Gut health plays a fundamental role in the body's overall wellbeing. The gastrointestinal system not only plays an important role in digestion and absorption of nutrients, but also supports the immune system.
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Therefore, healthy eating habits rich in fiber and probiotics, as well as maintaining an active lifestyle, are measures that promote gut health and contribute to a more balanced life.
Gut Health and Mystery Solved: Is It So?
With that in mind, an intriguing mystery that permeates the world's bathrooms is closer to being solved thanks to the research of the Director of the Stem Cell and Cancer Biology Laboratory at the Mayo Clinic, Nagarajan Kannan, in Rochester, Minnesota, in the United States.
Researcher examines floating feces
While his primary focus is breast cancer research, Kannan has devoted his rare free time to studying why some chairs float while others sink.
Who's to blame?
Fat was originally believed to be responsible for buoyancy, but researchers at the University of Minnesota concluded in the 1970s that it was the gas that played this role. More specifically, the presence of methane, the culprit of excessive flatulence.
Gut microbiota and stool bulk
Kannan's research now suggests that the composition of the gut microbiota, consisting of 100 trillion bacteria, fungi and microorganisms, could be key to understanding this phenomenon.
That's because studies of germfree mice whose guts contained no microbes showed that their feces sank immediately, while in mice with gut microbiota, their feces floated before eventually sinking.
Gasforming bacteria and floating feces
“The difference lies in the stool density,” Kannan explained in an interview with the G1 portal, suggesting that intestinal microbes influence stool fluctuation. Genetic analyzes identified bacterial species such as Bacteroides ovatus that are associated with gas production, highlighting the possible link between fecal buoyancy and the presence of these bacteria.
Antibiotics and sinking feces
Kannan speculates that feces, which are normally a “swimmer,” may become a “sinker” through the use of antibiotics or other changes in the microbiota. However, he emphasizes that further research is needed to confirm these observations in humans.
Factors that alter gut health microbiota
Therefore, factors such as diet, smoking, stress and medications can alter the bacterial composition in the gut, and Kannan is now trying to understand the mechanisms that lead to the increase in gasproducing bacteria.
Effects on intestinal and general health
While the topic may be laughable, the findings have serious implications for gut health, and Kannan emphasizes the importance of understanding how bacterial composition can influence not only fecal buoyancy, but also broader health issues such as obesity and heart disease.
Avoid flatulence in social situations
“If you are attending a social event or a space flight, you should avoid someone whose intestines are prone to gas,” joked Kannan, emphasizing the need for more funding to study these complex problems related to our bodies.
With information from the G1 portal.