Question

"I heard about a great new organic, gluten-free, nonfat, low-calorie, high- energy way to remove all of the bacteria in our intestines!" enthused the young woman in the health food store to her friend. Is this a good idea or not? Cite a reason for your answer.

Short answer

No, it's not a good idea to remove all of the bacteria in our intestines as they play a vital role in digestion, immunity, and vitamin production.

Step-by-step solution

Understand the role of bacteria in our intestines

Bacteria in our intestines, also known as gut flora, play crucial roles in our bodies. They're involved in various important functions, including supporting digestion, maintaining immunity, and producing some essential vitamins.

Think about the implications of removing these bacteria

If all of the bacteria were removed from our intestines, this would severely disrupt these functions, potentially leading to malabsorption of nutrients, weakened immune system, and vitamin deficiencies.

Formulate the final answer

Knowing the role of these bacteria and the implications of their removal, we can say removing all bacteria from our intestines would not be a good idea considering their numerous contributions to our health.