What constitutes a healthy gut, and why is taking care of your gut so important?

One of the main reasons gut health is so key is that 70% of the body’s immune cells lay along the digestive tract.
So taking care of your gut health means taking care of the health of just about everything in your body!

Most researchers now believe that an unhealthy gut is the root cause of many modern day health conditions and can trigger autoimmune diseases:

"The association between bacteria and autoimmune disease is well understood; alteration of microbiome ‘dysbiosis’ can induce autoimmune disease in people with certain genetic backgrounds and environmental factors." [1, 2, 3, 4]

So what does this mean?
Let's start with some definitions that you will need in order to understand the links below.

Microbiota (aka microbes)

The human microbiota is made up of anywhere from 10 trillion to 100 trillion microbial cells, including bacteria, viruses, and fungi. The biggest populations of microbiota reside in the gut. The microbiota is important for nutrition, immunity, and effects on the brain and behavior.

Microbiome

The microbiome is the name given to all of the genes inside these microbial cells. Your microbial cells and their genetic material, the microbiome, are determined partly by your mother's microbiota (the environment that you're exposed to at birth) and partly from your diet and lifestyle. Like a fingerprint, each person's microbiome is unique.

Dysbiosis:  An imbalance of the gut micriobiota.

Gut Health

“Gut health” describes the function and balance of the microbiota in the gastrointestinal tract.

Healthy Gut: In a healthy gut, the bacteria and immune cells fight inflammation and ward off infectious agents including unhealthy bacteria, viruses and fungi. A healthy gut communicates with the brain through nerves and hormones, which helps maintain general health and well-being.
Unhealthy Gut: There are also unhealthy gut bacteria that promote inflammation. When these inflammatory bacteria take over, they produce metabolites that pass through the lining of the gut and into the bloodstream (leaky gut), spreading the inflammation to other parts of the body.

Leaky Gut Syndrome / Increased Intestinal Permeability

The term “intestinal permeability” describes how easily substances pass through the intestinal wall. The walls of the intestines are supposed to be permeable to a degree, since this is how nutrients from the food we eat make it into the body. Typically, there are tiny gaps between the cells in the small intestine called tight junctions. If they are damaged or become too loose, it causes the gut to become “leaky”, allowing larger organisms in the gut (such as undigested food particles, bacteria and toxins) to leak into the bloodstream.

Zonulin is an inflammatory protein that signals these tight junctions to open, and is currently the only measurable regulator of intestinal permeability. The two most imortant triggers for zonulin release are bacteria and gluten. Gluten can stimulate higher zonulin levels even in individuals who do not have celiac disease. Once zonulin is triggered, it stays active for 90 days.

Indicators of an Unhealthy Gut

Although many people with an unhealthy gut don't have any symptoms at all, here are a few indicators:

  • Digestive issues such as upset stomach, nausea, bloating, gas, diarrhea, constipation, heartburn.
  • Food intolerances.
  • Unintentional weight changes.
  • Fatigue or sluggishness.
  • Trouble sleeping.
  • Migraines, brain fog.
  • Skin irritation and rashes.
  • Depression, anxiety, mood changes.

But no worries...you can change your microbiome in 24 hours!

And I can't create a page on gut health without talking about stool.
If you can produce a soft well-formed log every day with no effort, that's a good indicator of a healthy gut!
Enough said!

Correlation to Health Conditions

The correlation of increased intestinal permeability and the following health conditions and diseases has been observed, but no causation has been proven.

. . . and more.

So what can you do?

  • Food choices, specifically the standard American diet which is low in fiber and high in sugar and saturated fats, are considered the main driver of gut inflammation.
    • Eat a nutritious whole foods diet that is high in fiber including fruits , vegetables , legumes, roots and tubers , nuts & seeds, and whole grains. Fiber plays a key role in the types of bacteria that thrive in our guts and how they work.
    • Avoid processed foods, refined carbohydrates, processed meats , fried foods, added sugars, animal protein, animal (saturated) fat and refined oils , as they can decrease the amount of good bacteria in your gut and have been linked to increased inflammation.
    • Buy organic foods to avoid any synthetic (human-made) pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers.
    • Eat colorful plates with a diverse range of foods, which will lead to a more diverse gut flora and help recovery from harmful influences such as infection and antibiotics. Experts suggest eating 30 different plants per week [1, 2, 3].
    • One of the most problematic foods is cow's milk, which contains IGF-1 growth hormone that leads to inflammation.
  • Natural sources of probiotics, prebiotic fiber, and fermented foods may reverse leaky gut. Natural prebiotics are a type of fiber that passes through the body undigested and promotes the growth and activity of friendly gut bacteria. Be aware that taking probiotic supplements may have side-effects. Since they're considered a dietary supplement and not a drug, the FDA doesn't monitor them. Research is ongoing, so just make sure to do your research!
  • Stay hydrated! Drink water as well as green tea.
  • Eat slowly and chew thoroughly to fully digest your food and help your body absorb all its nutrients. If you do have a leaky gut where undigested food particles can pass through the lining and cause inflammation, then chewing your food is your first line of defense!
  • Limit your alcohol consumption, since alcohol kills many of the beneficial bacteria that live in the intestines.
  • Eliminate food intolerances that may be causing digestive issues such as bloating, abdominal pain, diarrhea and other symptoms. Try to identify the food or foods contributing to your symptoms. Experiment with reducing the amount of gluten and dairy in your diet.
  • Try to minimize your stress. Stress can reduce blood flow and alter the gut bacteria. Specifically, stress triggers the sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight), which inhibits the parasympathetic (rest and digest), and in the extreme can shut down your digestive system. What to do? Try massage, yoga, meditation, walking, slow deep breathing (4-7-8, EFT) and sing or play an instrument!
  • Get enough sleep. Disrupting your body clock through a lack of sleep may have harmful effects on your gut bacteria.
  • Regular exercise can encourage the growth of a variety of healthy gut bacteria. Exercise also reduces stress levels and helps maintain a healthy weight, which can have positive effects on gut health.
  • If possible, reduce your use of NSAIDs (nonsteriodal anti-inflammatory drugs) such as aspirin, ibuprofen and naproxen, which can increase intestinal permeability.
  • Antibiotics can wipe out healthy bacteria along with problematic bacteria, so only use when absolutely necessary. Note that it's possible to ingest small amounts of antibiotics from meat!
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Humans are made up of 90% microbial cells and 10% human cells.
So eat well and keep your microbiome happy!

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