Beans, Beans They’re Good for Your Heart….

Beans, beans they’re good for your heart the more you eat the more you….. , well you know how the rest of it goes.  Turns out this little rhyme has some truth to it.  The rotten egg odor in really smelly, uh, breaking wind, um, passing gas, flatulence, ok…farts, comes from hydrogen sulfide.  According to new research, cells that line the blood vessels of mice produce hydrogen sulfide and it helps to prevent high blood pressure by relaxing the blood vessels of the mice.  And the hydrogen sulfide may have the same benefits for humans.

“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.

I’m not so sure I like where this is going.  Do you get a free can of air freshener with each prescription?

However, you can reap the benefits by including sulfur rich foods, such as garlic and onions in your diet.

P.S. By the way, beans are good for your heart.  They’re loaded with soluble fiber and flavanoids, helping to reduce cholesterol and inhibiting adhesion in blood platelets which lowers the risk of a heart attack or stroke.

Source: MSNBC Health