Popeye with a whiff of rotten eggs

(University of Vienna) A team of scientists led by Alexander Loy (University of Vienna) and David Schleheck (University of Konstanz) has analyzed how microbes in the gut process the plant-based, sulfur-containing sugar sulfoquinovose. Their study discovered that specialized bacteria cooperate in the utilization of the sulfosugar, producing hydrogen sulfide. This gas has disparate effects on human health: at low concentrations, it has an anti-inflammatory effect, while increased amounts of hydrogen sulfide in the intestine, in turn, are associated with diseases such as cancer.
Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news