Poo is good for you.

[El_Machinae]

The 'overactive immune system' is the dominant theory and for a pretty good reason. The bacteria in our gut interact with our immune system and can go on to rev it up or calm it down. It's not just that our immune system is reacting to our gut bacteria, it's that the population is the wrong mix of bacteria and thus are creating metabolites that aggravate the immune system.

Often when we discuss intestinal health, it's the waste products of our bacteria that matter. They somewhat pre-process some of our food and they create vitamins that we cannot make.

Coprophagia is quite common. In the animal kingdom at large, that is. Somewhat less common among human beings for some reason.

Rabbits for instance, I believe, would rather eat their own droppings than anything else.

(Though I'm prone to exaggeration from time to time, I should point out.)

Rabbits eat their poop as a source of protein. They eat grasses and leaves, and then they partially digest them for calories. Their gut then seeds the stool with nitrogen-fixing bacteria, which can make protein by pulling nitrogen out of the air. This occurs in the later stages of their digestive tracts, and so (for rabbits) the poop is nutritious. It's their way of getting complete protein.

Cows are similar, but backwards. Their giant stomachs contain bacteria that can create protein out of the air (and by digesting the cellulose in the plant material). This protein (in the form of bacterial organisms) is then digested by the later stomachs.

 

[Borachio]

That's interesting. I didn't know that about the poop making protein.

But really I've never been keen on eating rabbit, though I have. Now I know why I wasn't keen. They are actually a kind of rat. Still, rats are tasty, I've heard.

 

[The_J]

If I remember you're day job has to do something with biology or something, right?

Anyhow I've been told (including from my gasteronologist) that Crohn's has something to do with an overactive immune system (something like that), is that related to amok running bacteria, or is the latter the new theory?

I'll actually be doing my PhD in that area, but more on the bacterial side, therefore I did not emphasize the immune system ^^. I also don't yet have a real overview about the whole thing, so don't take my word as pure truth .

But now I'm wondering if I'll not maybe met El Mac by accident at a conference .

That's interesting. I didn't know that about the poop making protein.

There's actually made a lot more in the poop, which we can't use. e.g. many people know that Vitamins are produced in the gut, but most of them are excreted, because the are produced in the part of the intestine, which comes after the part where they'd be absorbed. Doesn't mean that you should go an eat your own..., because luckily we have rarely an undersupply of vitamins in our part of the world.
And no, I don't think this is a good idea as alternative diet ^^.

 

[History_Buff]

Good news! It's a suppository!

Eat s... and live.

 

[Zack]

Good news! It's a suppository!

Still waiting for the obligatory Xzibit meme.

 

[Leonel]

Still waiting for the obligatory Xzibit meme.

You'll take this and you'll like it!

 

[Zack]

You'll take this and you'll like it!

Ha, the first thing I thought of after reading "suppository" was Farnsworth.