Indole – the scent of a healthy ‘inner soil’

Tryptophan is an essential amino acid with an indole nucleus. Humans cannot produce this amino acid themselves, but must obtain it through their diet. Much attention is currently paid to the wide physiological and clinical implications of the tryptophan-derived substances, serotonin and kynurenines, generated by human enzymes following the intestinal absorption of tryptophan. However, even before being absorbed, several microbial metabolites of tryptophan are formed, mainly from ‘malabsorbed’ (incompletely digested) proteins within the colon. The normal smell of human faeces is largely due to indole, one of the major metabolites. Recent studies indicate that this foul-smelling substance is also of utmost importance for our health.