Guwahati, Feb. 10 -- Nick Ilott, University of Oxford

Many of us pay attention to the foods we're putting in our bodies - asking ourselves whether they're nutritious and healthy for us. But have you ever stopped to ask yourself how fast this food is moving through your gut? The answer to this question is actually really important, as the speed that food moves through your digestive tract affects your health and wellbeing in many ways.

Once you've chewed up and swallowed your meal, this food begins its journey along the gastrointestinal tract - a long and winding pathway that begins at the mouth and ends at the anus. Along the way, it reaches specialist organs that churn and digest (stomach), absorb nutrients (small intestine) and absorb...