Gut: The Inside Story of Our Body's Most Underrated Organ

by Giulia Enders

Hemorrhoids, digestive diseases like diverticulitis, and even constipation are common only in countries where people generally sit on some kind of chair to pass their stool.

removing the tonsils of a child younger than seven can lead to an increased risk of obesity.

Cooking food saves us the whole first burst of energy required to unfold those proteins, which would otherwise have to be expended by the stomach. By preferring cooked food, the body outsources the first part of the digestive process.

Cooking oil or solid fats such as butter or hydrogenated coconut oil should be used for frying. They may be full of the much-frowned-upon saturated fats, but they are much more stable when exposed to heat.

It took even longer for the connection between Helicobacter pylori and Parkinson’s disease to be realized. Although doctors had known since the 1960s that patients with Parkinson’s have an increased incidence of stomach problems, they did not know the nature of the connection between sore stomachs and trembling hands.