SCIENTISTS SAY SMELLING YOUR FARTS REDUCES YOUR RISK OF ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE

Matt Case - December 9th, 2025 

Scientists dig into all sorts of strange corners of the natural world, but even by research standards, this one raises eyebrows — and nostrils. New findings suggest  that hydrogen sulfide, the foul-smelling gas best known for giving flatulence its… personality, may actually help protect the brain from Alzheimer’s disease.

A 2021 Johns Hopkins Medicine study found that in mice, controlled doses of hydrogen sulfide helped prevent the buildup of tangled proteins that block communication between brain cells — the same destructive process seen in Alzheimer’s patients. When researchers gave mice a slow-release compound containing the gas, the animals showed a 50% improvement in memory and motor function.

Scientists say the results could open new pathways for future treatments, though the research has only been tested on animals. So for now, the idea that sniffing a little “backdoor breeze” might ward off dementia remains more quirky curiosity than medical marching order.

Still, the jury’s out — and science has definitely given us one of the strangest health headlines in recent memory.