New study explains why 'sniffing your own farts' could improve brain power and decrease chances of Alzheimer’s
Topics: Health, Science, Weird, Mental Health, News
Callum Jones
Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock Image
Topics: Health, Science, Weird, Mental Health, News
While it may sound pretty disgusting, a recently published study has discovered that 'sniffing your own farts' could remarkably improve brain power and decrease your chances of developing Alzheimer's in the future.
Some 7.2 million Americans live with Alzheimer’s, with a staggering one in nine people aged 65 and over having the horrible disease.
As we know, symptoms of Alzheimer's or dementia can include forgetfulness, but other forms of the disease can cause hallucinations, stiffness, and anxiety.
So, any advice on how to reduce our chances of developing the disease are greatly welcomed and apparently having a smell of your own farts is going to help our case.
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Experts at Johns Hopkins Medicine remarkably found that hydrogen sulfide - the chemical that produces the hideous smell we have to endure when someone lets one go - might slow down brain cells from cognitive decline and even Alzheimer’s.
Dr. Bindu Paul, an associate professor and co-author of the study, said: "Our new data firmly link aging, neurodegeneration and cell signaling using hydrogen sulfide and other gaseous molecules within the cell."
Scientists reached their remarkable findings by using genetically modified mice that mimic human Alzheimer’s disease and injected them with a compound known as NaGYY.
This is said to slowly release gas molecules throughout the body, and scientists then played the waiting game and tested the mice some 12 weeks later.
They looked into how the mice had experienced changes in memory and motor function and both sides incredibly improved by 50 percent compared to the rodents who hadn't been injected.
The mice who had experienced the smelly substance displayed a better memory, on top of being more physically active too.
"The results showed that the behavioral outcomes of Alzheimer’s disease could be reversed by introducing hydrogen sulfide," the experts over at Johns Hopkins Medicine added.
The Johns Hopkins team has continued its research into how sulfur groups interact with common glycogen synthase β (GSK3β) and other proteins that are linked to Alzheimer’s disease.
"Understanding the cascade of events is important to designing therapies that can block this interaction like hydrogen sulfide is able to do," PhD student Daniel Giovinazzo explained.
So, remember the next time you let one go, you may actually being doing good.
If you've been affected by Alzheimer's and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact the Alzheimer's Association via 800.272.3900 open 24 hours seven days a week.