Go with the gut: Our symbiotic relationship with our intestinal bacteria

The Up Close podcast hears from chemistry researcher Professor Spencer Williams on the rapidly emerging understanding of human microbiota – the diverse and numerous microorganisms that reside on and within our bodies – and particularly how the composition of our gut flora can determine the state of our own health.

“There’s a strong correlation between diseased states and the composition of your microbiota,” he says.

“So a big question has been is this just coincidental or is there a cause? Is there change in the composition of your microbiome somehow causing these diseases? Increasingly the answer for some of these diseases appears to be yes.”

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