Does the appendix have a function in modern humans, are people without an appendix worse or better off?

Question

Does the appendix have a function in modern humans, are people without an appendix worse or better off?

In: 9

Answer 1

The answer is “maybe.”

The appendix used to be larger, and was used to help digest fibrous material from plants. Over time it has shrunk, and is now mainly useful as a reservoir for healthy gut bacteria, which is useful when recovering from intestinal ailments. Basically, if your gut flora get wiped out by an illness, they can be repopulated from the bacteria stored in the appendix.

Appendicitis can be life threatening, and being that the appendix is not strictly necessary for survival, it is removed when an infection is bad enough. People live without a gall bladder, they can also live without an appendix.