Scientists use fermented stools and gut-smelling pills to help spot disease

[Kate_UK]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencet...ols-gut-smelling-pills-help-spot-disease.html

Hydrogen sulfide is one of a number of potent smelly gases produced by bacteria as it breaks down food in the gut.

It is toxic in large doses but in tiny amounts it helps protect cells and fight illness, according to experts at Exeter University.

When cells become stressed by disease they try to draw in enzymes to generate their own minute quantities of hydrogen sulphide.

The chemical helps to preserve mitochondria, which drive energy production in blood vessel cells and regulate inflammation, and without it the cell can switch off and die.

Last year, researchers have come up with a new compound named AP39 to assist the body in producing just the right amount of hydrogen sulphide.

They believe it will help prevent or reverse mitochondrial damage, which is a key strategy in treating conditions such as stroke, heart failure, diabetes, arthritis, dementia and ageing.