Gut Health

Hippocrates said, “All disease begins in the gut.”

More and more research shows that our gut (digestive system) has a bigger role to play in the development of many modern day diseases. And we’re not just talking about heartburn and IBS. We’re talking about all kinds of issues like inflammation, allergies, pain, mood disorders, auto-immune diseases and nutrient deficiencies.

Why is the gut so important?

Our gut is our primary contact point with the outside world. If you think about it, it’s a single tube that only opens at the top and the bottom – and it’s via the cell wall of the gut that the action happens.

The gut lining is where we take in the nutrients that we want to absorb. But it’s also where we are exposed to disease-causing bacteria and parasites and the toxic waste products they produce, as well as virus particles, large proteins like gluten, medications, preservatives, additives and all of the other ‘bits’ that go along with the standard Western diet.

We’re just starting to learn some of the connections between our gut and other areas of our body, like our brain (have you heard of “the gut-brain axis”). It’s also fascinating to know that our gut houses something like 100 trillion bacteria and yeasts – a ‘microbiome’ – and that these bugs are vital for the proper functioning of our gut.

Our gut’s role in our overall health

Our gut’s main role is as a barrier. To let things in that should get in and to keep things out that should stay out. Think of “absorption” of nutrients as things we want to let in; and “elimination” of waste as things we want to pass right through and out.

Because the gut lining has the ability to let things in to the body, there is of course a risk that the wrong things can get in. In science we call this increased intestinal permeability. In the natural health world you may have heard of it as “leaky gut”.

When the gut lining is more permeable than it should be, it is essentially more open to absorb whatever you put into your mouth directly into your bloodstream, even if it’s not supposed to.

So what causes increased permeability?

Any irritation of the gut lining can cause it to become inflamed and “leaky.” Some triggers seem to be universal like too much sugar, processed foods and alcohol. Others can be a bit more individual such as common allergens like dairy, grains, soy and eggs.

All of these things affect the gut lining by initiating an inflammatory response. This seems to be a starting point for many diseases that don’t seem linked to the gut but have a sneaky connection there via the immune system being triggered in response to this inflammation.

Did you know?

Over 70% of our immune system lives in and around our gut. It’s there doing it’s job ready to attack and protect us from anything that shouldn’t be entering the body.

A healthy gut is not a leaky gut. It maintains its barrier and shuttles these things through to be eliminated. Maintaining a healthy gut barrier is the first pillar of gut health.

So what about all of those bugs?

The other really important part of your gut are the billions of friendly health-promoting microbes.

Gut microbes help us digest and absorb nutrients. They fight off disease-causing microbes and they also synthesise vitamin B1 (thiamine), B7 (biotin), B9 (folate) and B₁₂.

Gut bacteria are important for the production of feel good hormones like serotonin that influence our mental health, short chain fatty acids like butyrate that reduce inflammation, and they even play a role in stabilising blood sugar.

The numbers and types of bugs present in the gut can change very quickly with dietary changes and also in response to medications like antibiotics.

One study in which rural Africans and African Americans swapped diets, (i.e. a traditional real food diet with a standard Western diet) showed that profound changes in markers of cancer risk in the bowel were evident within just two weeks in the rural African community.

So, keeping your gut microbes happy is the second pillar of gut health!

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Kelly Moriarty is an online health & nutrition coach and founder of The Green Body Plan.

After 5 years as a veterinarian Kelly was unhealthy, stressed out and generally dissatisfied.

She now helps professional women make the same changes she did to beat burn out, lose weight, recover their energy and take back control of their health naturally.