A new organ!?! Researchers at the University of Limerick, Ireland, have published a new study on organs, highlighting something that most of us did not know we had – a new part of the body.
Although doctors know about the mesentery a long time ago, a membrane that connects the bowel to the abdomen, it was thought to be made up of several different pieces of tissue. However, a professor from Limerick, Ireland, has determined that these fragmented structures are actually an organ, so we have a total of 79 organs.
What does the study say about the new organ found?
Leonardo da Vinci described the mesentery in 1508. Over the centuries, other medical illustrators did the same. But in the 1880s, the prevalent theory suggested that the mesentery could not be a structure.
That theory prevailed until the work of J. Calvin Coffey. He has been investigating the mesentery for several years, and in his study of the new organ, “The mesentery: structure, function, and role in disease” describes the reasons why the mesentery Mesentery is actually an organ and not a collection of tissues as previously believed. Even the revised study motivates the update of the world’s best-known medical textbook: Gray’s Anatomy.
Recognizing the mesentery as an organ could have very interesting ramifications for the field of medicine and patients. This new organ has long been a mystery to doctors.
So what does this mean for me?
What we already know is the strategic place of mesentery in the body; between the intestines, allowing the intestine to connect to the abdominal wall without being directly connected. This prevents the intestines from collapsing in our pelvis when standing upright. But other than that, scientists have always been a bit unsure about what to do with the mesentery.
Reclaiming it as an organ, Coffey believes that a new world will open up in research.
“Until now, the field of mesenteric science did not exist as such. Now we have established the anatomy and structure. The next step is the function; when you understand it, you can identify the abnormal function. If we put all that together we will have the basis for a whole new area of science. “
As expected, it is the connection with the intestine that most excites the researchers. We know of the intestine-brain connection, does this mean that there is another organ that affects the digestive system and mental health? Because the mesentery extends from the first part of the small intestine, going all the way to the rectum, the last part of the large intestine is of interest to researchers studying a number of diseases.
In other words, learning more about the mesentery may help us learn more about diseases that originate in the gut, including symptoms of Crohn’s disease or irritable bowel syndrome, and others that are affected by our microbes, such as Autoimmune disorders, diabetes and obesity.
Due to its complicated location, reaching the mesentery requires radiation or surgery. Still, a new approach to the organ could lead to less invasive ways of studying it.
Improving bowel health now
While the study of this new body ensures that years of research will come, it is comforting to know that we have some ways of influencing intestinal health that can be put into practice right now.
Follow a bowel friendly diet. Bone broth, coconut products, germinated seeds, fermented vegetables such as sauerkraut, can make the intestine permeable and increase the good bacteria of its microbial flora.
Consider adding a probiotic supplement. There are 10 times more probiotics in the intestine than in the cells of your body. So giving a boost to the body with a high quality probiotic supplement is always a good idea. In combination with foods rich in probiotics, this will help good bacteria multiply while moving the bad things.
Avoid antibiotics and added sugars. There are some things that make bad bacteria bloom and these two are the biggest culprits. You can at times avoid taking antibiotics. However, if you are taking them for a common cold or flu – which antibiotics cannot destroy because these are viral infections – not only is antibiotic resistance building up, but they are killing good bacteria, which can Take months to repopulate.
Added sugars, such as those found in ultra-processed foods and refined carbohydrates, also contribute to poor intestinal health. Why? Because they kill probiotics in the digestive tract while providing food for bad bacteria.
Final considerations on the study of the new organ
In the 1980s, scientists said that the mesentery was a membrane that connected the intestine to the abdomen and was a tissue that consisted of several different parts of tissues.
In 2016, a professor from Limerick, Ireland, determined that these fragmented structures are actually an organ.
This raises the number of organs in the body to 79.
Recognizing the mesentery as an organ is sure to trigger new research that could provide interesting ramifications for the field of medicine and patients.
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