Young man with stomach ache (symbolic image)
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This text is one of the most read Spiegel + articles. He was awarded the 2018 Journalist Prize by the German Nutrition Society (DGE).
Slime makes life easier, basically it makes it possible in the first place.
It guarantees that people can eat, smell, taste, breathe and have sex.
The eyes remain moist and the joints flexible because the gelatinous mass is at your service;
and without the slippery bowel movement every bowel movement would be an hour-long show of strength.
But for some time now, the mucous membrane in the intestine has not been in great shape for many people, says Mahesh Desai, 36, a microbiologist at the Luxembourg Institute of Health in Esch-sur-Alzette.
Together with colleagues, Desai is researching that part of the digestive organ - and now asks the anxious question: Does the diet that has become common in industrialized countries ruin the intestinal mucus?
Much is at stake: Industrially processed, low-fiber food could punch holes in the intestinal mucus and thus create "gateways for pathogenic microorganisms," says Desai.
The consequences would be chronic inflammation of the bowel such as Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis and an increased risk of colon cancer.
The Greek doctor Hippocrates found the origin of all diseases more than 2000 years ago to be in the intestine - now doctors are taking a closer look at its slimy lining: the intestinal mucus, as scientists call the gel-like material.
Will doctors soon be able to tell from this whether a person is eating properly, his immune system is working well, whether he will stay healthy?
In the secretion that is secreted by unicellular glands, the goblet cells, there are certain mucous substances, the mucins.
These are thread-like molecules;
they form a network in the mesh of which water is stored.
If all the mucous membranes of the body were to be detached and spread, they would cover hundreds of square meters.
The secretion forms a tough film that protects the body from harmful substances and pathogens.
In this way, the lining of the stomach protects the organ from its own acid.
Depending on the requirements, the mucus in the different parts of the body has a very specific consistency.
Small deviations lead to big problems.
If there is a lack of mucins in the tear fluid, dry eyes are annoying.
Another example is the metabolic disorder cystic fibrosis: because the gene for a chloride ion channel has been changed, the secretions are too sticky.
The mucus gelatinizes the lungs.
It has to be loosened by tapping and coughing up so that the affected person can breathe better.
The mucus in the intestine plays a special role.
Not only does it help there as a fabulous laxative, but it also forms the boundary between the human body and the billions of bacteria that live in it.
This border is a few hundred micrometers thick and consists of two layers.
The inner one lies directly on the intestinal cells and is so tough that no bacteria can penetrate it.
The outer layer, on the other hand, is softer and represents a kind of mixed zone for bacteria.
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