The following snippet is from a fascinating paper in the July issue of the Journal of Allergy & Clinical Immunology:
The human gut contains about 1.2 kg of bacteria, and although the identity of many of these is unknown and uncharacterized, it appears that each person cultivates a few hundred of the many thousands of types of microbes that occur within a population. The gut is rapidly colonized in the first days of life, and by 2 years of age, the full complement of microbial species is reached and remains relatively constant throughout life. [Emphasis added]
Leaving aside the deeper issues having to do with immunological development and the “critical window” in early childhood by which the immune system is set on its course, the idea that you have 1.2kg of bacteria inside certainly adds another dimension to having a gut reaction.
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