specifically to the mitochondria. Our results indicate that if stressed cells are treated with AP39, mitochondria are protected and cells stay alive.”

What does it all mean? It suggests that by using a synthetic compound (AP39) to deliver regulated amounts of hydrogen sulfide, researchers were able to prevent or reverse mitochondria damage. Mitochondrial damage has been proven by the medical community to be the key to controlling inflammation within the body–particularly inflammation associated with chronic disease.

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The goal is to use hydrogen sulfide to help cell mitochondria survive otherwise adverse environments associated with illness, and initial laboratory results are promising. For example, in the models of cardiovascular disease, research showed that more than 80 percent of mitochondria cells survive under otherwise highly destructive conditions when AP39 is administered.

While the study focuses on a compound found in human farts, experts caution there is no evidence to suggest people who are exposed to farts regularly experience any health benefits because of it.