Since scientists have propelled gut to the status of " second brain ", studies and books feature this digestive wall that does more than just transform the bolus. Diets without gluten , without milk or without fodmaps thrive. Probiotics invade pharmacies.

"The medical revolution is just beginning," says Dr. Serge Rafal. In "I take care of my colon " (Leduc.s Editions), his second book dedicated to the subject, the former attaché in Premier at Tenon Hospital reaffirms the paradigm shift triggered by the latest studies on the microbiota: "Since 2010, bacteria are no longer the public enemy number 1, they open new healing horizons and become de facto our allies.

Why now ? "From 1990 to 2004, medical research focuses on the sequencing of the human genome.In 2010, these advances conclude that 99% of microbiota bacteria are anaerobic.Translate: they live in an oxygen-free environment," Serge Rafal recounts. . This data renders obsolete all the old analyzes performed on the stool. Science looks for the first time on the billions of bacteria, viruses, fungi and yeasts that make up the intestinal flora . The living set weighs between 1.5 and 2 kg by weight in our body. A new medical chapter is written before our eyes.

When the colon goes, everything goes ... and vice versa!

400 square meters of absorption surface, 100,000 billion bacteria and enzymes, two hundred million neurons that communicate live with the head ... the intestinal microbiota makes rain and good weather on the body - it manages the vital functions - and morale! The second brain produces 95% of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that participates in emotional management, but also dopamine, the " hormone of happiness ". When the digestive wall is in balance, everything is bathed. In case of disruption, however, the machine is racing.

Explanations: The intestine extracts nutrients from food to provide organs with the energy they need to function and defend. It's our first protective barrier against environmental toxins. When the gut is beset with bad bacteria, the latter take over the good ones and trigger local inflammation. If this persists, it damages the mucosa and induces intestinal hypermiability. Toxic substances enter the body as in a mill. Inflammation becomes generalized. Diseases settle. In addition to disorders directly related to the imbalance of the digestive sphere (such as functional colopathy ), can appear many diseases called civilization: cardiovascular, allergic, infectious, metabolic, neuro-degenerative ... In short, the intestine and its flora are at the heart of our health. Taking care of it is a priority.

The art of pampering your microbiota

An intestinal flora at the top ensures a powerful immunity . Dr Rafal's recommendations? Action 1: we put the dish of his eating back. Exit inflammatory products like refined sugars , bad fats, and other substances difficult to metabolize. Good foods must chase bad ones! Make your plate around large portions of vegetables and fruits. Be careful, some plants can generate gases, so discomforts; Sensitive people will look at sensitive foods to avoid.

Action 2: we put the soft pedal on gluten, dairy products, fodmaps - these sugars easily assimilated present in certain foods- and other allergens.

Action 3: reseed your flora with probiotics. A fortiori in case of taking antibiotics. "The microbiota is unbalanced easily, stay alert, if you go abroad, you can catch a tourist simply because your diet changes slightly, the probiotic reflex is needed." A last blow of zeal? One chews each bite slowly, between thirty to forty times - satiety guaranteed. And we include daily portions of natural probiotics ( fermented milks , sauerkraut, tempeh and soy miso ..), for intestinal assimilation at the top.

The source of a new generation of medicines

Current experiments on the gut microbiota give troubling results and foreshadow a completely new medicine. Illustration: If we inject intestinal bacteria from a mouse lean nature to an obese mouse, the latter slim. "Some intestinal bacteria are greedy, they devour calories as in a packman video game," says Serge Rafal.

Another speaking experience: introverted mice that have grafted intestinal bacteria from exploratory mice acquire audacity and fidget. "The microbiota has the power to change the morphotype but also the character of an individual.The pharmaceutical companies are working on a new generation of probiotics, more and more targeted," said the doctor.

Psychobiotics, allergobiotics, rheumatobiotics ... a new pharmacy is expected within two years. Other promising avenues include the transfer of faeces, washed and degassed. He is currently authorized in France for the treatment of very serious intestinal colitis. In the Netherlands, healthy stool banks are born. Other countries are studying the application of this innovative technique to the treatment of Crohn's disease or obesity . We say loudly tomorrow!