Throw caution to wind, France told

A French doctor is urging his countrymen to give free rein to flatulence, sweating and other bodily taboos to reduce the risk of cancer.

In his book, Le Grand Ménage (Spring cleaning), Frédéric Saldmann invites them to embrace the stereotypical British view of the French and to have a relaxed attitude to bodily functions.

He calls for a "May '68" of the body – an emancipation for belching, breaking wind and sweating profusely. "Eliminating" the two litres of gas produced a day by the average Frenchman "is a natural process", he writes, adding that retaining it can be harmful to the intestines. The French, he adds, should "dare to fart".

Dr Saldmann also recommends cutting down on chewing gum, never eating while walking and reducing the intake of fizzy drinks.

Similarly, he says his countrymen should feel free to belch at will and certainly after each meal. This, he says, is the best way to reduce the risk of getting a hiatal hernia, an ailment which affects almost a third of French people. Keeping air in the stomach leads to more heartburn, which increases the risk of cancer of the oesophagus. The rise of this disease in France, he says, is due to "the burp that we no longer do".

Dr Saldmann also recommends throwing out anti-perspirants. "To block sweat not only stops the elimination of toxins," he writes, "but also a certain number of messages that are potentially very attractive to the opposite sex."