Gut Protection

As you start to eat a delicious meal, your gut senses the oncoming rush of food and kicks into action. Like a lifeguard overseeing children at the pool, your gut plays a protective role, scanning the situation for dangers. A new study has revealed that the its protective mechanisms – a series of chemical reactions that lead to the immune system ramping up – kick into gear when we eat. Nerves in the intestine (red in the intestine pictured) release a hormone called VIP (green), which activates immune cells (blue) in preparation for any unwanted invaders that might slip in with the food. The research also found that the protective immunity is increased at regular mealtimes, highlighting the importance of regular eating patterns to health. Learning how the gut naturally protects us might help improve strategies for people with chronic inflammation conditions, such as irritable bowel syndrome and Crohn’s disease.

Written by Anthony Lewis

Anthony Lewis

Writer

Ant was the web editor in the early days of BPoD, and has since worked with the UK’s top science organisations as a writer and multimedia producer. He now splits his time between freelance work and managing multimedia at The Lancet.

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• Video from work by Cyril Seillet, Kylie Luong and Julie Tellier, and colleagues, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research
• The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
• Video copyright held by the original authors
• Research published in Nature Immunology, February 2020