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De repente falar de intestino ficou fácil. Quase uma parada intelectual, mastigamos algumas coisinhas para você.

It has been called the second brain and has been receiving special attention for a few years now. Since then, discoveries about the gut have only grown. The latest buzz is about glial cells. If they were once considered “just” the ones responsible for protecting and nourishing neurons, they are now being recognized as the great maestros of the intestinal orchestra.

You know that gut pain with no diagnosis or treatment? That stomachache when you're nervous? Left with no rhyme or reason, the problem now seems to have a name: hub cells.

Recent studies have shown that these subtypes of glial cells are linked to pain signals and symptoms. Moreover, the glials (we’re already on a first-name basis here) are the first responders in cases of intestinal injury or inflammation, and they also play a role in regulating stem cells in the outer layer of the gut.

They interact not only with neurons but also with the microbiome and immune cells, earning the gut its title as the great barrier of immunity.

Studies have already proven the connection between ~gliatic~ function and diseases like Parkinson’s, Crohn’s, and chronic pain. In other words: the gut is not just our second brain but the greatest immunity soldier we have. Truth be told (once again): you are what you eat!