Your digestive tract contains hundreds of different types of bacteria -- trillions of microbes that help you digest food and keep bad bacteria in check.
Now scientists have found that the vitamin D receptor is a key player in this system, helping to govern the activity of gut bacteria, responding to their cues, and sometimes countering their presence.
According to Science Daily:
“The findings deliver a new lead to scientists investigating how bacteria might play a role in the development of inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn's disease or ulceractive colitis. The work complements studies suggesting that Salmonella infection can increase the risk of inflammatory bowel disease.”