Did you know that your gut is home to trillions of microorganisms, mainly bacteria, which are crucial to your overall health and well-being?
This group of microorganisms is known as the gut microbiome and is intimately related to our digestive system, as it plays a key role in the digestion of food and helps us with nutrient absorption. In addition, our gut microbiome has systemic health effects that affect our metabolism, body weight control, and immune regulation, and also communicates with the brain through nerves and hormones, which aids in maintaining our general health and well-being.
What is gut health?
When we talk about gut health we are referring to the health of the entire digestive system, including the function and balance of all the microorganisms that are present throughout our gastrointestinal tract, from the esophagus to the bowel.
It’s worth mentioning that each part of our gut has a specific job and a different set of microorganisms when it comes to breaking down food into nutrients able to be absorbed.
Why is gut health important?
If we could take a look at the gut microbiome of a healthy person, we will see that all the organs of the digestive tract, the esophagus, stomach, and intestines are working together with one ultimate goal: allow us to eat and digest the food without any discomfort.
Unfortunately, millions of people around the world suffer from some form of digestive disease, which means that their intestinal health is not being taken care of.
All of us, at some point, might have experienced some digestive problems, such as heartburn, abdominal pain, loose stools, constipation, bloating, nausea or vomiting.
But when these symptoms are persistent over time, it is our body's way of letting us know that our gut health is in poor condition, usually due to an underlying problem that needs medical attention.
How to take care of your gut health:
To have a healthy gut we need to feed it properly, not just for us, for our cells, but also for the trillions of microorganisms that lived within our digestive tract in symbiosis with us. This is a key element in having a healthy gut, that directly correlates to overall health.
To provide proper nourishment to have good gut health there are two major components to include:
- high-fiber foods: such as beans, peas, lentils, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Our gut microbiome feeds from the fiber present in foods allowing the good bacteria to thrive.
- Fermented foods: like yogurt, kimchi, and kefir. These types of foods contain living microorganisms that may have potential anti-inflammatory benefits for our gut.
Other components of current Western dietary patterns have a negative impact on our gut health. For example, high intakes of fat or sugar can lead to increased growth of potentially harmful microorganisms, with the consequential reduction of good bacteria, creating a state known as dysbiosis.
But is not just the food that matters, having a healthy lifestyle is a key to having good gut health. A sedentary lifestyle, high-stress levels, too little sleep, or taking too many antibiotics, can cause this state of dysbiosis, taking a toll on our quality of life.
How does the health of the gut impact other things?
As we already mentioned, having a healthy gut has a direct impact on our systemic health:
- Immune function: the gut wall acts as a barrier that stops bas microorganisms from entering the bloodstream. When this barrier is broken, several digestive conditions may appear, like irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, or even coeliac disease.
- Hormone levels: having an unhealthy gut can lead to hormonal disruptions and chronic inflammation, potentially leading to serious diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, depression, and autoimmune disorders.
- Mental health: our gut is known as the “second brain” because it has its nervous system called the enteric nervous system, which extends along the entire digestive tract and has a direct connection with our brain. This communication is known as the gut-brain axis, and this is why stress can have a direct impact on our gut health.