Gut Dr ARTICLES
A short journey into the gut
The gut is amazing! Not only does the breakdown or digestion of food take place in the gut but the absorption of nutrients for the body is carried out by the gut. In order for efficient absorption to take place the gut is extremely folded. If we can fully unfold the adult gut and lay it out in a flat sheet it would have the same surface area as a tennis court. Not only does the gut have to be efficient but it has to be durable. Over a normal lifetime around 60 tonnes of food and drink passes through the gut.
Read More
Diarrhoea, stomach ache and nausea: the many ways COVID-19 can affect your gut
COVID-19 patients with gut symptoms are also more likely to develop severe disease. That’s partly because even after the virus has been cleared from the respiratory system, it can persist in the gut of some patients for several days. That leads to a high level of virus and longer-lasting disease.
Read More
Curious Kids: why do we burp?
Why do we burp? We sometimes also burp before meals, why does this happen? — Ahaana, age 7
That is a really interesting question, Ahaana!There are two types of burping, but mainly we burp to get rid of swallowed air from our stomach.
