The warming climate is hitting us right in the gut, as new research shows that rising temperatures are taking a toll on the health of our gastrointestinal systems and impacting the food we consume. As climate change exacerbates health conditions, it also increases inequality around the world — and it’s only going to get worse.

A lot to digest

Heat stress is negatively affecting the human gut microbiome, according to a review published in Lancet Planetary Health. The microbiome is a complex ecosystem within the gastrointestinal tract that plays an important role in overall health. High external temperatures can “induce complex changes in the gut, including shifts in microbiota composition, increased oxygen levels and overproduction of stress hormones,” said a release about the review. The effects of this can be far-reaching.

When under stress, the body releases a “stress hormone” called cortisol, which can significantly affect the gut. The cells that line the gut all have cortisol receptors, and “all of them may become dysregulated if cortisol levels climb too high,” said Time. Cortisol can also “speed or slow the time it takes for food to transit through the intestines.” This leads to a condition called dysbiosis or an “imbalance in the number, type and distribution of the trillions of bacteria, viruses and fungi that make up the microbiome inhabiting the digestive tract.”