That Stink May Help Your Blood Pressure

The gas we pass is unpleasant when it escapes, but it may also be key to lowering blood pressure, the BBC reports. It seems that hydrogen sulfide is produced by an enzyme in blood vessels, researchers at Johns Hopkins University found. Mice who lacked the enzyme experienced what would be serious hypertension in humans, even when injected with a vessel relaxant, they reported in the journal Science.

“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 the lead researcher.
(More blood pressure stories.)