The gut’s immune system not only defends against pathogens but also regulates the intake of nutrients, research in mice finds.
The small intestine is ground zero for survival of animals. It is responsible for absorbing the nutrients crucial to life, and it wards off toxic chemicals and life-threatening bacteria.
In a new study in the journal
Science, researchers report the critical role that the gut’s immune system plays in these key processes. The findings may provide insights into origins of metabolic disease and malnutrition that are common in some regions of the world.
“We were surprised that the immune system was so involved in nutrition,” says first author Zuri Sullivan, a former graduate student in the immunology department at Yale University and now a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University. “And the study lays the groundwork for understanding how this reciprocal interaction works.”
Gut Immune System Cells Act to Regulate Nutrient Uptake in Small Intestine
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Double duty: Gut s immune system helps regulate food processing, too
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Double duty: Gut s immune system helps regulate food processing, too
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