A mechanism underlying several liver diseases is that the bile produced in the liver cannot be secreted into the intestine as intended. This leads to a backlog of bile, which can damage the liver tissue. The research groups of Prof. Trautwein (University Hospital RWTH Aachen) and Prof. Hengstler (Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors in Dortmund) have made a surprising discovery about the interaction of the liver and the intestine. The course of cholestatic liver disease may be milder when the liver disease is accompanied by an additional disease of the intestine. The team discovered that an inflamed intestine influences the liver to produce less bile acids.