The appendix, often dismissed as useless, is crucial for gut health, serving as a reserve of beneficial microbes that restore microbiome diversity after damage. Its removal during appendectomies can negatively affect both gastrointestinal health and potentially psychiatric conditions, due to the gut-brain axis. The article emphasizes the role of gut microbiota in protecting against pathogens and highlights growing alternatives to surgical removal, questioning the long-standing perception of the appendix as redundant.
"The appendix, it turns out, has a legitimate job: recovery from dramatic damage to the gut microbiome."
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