Gut health is apparently a trendy topic these days. It seems everyone is trying to improve gut health and restore their gut microbiome. You can find countless supplements that claim to boost gut health and there are hundreds of videos and articles offering advice on how to heal your gut.
But what exactly does it mean to have a healthy gut? What happens if your gut becomes ‘unhealthy’ and most importantly, can you ‘heal’ an unhealthy gut?
Before digging deeper into the subject of gut health, let me answer these fundamental questions in today’s blog post. This will be the first blog post of a series of introductory posts I will be writing in the coming weeks explaining the ‘basics of gut health’.
First of all, what do we refer to as the ‘gut’?
Often in conversation, when we say ‘the gut’ it can mean either the stomach or the intestine. In a more scientific context, however, we use the word “gut” to refer to the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, including both the stomach and the intestines. The intestines are divided into 2 major parts; the small intestine (which contains duodenum, jejunum, and ileum) and the large intestine (consists of cecum, colon, rectum, and anus).
There are also some additional organs such as the liver, gallbladder, and pancreas that are part of the digestive system and play important roles in the functioning of the gut. However, we normally only focus on the digestive tract—and mainly on the stomach and the intestines—when we’re talking about gut health.
Why is the gut important?
As we all know, our gut is where the food we eat is broken down and the resulting nutrients are absorbed into the blood stream. In this sense, the gut is a key part of our existence as all of the other organs in our body depend on it for nutrition. The gut is also where waste and toxin elimination takes place.
However, according to a large number of research studies being done in the past decades, our gut does way more than keeping us nourished. These studies suggest that the gut plays a major role in our immune functioning, metabolism, and even brain health.
It turns out that Hippocrates got it right (to a certain extent) some 2000 years ago when he said ‘All disease begins in the gut’!
So, what exactly does ‘gut health’ mean?
Well, it seems that the scientists themselves haven’t yet reached a consensus on the definition of gut health. I read through several scientific papers trying to come up with a definition and this paper written by Dr. Stephan Bischoff published in 2011, was the one that seemed to present a logical explanation
According to Dr. Bischoff, having a healthy gut goes beyond merely being free of digestive diseases. It includes proper digestion of nutrients, stability of the gut microbiome, normal functioning of the immune system, and an overall feeling of well-being.
Gut microbiota and the intestinal barrier that filters these microbes out of the immune system seem to be the most important clues that help solve the gut health puzzle.
There are 5 key characteristics of a healthy gut
1. Proper digestion.
A healthy gut breaks down food into nutrients and absorbs these nutrients and water into the bloodstream. When your gut is healthy, the digestion process runs smoothly and without any persistent symptoms such as bloating, stomach pain, diarrhea, or constipation.
2. Absence of digestive Illnesses
This means you don’t suffer from digestive illnesses such as acid reflux, enzyme deficiencies, food intolerances, or other diseases like IBD or colorectal cancer.
3. A balanced gut microbiota
When your gut microbiome is stable and balanced, there is no bacterial overgrowths (such as Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth or SIBO), no infections, or no antibiotic-associated diarrhea.
4. A Strong immune system
Since 70-80% of your immune system lives in your gut, keeping your gut healthy is key to a well-functioning immune system that fights off infections and keeps inflammation in check.
5. A general feeling of well-being
A healthy gut helps you stay healthy, making you feel good overall. Your gut produces more than 90% of your body’s serotonin, one of the ‘feel-good hormones’ which can affect your brain and improve your mood and energy.
Why should you care about your gut health?
As I just explained, your gut is not just about digesting food—it can influence other parts of your body too. As plenty of scientific studies suggest, the gut plays an important role in several aspects of health and well-being including mental health, heart health, and metabolic health.
By focusing on keeping your gut healthy, you can improve your overall well-being while enjoying a higher quality of life.
Signs that your gut might need help
If your gut is not healthy, you might notice some symptoms and signs such as bloating, stomach pain, excessive gas, and irregular bowel movements. While these signs can be temporary and will likely go away in a couple of days, you will need to get yourself checked if the symptoms persist.
If your gut health is less than ideal, there can also be some symptoms that don’t seem directly related to your gut such as feeling tired all the time, frequent mood swings, getting sick easily, and skin problems.
Some symptoms, like blood in stool, unexpected and sudden weight loss, and severe stomach pain can be alarm signals of underlying illness and need to be checked by a doctor immediately.
How you can improve your gut health?
Often, simple lifestyle fixes such as eating healthy, managing stress, and exercising regularly can help with a lot of gut issues. However, if you suspect that you have any gut problems, it is important to get yourself checked by a doctor first to rule out any serious illnesses.
I plan to write more blog posts about gut health and gut microbiota in the coming weeks. I will also be sharing science-backed, easy-to-follow tips on how to improve your gut health here and on my Instagram, so stay tuned!
References
- Bischoff, S. C. (2011). ‘Gut health’: a new objective in medicine?. BMC medicine, 9, 1-14.
- Martin, C. R., Osadchiy, V., Kalani, A., & Mayer, E. A. (2018). The brain-gut-microbiome axis. Cellular and molecular gastroenterology and hepatology, 6(2), 133-148.
- Yoo, B. B., & Mazmanian, S. K. (2017). The enteric network: interactions between the immune and nervous systems of the gut. Immunity, 46(6), 910-926.
