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Body trivia
167 km/h
Is the speed at
which fl u viruses are
expelled when you
sneeze. They can be
propelled as far as
5 m and infect everyone
in their path.
To acquire more knowledge about the dreaded flu, click here to visit the Flu Centre.
An ‘innie’
or an ‘outie’
Most people’s bellybuttons are
flat, form a small hollow and
have a neat little crescent of
skin above it. The middle of
the navel is usually connected
on the inside to the outer
stomach muscles. If there’s
scarring between the navel
and the muscle layer, the scar
tissue and the small amount
of fatty tissue under the skin
push the bellybutton outwards.
If the navel protrudes alot
it might be because of an
umbilical hernia, something
that needs to be fixed – otherwise
the small intestine might
get caught in the gap in the
stomach muscles. The navel is
what is eventually left behind
after a baby’s umbilical cord is
cut just after birth.
Stink bombs
1 litre – that’s how much gas humans produce on average
each day. It’s produced in about 14 small pockets and
the precise composition depends on the food you eat,
how much air you swallowed that day, the types of bacteria
in your intestines and how long you try to hold back
the gas. The smell is caused by small amounts of sulphur
and nitrogen compounds created by partially digested
food as well as the bacteria in the colon. The sulphur compounds
are mainly hydrogen sulphide (the gas that smells
like rotten eggs) and mercaptan. The nitrogen-rich compounds
are mainly skatole and indole. Sulphur-rich foods
such as cabbage, eggs and meat cause smellier gases.
Beans produce a lot of gas but the smell isn’t as bad.
The pressure behind each
pocket of gas in your colon
is almost double the pressure
in your car tyres.
Some people have more than two nipples
Did you know two per
cent of women and one
per cent of men have
a third nipple or even
more? One woman had
10, all attached to full
breasts. The extra nipples
are situated along the
“milk lines” which run
along both sides of the
chest from the armpits
through the normal
nipple area down to the
groin. It might look like
a mole or like a recognisable
nipple and in rare
cases could develop into
a breast. Celebs with
extra nipples include
actor Mark Wahlberg and
singer Lily Allen. If you
have an extra nipple and
it bothers you ask your
doctor to remove it.
This story originally appeared in the first edition of Pulse magazine. Buy the latest copy, on newsstand now, for more fascinating stories in the world of health and wellness.
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