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Show notes
For most of human history, people went about their daily lives with a worm or two (or fifty) in their guts. Only in the past century, with pharmaceuticals and sanitation practices, have we made significant strides towards deworming the whole of humanity. And that’s typically been thought of as a good thing, because having too many worms in your body can–quite literally–suck the life out of you. But is it possible to have… _too few_ worms? Science wonders if deworming ourselves has actually led to an increase in certain chronic diseases. On this episode, we dive into _Necator americanus_, a.k.a. the American Hookworm, and its mysterious relationship with each of us. We trace the hookworm’s 118-year journey from a demonized economic depressant, to its use as a desperate D.I.Y. immunosuppressant, to its potential as a medical treatment for a number of chronic diseases, everything from asthma to MS. We’re bringing back two stories from our 2009 episode [https://radiolab.org/podcast/91689-parasites"]( Parasites plus new research on hookworms and autoimmune diseases, reported by Molly Webster _Special thanks to Ethan Hein for the use of his remix of Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 21\. Plus, Doris Pierce, and Dan and Alice Hadley._ EPISODE CREDITS: Reported by - Pat Walters and Molly Webster with help from - {{wREPORTERS}} Produced by - Matt Kielty with help from - Rebecca Rand Fact-checking by - Diane A. Kelly and Edited by - Arianne Wack EPISODE CITATIONS: Articles - [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37495576/"]( Effect of experimental hookworm infection on insulin resistance in people at risk of type 2 diabetes ([https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37495576/"]( [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37495576/](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37495576/ %29)) by Giacomin PR et al. Nat Commun. 2023 Jul 26 _Signup for our newsletter!! It includes short essays, recommendations, and details about other ways to interact with the show._ [https://radiolab.org/newsletter"]( _Sign up_ ([https://radiolab.org/newsletter)!](https://radiolab.org/newsletter%29! ) _Radiolab is supported by listeners like you. Support Radiolab by becoming a member of_ [http://members.radiolab.org"]( _The Lab_ _( today._ _Follow our show on_ [http://instagram.com/radiolab"]( _Instagram_ _,_ [http://twitter.com/radiolab"]( _Twitter_ _and_ [http://facebook.com/radiolab"]( _Facebook_ _@radiolab, and share your thoughts with us by emailing_ [_radiolab@wnyc.org_](mailto:radiolab@wnyc.org)_._ _Leadership support for Radiolab’s science programming is provided by the Simons Foundation and the John Templeton Foundation. Foundational support for Radiolab was provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation._ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See [pcm.adswizz.com]( https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.