Science Bar "The intestine, a second brain?"

Le Black-Sheep - 21, Boulevard Louis Blanc, 34000 Montpellier.

So our gut, that unloved organ, isn't just a tube and a digestive machine! Many microbiologists, gastroenterologists and neurobiologists now agree that the intestine and its microbiota are our "second brain".

This organ is home to up to 100,000 billion bacteria that are part of our biological identity. The intestine alone is a truly complex, vital organ, capable of supplying vitamins, participating in our immune defense system, secreting active substances and expressing sensations.

We now know that 200 million neurons are present in the intestine, and that this enteric nervous system communicates closely with the central nervous system. In addition, recent studies reveal that it plays a role in the onset of diseases such as obesity, immune deficiencies, sleep disorders and certain neurodegenerative diseases.

This science-society debate, part of the national Pint of Science festival, brings together 3 scientists and specialists in the field:

• Antoine Avignon, Professor, Head of the Endocrinology-Diabetology-Nutrition Department at Montpellier University Hospital;
• Hélène Eutamène, Doctor of Biological Sciences, Professor at INP Toulouse-Purpan (Food Toxicology Laboratory);
• Jérôme Larcher, internist.

• Click here to register.

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