Giulia Enders is a young German microbiologist who wants to encourage people to learn about the gut and the way it affects our bodies. She wrote a book “Darm Mit Charme” (Charming Bowels) which sold 1.3 million copies in Germany alone. Rights were subsequently sold to dozens of countries and the book became a worldwide bestseller under the title “Gut: The Inside Story of Our Body’s Most Underrated Organ”.
The author uses humor to describe some surprising facts about this hidden organ which has been dubbed our second brain. To start with, Giulia Enders likes to highlight the beauty of our intestines:
“Medical diagrams show the small intestines as a sausage thing chaotically going through our belly. But it is an extraordinary work of architecture that moves so harmonically. When you see it during surgery: it’s clean and smooth, like soft fabric and moves like this” and the author does a wavy and undulating movement with her hands.
The gut is also the host to about 2 kg of bacteria. This gut microbiota (formerly known as gut flora) is the name given today to the microbe population living in our intestine. The gut microbiota consists of tens of millions of micro organisms, including at least a thousand different species of known bacteria with more than three million genes that is 150 times more than human genes.
One third of our gut microbiota is common to most people while two thirds are specific to each one of us. In other words the microbiota in our intestines is like an identity card.
Relation between gut microbiota and human health is being increasingly recognized. It is now well established that a healthy gut microbiota is largely responsible for our overall health. Giulia Enders pays due attention to the gut’s microbial community which is changing medicine.
She gained an unusual knowledge about the gut when she saw patients suffering from small intestinal bacterial overgrowth. This causes bloating which can be very painful. Bacterial overgrowth can be detected by a patient’s breath. The bacterial metabolites float throughout the body, as the small intestine is not an impermeable organ. These metabolites are absorbed by the lungs then breathed out.
“Our purely rational explanations provide only a simplified view of the body. But that is not enough to understand the complexity of a living being. Furthermore, the exclusively rational view which many doctors consider to be the most professional, is not ideal for patients.
It’s better to retain an emotional side to offer the patient a more positive form of attention. Giving a better image of the body is essential for personal well being and would help many people to better deal with their disease and the deficiency of their body,” says Giulia Enders.
This book helps us understand our digestive system. According to the author, small dietary changes can help patients improve their intestinal health. One can avoid certain foods for a given period. Eliminating dairy products, for example, from the diet can bring significant relief for intestinal disorders.
When asked what causes intestinal disorders, Enders answers that this is due to changes in our eating habits.
“We have done away with some foods that were very good for our health such as “sauerkraut”. This food contains a lot of vitamins as well as good bacteria. Sauerkraut used to be eaten regularly throughout the year and was a form of treatment for gut flora. We eat a lot more processed foods which lead to fiber deficiency. These foods bring quick enjoyment and satiety because they are rapidly absorbed by the body. People didn’t use to eat much processed food. Their diet gave them a longer lasting feeling of satiety and the entire gut was put to use,” explains Giulia Enders.
I mentioned in the beginning of this article that the gut has been nicknamed our second brain. This is due to the presence of over 200 millions neurons along the digestive system. The presence of these digestive neurons shows that they not only control the digestive system but they are also in constant touch with the brain and play a key role in its functioning.
Professor Derkinderen has discovered the presence of lesions on the digestive neurons which are similar to those visible in the brain
of patients suffering from Parkinson’s disease. This discovery is going to revolutionize the way Parkinson’s Disease is detected. A simple biopsy of intestinal neurons will provide an early diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease from five to fifteen years before the onset of the first symptoms.
Understanding how these intestinal neurons influence the brain is becoming increasingly relevant to finding future treatments for serious neurodegenerative diseases.
This book is a first of its kind. Our gut is as important as our brain and our heart but we know very little about how it works and we are too embarrassed to ask questions. Giulia Enders breaks this taboo and sheds light on the wondrous world of gut bacteria which plays a part in obesity, allergies, depression, immunity and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer and Parkinson’s disease. Thanks to its blend of humor and information, “Gut: The Inside Story of Our Body’s Most Underrated Organ,” has not only appealed to adults but also to children. Giulia Enders' YouTube show has already had 750,000 hits.
