© Pint of Science, 2024. All rights reserved.
I may be large, or I may be small, I soak up like a sponge although I am very selective, I am known as “the second brain” and you cannot live without me. It is not love what you feel when you see him/her, it’s ME. I am also the iron guardian of your body: if I am picky and carful everything is alright, but if I fall asleep, a disaster can happen -anemia, inflammation, abdominal pain…- You can call me Gut, Gut Bowel.
Let’s discover our second brain
Carla Cirillo
(Researcher - INSERM UMR1214)
Why do we feel “butterflies in our stomach”? What is the “gut feeling”? The reply to these questions is in the brain in our belly. Exactly, our intestine has a brain and it can function perfectly and independently from our big brain. That is why it is referred to as the ‘second’ brain. The millions of neurons forming our ‘second brain’ have a profound influence on digestive processes, of course, as well as on the ‘big brain’ (emotions, stress). There is a fascinating world around our ‘second brain’ awaiting to be explored.
The iron paradox
Ugo Sardo
(PhD student - INSERM U1120)
Could you imagine an element that our body recycles at 90%, that makes you breath and helps you getting enough energy for your day? And the lack of this metal basically affects 2 billion people worldwide!!! Welcome to the iron paradox: where the right amounts maintains your physical and mental condition but a deficiency or an excess make you sick. Let’s see how food, inflammation and genetics could unbalance your iron metabolism.
© les contributeurs OpenStreetMap