Scientists Have Finally Discover the Function of the Human Appendix

The appendix was considered as a body part with no function in the past, but according to a recent research, scientists have finally been able to figure out its function. It is a shelter for good bacteria in the body, and assists the body when it needs to restart the digestive system due to dysentery or cholera.

Scientists from the Duke University Medical Center in North Carolina say that the body uses reserves from this supposedly unused organ to replenish the required number of good bacteria in the intestines when it faces diseases such as dysentery and cholera. But, this doesn’t mean that we should exhaust our appendix at any cost, according to professor Bill Parker.

“It’s very important for people to understand that if their appendix gets inflamed, just because it has a function it does not mean they should try to keep it in. So it’s sort of a fun thing that we’ve found, but we don’t want it to cause any harm, we don’t want people to say, ‘oh, my appendix has a function’, so I’m not going to go to the doctor, I’m going to try to hang onto it,” says professor Parker.

This revelation comes after animal studies done on koalas, which have incredibly long appendixes, due to their diet based on eucalyptus leaves. Many other scientists, like Nicholas Vardaxis, an associate professor in the Department of Medical Sciences at the RMIT University, agree with this theory.

 

Source : http://www.healthyfoodhouse.com/