The moment of science: gut health 101

We see a lot of attention given to the topic of gut health these days. You will realise (if you haven’t yet) how important healthy digestive system is for us by the end of this article. I will also share with you what you can do today to improve your gut health and therefore quality of life.

To begin with, lets look into statistics.

As per above source, 40% of people worldwide are having one or another symptom of poor functioning of their digestive system. This number is shocking. Nevertheless, what is also surprising is that these struggles are more common among females rather than males. Sadly, FGIDs are associated with poorer quality of life and need to see healthcare practitioners more often.

Individuals suffering from FGID tend to have the following symptoms:

• heartburn
• belching/burping
• constipation
• bloating
• diarrhea
• abdominal pain

These are just a few. These kind of symptoms may appear in a healthy individual from time to time, resolving by its own in few days. However, if symptoms are persistent then it is something to pay attention to and see practitioner who can help.

SO WHAT TO DO?

To begin with, if individual is experiencing any symptoms mentioned above for a long period of time it is advisable to see his/her General Practitioner (GP) to rule out any possible medical conditions. GP will be able to order required tests and provide proper diagnosis. If all tests return normal and no risks are found then most probably patient is having what is called FGID.

Nevertheless, if someone has above mentioned symptoms that prevent them from doing day to day tasks it can be frustrating to leave your doctor’s office without a diagnosis or a clear instruction of what to do next. It is important to mention that no diagnosis does not mean that there is nothing you can do about your gut health. In this article I will briefly talk about things one can do to improve their gut health and potentially manage these uncomfortable symptoms.

FIRST THINGS FIRST: WHY GUT HEALTH IS SO IMPORTANT?

Microbiome is really important element of our health from many perspectives: starting with immune system well-functioning and ending with healthy nervous system. The job of good bacteria in the gut is to ferment what we can not digest ourselves (fibre, for instance) and some bacteria can also produce vitamins for us (for example, Vitamin K is produced by bacteria in our gut). Furthermore, they take up the spaces on the mucosal layer of our gut and do not let bad bacteria overpopulate. Unlike bad bacteria, they live symbiotically with cells in our gut. Current research also found that healthy bacteria in our gut have a way to communicate with our brain, so our moods are potentially also connected with how healthy or unhealthy our guts are. Therefore, it is important to support healthy gut microbiome and nourish it.

WHAT TO EAT?

Lets talk about food that can improve gut health. I would like to remind you that this is very general advice, so talk to your healthcare provider prior to implementing any of what is mentioned here. If you have any questions, feel free to book free discovery call with me.

I really like diagram below (credit to Valdes, et al., 2018) that summarises perfectly what can be done to support gut health and what can potentially drive individual to unhealthy gut and as result disease. It also shows nutrients that can improve gut health.

“Wow wow, slow down there, my darling. This is all too much!”, – you may think. While above diagram may sound complex, it is all very simple and can be summarised into simple and actionable goals. All of above can be summarised into “eat balanced meals (more dietary fibre and pro/pre/postbiotic foods)” and “too much sugar and processed foods, together with unnecessary use of antibiotics and over the counter meds (for no reason) in the diet will lead to inflammation and therefore poor gut health“. No need to overcomplicate.

Another element to point out is excess of protein. With popularity of protein shakes and bars it is easy to over consume protein. Quality of the protein is also something to pay attention to. Just like not all carbohydrates are the same (should I write another article on that? Let me know in the comments below), protein is also not all the same.

OKAY, GOT IT. WHAT ELSE CAN BE DONE?

If you want to get into action and improve your gut health I have prepared a guide especially for you. It has top-6 tips on how you can start your journey into healthier gut today. Join my newsletter and get this guide right away!

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References:

Fikree, A. & Byrne, P. (2021). Management of functional gastrointestinal disorders. Clinical Medicine, 21(1), pp. 44-52.

Valdes, A. M. et al. (2018). Role of the gut microbiota in nutrition and health. Science and politics of nutrition, Volume 361, pp. 36-44.

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