The next time someone passes gas around you, you may want to take a whiff, it could save your life. While most people find the sulfuric smell of a person's gas repulsive, or at the very least unpleasant, a new study has suggested it actually has some life saving properties.

Researchers at Exeter University in the United Kingdom have discovered that the smell of farts actually has some useful properties that could ward off disease if you smell them. It's all due to the fact that the gas has been linked with controlling inflammation in the body.

It's been said that smelling the unpleasant smell could prevent heart attacks, strokes or even cancer. ‘When cells become stressed by disease, they draw in enzymes to generate minute quantities of hydrogen sulfide.' said Professor Matt Whiteman of the medical school.

Researcher Dr. Mark Wood agrees that the substance could have substantial health benefits, writing, ‘Although hydrogen sulfide is well known as a pungent, foul-smelling gas in rotten eggs and flatulence, it is naturally produced in the body and could in fact be a healthcare hero with significant implications for a variety of diseases.'

Whiteman continued to say that when diseased cells take in hydrogen sulfide it, ‘Allows the cells to live. If this doesn't happen, the cells die and lose the ability to regulate and control inflammation.'

‘We have exploited this natural process by making a compound called AP39 which slowly delivers very small amounts of this gas specifically to the mitochondria.'

‘Our results indicate that if stressed out cells are treated with AP39, mitochondria are protected and cells stay alive,' said Whiteman.