Trillions of microbes inhabit the human body. Most of them are living in our digestive system and are beneficial to both, the microbes and the host. Depending on the nutrients and the environment we provide a variety of species can flourish.
They help us to digest food, break down and absorb nutrients, synthesize vitamins and ward off infections by strengthening our immune system.
The estimated weight of these micro-organisms is estimated to be two to six pounds and their influence extends far beyond the gut and includes the nervous system and the brain. They may influence our behaviour in a very complex manner, including psychiatric and neurological disorders, anxiety, depression and even learning ability and memory.
Gut bacteria is essentially the link between the outside environment, our food conversion to energy and our internal processes and that gut feeling is much more than an instinctive feeling, it is a powerful intuitive communicator, a combination of logic and emotion.