Congrats: You Are Officially A Superorganism

One of the most interesting fields of study today is the gut-brain axis, a burgeoning topic with vast implications that we are now, for the first time, starting to appreciate. The gut, or gastrointestinal tract--the long tube that starts at your mouth and ends at your, well, you know--is your largest interface with the environment, spanning the width of two football fields if unrolled and laid flat. It has long been referred to as "the second brain", and for good reason. It contains its own nervous system--the enteric nervous system--made up of about 500 million neurons which create about 90% of your body's serotonin, a neurotransmitter involved in mood. It also is where 70% of your body's immune system can be found. One of the most fascinating things about the gut is that it is home to nearly 100 trillion microbes--germs!--that science is proving has a very important say in your health. Did you know that the amount of microorganisms living symbiotically in your gut outnumber your own cells 10 to 1? Or that the genetic material that they are cumulatively comprised of outnumber your own genes 100 to 1? This is a vast amount of information. In fact, the weight of the entire microbiome, the name given to this universe of simple cells, can be as much as your own brain--2 to 3 pounds--and you carry them around with you every single day. And they don't even pay rent! Or do they? To say that the microbiome gives back is an understatement. In fact, the metabolic activities perfor...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news