Research You’ve probably heard the term gut health and know that good gut health is desirable. But what does it really mean to have a healthy gut? It means that there is the right balance between small bacteria and other microbes in the digestive tract. Researchers are discovering more and more ways that these microorganisms contribute to overall health.
What is gut health?
Gut health is the health of your gastrointestinal (GI) system, including digestion, a normal and stable microbiome, the absence of gastrointestinal diseases, an effective immune system, and more. According to experts at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, the health of your gastrointestinal tract is related to other aspects of overall health, such as emotional stress and chronic illness. Additionally, research suggests that certain foods, behaviors, and environments can influence a person’s gut health.
Your gut communicates with your brain through hormones and nerves that help promote and maintain overall health and well-being. A healthy gut typically contains good bacteria and immune cells that fight disease-causing bacteria and viruses.
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Why is gut health important?
Your intestines, also called the digestive system or gastrointestinal (GI) system, digest the food you eat, absorb the nutrients from it, and use them to fuel and sustain your body.
The gut plays a very important role in the health and well-being of our bodies clinical nutritionist at Tufts Medical Center in Boston and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. In addition to digesting food and absorbing nutrients, “the gut is in close communication with the brain, constantly playing telephone games, and influencing several factors, including immune activity, gastrointestinal muscle contractions, and fluid secretion. The gut plays a key role in the body’s immune system: More than 70% of immune cells are located in the intestines.
Science-Backed Ways to Improve Your Gut Health
Certain healthy foods and lifestyle habits can naturally improve your gut health.
Eat foods rich in fiber and probiotics.
Fiber is a plant-based nutrient that reduces the risk of metabolic diseases by stimulating the growth and diversity of good bacteria in the gut, research shows. Sweet potatoes, spinach, beets, carrots, and fennel are packed with naturally gut-supporting fiber. In addition to fruits and vegetables, whole grain products are also a rich source of fiber. Fermented foods such as yogurt, kimchi, sauerkraut and kombucha are also valued for their ability to stimulate the gut thanks to the presence of probiotics. Yogurt, in particular, can help relieve gastrointestinal problems such as diarrhea, inflammatory bowel disease, and constipation. A study found that people who regularly eat yogurt have more lactobacilli, a beneficial gut bacteria, in their gut, as well as fewer enterobacteria, a type of bacteria linked to inflammation.
Regular Exercise
Exercise is medicine for many parts of the human body, including the microbiome. In both animal and human studies, researchers have found that exercise promotes an increase in the diversity of healthy bacteria in the gut.
While several studies highlight the role that exercise and diet can play together in positively impacting gut health, a specifically noted that exercise has the potential to improve the composition and functionality of gut bacteria independently of the changing diet. The researchers found that longer exercise sessions and high-intensity aerobic training in particular made the greatest contribution to the diversity and function of gut bacteria in terms of overall well-being. They also found that lean people were more likely to benefit from the gut health benefits of exercise than overweight or obese people.
Limit your alcohol consumption
Too much alcohol can also hurt your microbiome. Repeated alcohol consumption is associated with gastritis, an irritation of the intestines that causes inflammation. This inflammation can cause heartburn, chronic discomfort, ulcers, and bacterial infections. Drinking too much is also associated with intestinal inflammation, which is a sign of a diseased intestine. Research suggests that this type of inflammation alters the microbiota (including its function) and can throw it out of balance.
Reduce Stress
Stress isn’t just mental:
Think about the butterflies you feel when you’re excited or anxious. Gut health experts often refer to the gut-brain connection and refer to the gut as the second brain. While we don’t know everything about their relationship, we do know that mental health and gut are closely linked.
Research suggests that anxiety and depression are influenced by the gut and vice versa: they can increase the risk of irritable bowel syndrome, and people with irritable bowel syndrome are more likely to suffer from these psychological disorders.
Finding ways to manage your mental health and stress levels can help relieve unpleasant gastrointestinal symptoms and restore balance to your body. Don’t know where to start? Try to add some physical activity to your day. Something as simple as a daily walk could improve gut health, as research shows exercise can increase the quality and quantity of health-promoting gut microbes.
Consider a Dietary Supplement
Probiotic supplements are becoming increasingly popular as gut health becomes increasingly important. Although probiotic supplements are not a panacea for gut health, there is evidence that they can strengthen the microbiota and restore gut health under certain conditions.
Probiotics may be useful for certain health problems, such as preventing infections while taking antibiotics and relieving inflammation in people with inflammatory bowel disease, who also suffer from a condition called pouchitis. However, not all probiotics are suitable for all health conditions and most probiotics likely have limited ability to alter gut health, especially if other healthy options are not utilized.
If you are interested in a probiotic supplement, talk to your doctor. While these dietary supplements are usually considered safe, especially in healthy people, the risk of harmful effects is higher in people with weakened immune systems.
Signs You May Have an Unhealthy Gut
An unpleasant sign: Is there something wrong with your gut? Unknown changes in your stool.
If you notice sudden changes in the length, color or consistency of your stool, this may be cause for concern. “Normal stool should be brown and never contain blood.
Because much of the population suffers from intestinal problems at certain times in their lives, doctors developed the Meyers Scale (also known as the Bristol Scale) to help patients describe their bowel movements “without having to use color photos.”Different numbers on the scale are associated with different intestinal problems. So take a look at the scale to share your concerns with your doctor.
Still, it’s important to remember what you consider normal. If your poop has looked like Silly Putty your whole life and you don’t feel any pain, this might be your normal. Beyond the state of your bowel movements, there are other signs that your gut could use some attention. While everyone should be concerned about their gut health, the following symptoms may indicate that your gut health needs some attention. Make an appointment with your doctor if you experience:
- Abnormal weight loss
- Anemia diagnosed by your doctor
- Change/pain in bowel habits
- Rectal bleeding
How to manage your gut health
If you are concerned about the condition of your gut, found here There are several ways to monitor and evaluate your gut health, both at home and with your doctor. Watch for symptoms such as stomach pain, bloating, bloating, nausea, or diarrhea. These symptoms often resolve on their own over time but may require your doctor’s help if they become chronic problems.
If symptoms persist, it may be beneficial to have a stool test done by your doctor. Stool analysis is a series of tests that analyze a stool sample to diagnose and treat certain gastrointestinal diseases.