Tuesday February 2, 21:22

The intestinal flora, a "black box" to explore

Every adult individual houses, mainly in the stool, a thousand different bacterial species

Despite the presence of bacterial mass, the intestinal flora has long remained unknown, its physiological action and its role in certain diseases have been neglected. But today, scientists rectify the shortcomings of the past in many leading works on the microflora.

The gut flora is mainly composed of bacteria, hence the term of microbiota. Over 70% of these bacteria are not cultivable by traditional methods, which explains why, for many years, the digestive microbiota has been studied little or superficially.

The advent of molecular biology has changed things. Researchers now believe that every adult individual houses, mainly in the stool, a thousand different bacterial species.

And the microflora of an individual is not only specific but also extremely stable over time. The scientists have long believed that the use of antibiotics for minor ailments may have an influence on the microbiota and even reduce the population of resident bacteria.

But the return to equilibrium seems quite fast, in about one or two months. Among recent research, some are related to obesity.

Results published in the journal Nature suggest that the intestinal microbiota contributes to the absorption of sugars and fats and regulates the storage of them.

Other studies show that the microbiota plays a key role in the development and maturation of the immune system and therefore its functions.

Finally, it seems well established that in chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), the microflora plays a harmful pro-inflammatory role. The "black box" deserves to be further explored.

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