Researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine have found that hydrogen sulfide — the rotten egg-smelling chemical compound expelled when one breaks wind — could protect ageing brain cells from cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s, which is diagnosed in roughly 500,000 new patients each year in the US.
“Our new data firmly link ageing, neurodegeneration and cell signalling using hydrogen sulfide and other gaseous molecules within the cell,” said Dr. Bindu Paul, associate professor at the prestigious medical centre and co-author of the study, which was published in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
For the trailblazing investigation, researchers used genetically modified mice that mimic human Alzheimer’s disease.
They injected the mice with a hydrogen sulfide-carrying compound called NaGYY, which slowly releases the gas molecules throughout the body.
After 12 weeks, the scientists tested the mice for changes in memory and motor function, and the results were shocking.
The tests revealed both cognitive and motor function improved by a staggering 50% compared to untreated mice.
The rodents who received the hydrogen sulfide treatment were more physically active and displayed better memory.
“The results showed that the behavioural outcomes of Alzheimer’s disease could be reversed by introducing hydrogen sulfide,” the research team revealed.
The human body naturally creates small amounts of hydrogen sulfide to help regulate functions throughout the body. An enzyme called glycogen synthase beta helps regulate the cellular processes.
Previous research has shown that female flatulence actually has a “significantly higher concentration” of hydrogen sulfide than farts from men — meaning women’s gas tends to have “greater odour intensity” than men’s.
Unfortunately, hydrogen sulfide levels decrease with age.
When the enzyme is absent, it starts to stick too closely to another protein called Tau, according to another study. When they bind too often, Tau forms clumps in neurons that block communication between nerve cells and eventually cause them to die.
“This leads to the deterioration and eventual loss of cognition, memory and motor function,” the research team explained.
So, whiffing up the funk of your own flatulence is good for you.
The groundbreaking results have opened new doors to the development of drugs that will combat — and maybe even eventually defeat — the nightmare of Alzheimer’s.
