The food and drinks that we take into our bodies go through our digestive system, which includes the intestines. The intestines are also called the gut or the bowels. Inside the gut, there are millions and millions of bacteria and other microbes, which we call the gut microbiota. Most of the bacteria that take up residence in the gut are friendly and even needed. We call these the beneficial bacteria. They help our bodies perform various tasks. They help us digest our food, they produce vitamins, and most importantly they help us keep a healthy gut. In exchange for all the hard work that the gut microbiota does for us, we provide the bacteria with a nice, safe, and warm place to live.
Beneficial bacteria have another super important task: they prevent harmful bacteria from getting out of control. As long as the number of harmful bacteria is kept to a minimum, they are mostly harmless. However, if the conditions are just right, the number of harmful bacteria can grow too large. Too many harmful bacteria in the gut can be dangerous and make us sick.

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Go to source: https://kids.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/frym.2019.00006