Overindulging in food can distress your human gastrointestinal microbiota. Photo: VisualHunt
People are not just people. They are an awful lot of microbes too.
This quote from The Economist (2012) reflects the realisation that human gastrointestinal microbiota (HGM) is not just a collection of icky bugs lounging around in our guts. In fact, scientists now think that HGM should be classified as a human organ – many endocrinologists (specialists in hormonal disorders) certainly view the HGM as an organ in its own right after discovering hormones produced by HGM can affect the body, brain and the enteric nervous system (ENS, our body’s second brain).
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