There are more germs in your gut than people who have ever been born, and each day they are going to war.
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That is according to Wagga gastroenterologist Dr Vincent Fernon.
"It's breathtaking the number, but it means our capacity to understand them all is limited," said Dr Fernon.
"For 100 years, we've known there's something important about gut germs, but we still don't know a whole lot."
The gut health battle continues outside your stomach too. It has real implications in the real world of economics.
"Three years ago, the probiotics industry was worth $30 billion, it's staggering," said Dr Fernon.
"There's a lot of people making money off this, and yet our capacity to understand all of those germs is limited."
Recognising the plethora of pseudo-science and misinformation that has become available to the average gut health enthusiast in Wagga, Dr Fernon shared some basic guidelines.
"The bottom line is, a healthy diet of food you've made yourself, that's what you need.
"When in doubt, go for the Mediterranean options. We've found those kinds of diets increase the gut germs and have a way of balancing what you need."
But the issue is not only about what we're putting into our mouths, but how we're putting it there too.
"During meal times, talk to people. That is so important because it stops you jamming food down," said Dr Fernon.
"Talking slows you down and give your stomach time to recognise what it's eating."
In recent years, while working at Wagga's endoscopy centre on Peter Street, Dr Fernon has seen an increase in patients complaining of bloating and stomach troubles.
While it has made the issue of gut health more topical, Dr Fernon blames the increase on the basic perils of the time-poor life.
"All over the world, instances of gastrointestinal disease and deaths from it are going down, so I would not say we're having more trouble with our gut health," he said.
"There's not enough avoiding of processed foods and sugar."
To have a lasting impact on the health of your insides, Dr Fernon recommends entirely cutting out all forms of refined sugars, describing it as a "plague on our society".
But, he said, when going cold turkey, be prepared for the withdrawals.
"When you cut out sugar, you'll probably have a headache and feel a little tired, but it shouldn't last longer than a few days," he said.
However, Dr Fernon recognises that this time of the year may be the hardest to give up on sweet treats.
"I always say, you can eat chocolate regularly, but only at Easter and Christmas," he said.
"Twice a year, and that should be enough."