Trillions of gut bacteria live within you, right now! They inhabit your entire gut, with the highest density in your colon, and although they are microscopic, they have the power to influence your health. Our gut bacteria appear to affect our well-being, yet much remains to be explored.
Thus, researchers consider this microbial ecosystem an organ within the body that requires further investigation. In this inaugural lecture, titled "The gut microbiota – an overlooked organ affecting our physiology and metabolism", Professor Fredrik Bäckhed discusses how the microbiota is altered in various cardiometabolic diseases and how it can be influenced by different environmental factors.
Finally, he examines how gut microbiota may contribute to disease and how, by understanding these disease-causing mechanisms, we may discover ways to modulate microbiota to improve our health.
The inaugural lecture was held at DTU on 23 May 2025.
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Read more about the Microbiome Health Initiative, a virtual research centre anchored at DTU.
