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Five Simple Strategies to Prevent Heart Disease

You know that heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women, but did you know that it's preventable?

CutestPrincess
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The Stink in Farts Controls Blood Pressure

The unpleasant aroma of the gas, called hydrogen sulfide (H2S), can be a little too familiar, as it is expelled by bacteria... more

wlwatkins
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Stinky Hydrogen Sulphide Linked To Blood Pressure

US researchers say the gas best known for being used in many stink bombs may also control blood pressure.

The foul odor of flatulence is due to small amounts of hydrogen sulphide - a toxic gas generated by bacteria living in the human gut.

But researchers say the gas is also produced by an enzyme in blood vessels that relaxes them and lowers blood pressure.

The Science journal reported that the findings in mice might lead to new treatments for high blood pressure.

The gas is produced in the cells lining blood vessels by an enzyme called CSE, said researchers at Johns Hopkins University, in Maryland.

Levels of hydrogen sulphide were almost depleted in mice engineered to be deficient in this enzyme, compared with levels in normal mice.

The mice deficient in CSE also had blood pressure measurements about 20% higher than the normal mice, comparable to serious hypertension in humans.

When the engineered mice were given the drug methacholine, which relaxes normal blood vessels, there was no difference, indicating the gas is responsible for the relaxation.

Nitric oxide, another gas, is already known to be involved in control of blood pressure.

"Now we know hydrogen sulphide'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 researcher Dr. Solomon Snyder.

Professor Amrita Ahluwalia, an expert in vascular pharmacology at Barts and The London Medical School, said the study shows that smelly hydrogen sulphide is also likely to have a role in regulating blood pressure and it will be a bit of an impetus for scientists to develop more specific tools to work out what's going on.

"We know hydrogen sulphide is not good for us at high levels but it seems that at the lower levels in the body it is essential."

Treatments based on hydrogen sulphide could become important in a variety of cardiovascular diseases, according to Dr. Allan MacDonald, a reader in pharmacology at Glasgow Caledonian University.US researchers say the gas best known for being used in many stink bombs may also control blood pressure. The foul odor of... more

TravG73
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1 month ago

The Stink in Farts Controls Blood Pressure

The unpleasant aroma of the gas, called hydrogen sulfide (H2S), can be a little too familiar, as it is expelled by bacteria living... more

GETTINGOUTOURDREAMS
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2 responses

1 month ago

Fart gas linked to blood pressure

-No, this is not a good reason to pass gas whenever you want. 'Fart gas' link to blood pressure Hydrogen sulphide... more

oblivious
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15 responses

1 month ago

The Stink in Farts Controls Blood Pressure

A smelly rotten-egg gas in farts controls blood pressure in mice, a new study finds.

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.

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.

Next, the mice were subjected to higher blood pressures comparable to serious hypertension in humans. Scientists had them respond to a chemical called methacholine that relaxes normal blood vessels. The blood vessels of the CSE-lacking mice hardly relaxed, indicating that hydrogen sulfide is a huge contender for regulating blood pressure.

Hydrogen sulfide is the most recently discovered member of a family of gasotransmitters, small molecules inside our bodies with important physiological functions.

This study is the first to reveal that the CSE enzyme that triggers hydrogen sulfide is activated itself in the same way as other enzymes when they trigger their respective gasotransmitter, such as a nitric oxide-forming enzyme that also regulates blood pressure, Dr. Snyder said.

Because gasotransmitters are common in mammals all over the evolutionary tree, these findings on the importance of hydrogen sulfide are thought to have broad applications to human diseases, such as diabetes and neurodegenerative diseases.

The research was supported by grants from the U.S. Public Health Service and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research as well as a Research Scientist Award. A smelly rotten-egg gas in farts controls blood pressure in mice, a new study finds. The unpleasant aroma of the gas, called... more

goldenways
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1 month ago

Researchers warn of heart risks from energy drinks

Recent research from both Australia and the United States has raised questions about energy drinks and says they may be harmful to... more

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4 months ago

I Heart Music: 30 Minutes of Calming Tunes A Day Reduces Blood Pressure

Scientists from the University of Florence in Italy report that listening to classical, Celtic or Indian music for just 30 minutes a day for a month can significantly reduce blood pressure. The researchers presented their findings last week at the American Society of Hypertension's 23rd Annual Scientific Meeting and Exposition in New Orleans.

"Listening to music is soothing and has often been associated with controlling patient-reported pain or anxiety and acutely reducing blood pressure," noted Dr. Pietro A. Modesti. "But for the first time, today's results clearly illustrate the impact daily music listening has on ambulatory blood pressure."

"We are excited about the positive implications for both patients and physicians, who can now confidently explore music listening as a safe, effective, non-pharmacological treatment option or a complement to therapy," Modesti added.

The study involved a small group of 48 patients between the ages of 45 and 70 who were taking medication for mild hypertension. 28 of the patients were given a CD of down-tempo, "rhythmically homogenous" music, and were asked to listen to it for 30 minutes once a day for a month while practicing controlled breathing exercises. The 20 remaining participants made no lifestyle changes, and served as a control group. Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring after the first and fourth weeks revealed a marked reduction in blood pressure among the patients who'd been asked to listen to music.

Similar previous studies have closely related blood pressure to music tempo, noting corresponding blood pressure increases when subjects were exposed to more aggressive, up-tempo music, indicating that the speed and genre of music is key to music's heart-calming potential.

"Sadly, despite the global focus on prevention, it predicted that 56 billion people worldwide will be hypertensive by 2025," said Modesti. "In light of these devastating statistics, it is reassuring to consider that something as simple, easy and enjoyable as daily music listening combined with slow abdominal breathing, may help people naturally lower their blood pressure."

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Scientists from the University of Florence in Italy report that listening to classical, Celtic or Indian music for just 30 minutes... more

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7 months ago

Blood Pressure

Five Simple Strategies to Prevent Heart Disease

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The Stink in Farts Controls Blood Pressure

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Stinky Hydrogen Sulphide Linked To Blood Pressure

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The Stink in Farts Controls Blood Pressure

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Fart gas linked to blood pressure

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The Stink in Farts Controls Blood Pressure

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Researchers warn of heart risks from energy drinks

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I Heart Music: 30 Minutes of Calming Tunes A Day Reduces Blood Pressure

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