The author uses humor to describe some surprising facts about this hidden organ which has been dubbed our second brain. To start with, Giulia Enders likes to highlight the beauty of our intestines:
“Medical diagrams show the small intestines as a sausage thing chaotically going through our belly. But it is an extraordinary work of architecture that moves so harmonically. When you see it during surgery: it’s clean and smooth, like soft fabric and moves like this” and the author does a wavy and undulating movement with her hands.
The gut is also the host to about 2 kg of bacteria. This gut microbiota (formerly known as gut flora) is the name given today to the microbe population living in our intestine. The gut microbiota consists of tens of millions of micro organisms, including at least a thousand different species of known bacteria with more than three million genes that is 150 times more than human genes.
One third of our gut microbiota is common to most people while two thirds are specific to each one of us. In other words the microbiota in our intestines is like an identity card.
Relation between gut microbiota and human health is being increasingly recognized. It is now well established that a healthy gut microbiota is largely responsible for our overall health. Giulia Enders pays due attention to the gut’s microbial community which is changing medicine.
She gained an unusual knowledge about the gut when she saw patients suffering from small intestinal bacterial overgrowth. This causes bloating which can be very painful. Bacterial overgrowth can be detected by a patient’s breath. The bacterial metabolites float throughout the body, as the small intestine is not an impermeable organ. These metabolites are absorbed by the lungs then breathed out.
“Our purely rational explanations provide only a simplified view of the body. But that is not enough to understand the complexity of a living being. Furthermore, the exclusively rational view which many doctors consider to be the most professional, is not ideal for patients.
It’s better to retain an emotional side to offer the patient a more positive form of attention. Giving a better image of the body is essential for personal well being and would help many people to better deal with their disease and the deficiency of their body,” says Giulia Enders.
This book helps us understand our digestive system. According to the author, small dietary changes can help patients improve their intestinal health. One can avoid certain foods for a given period. Eliminating dairy products, for example, from the diet can bring significant relief for intestinal disorders.
When asked what causes intestinal disorders, Enders answers that this is due to changes in our eating habits.
“We have done away with some foods that were very good for our health such as “sauerkraut”. This food contains a lot of vitamins as well as good bacteria. Sauerkraut used to be eaten regularly throughout the year and was a form of treatment for gut flora. We eat a lot more processed foods which lead to fiber deficiency. These foods bring quick enjoyment and satiety because they are rapidly absorbed by the body. People didn’t use to eat much processed food. Their diet gave them a longer lasting feeling of satiety and the entire gut was put to use,” explains Giulia Enders.
I mentioned in the beginning of this article that the gut has been nicknamed our second brain. This is due to the presence of over 200 millions neurons along the digestive system. The presence of these digestive neurons shows that they not only control the digestive system but they are also in constant touch with the brain and play a key role in its functioning.
Professor Derkinderen has discovered the presence of lesions on the digestive neurons which are similar to those visible in the brain
of patients suffering from Parkinson’s disease. This discovery is going to revolutionize the way Parkinson’s Disease is detected. A simple biopsy of intestinal neurons will provide an early diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease from five to fifteen years before the onset of the first symptoms.
Understanding how these intestinal neurons influence the brain is becoming increasingly relevant to finding future treatments for serious neurodegenerative diseases.
This book is a first of its kind. Our gut is as important as our brain and our heart but we know very little about how it works and we are too embarrassed to ask questions. Giulia Enders breaks this taboo and sheds light on the wondrous world of gut bacteria which plays a part in obesity, allergies, depression, immunity and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer and Parkinson’s disease. Thanks to its blend of humor and information, “Gut: The Inside Story of Our Body’s Most Underrated Organ,” has not only appealed to adults but also to children. Giulia Enders' YouTube show has already had 750,000 hits.
