Why is Gut Health so important?

Gut Health has become the new “hot topic” for the media. We have all been hearing, reading, and learning about gut health in the last few years.

But do you really understand the hype?

Do you know how your digestive tract works and its implications?

Do you know what a microbiome is?

If you feel lost in this ocean of information, this article is for you. We will go over the different concepts of digestive health, and what it means for you, in simple terms.

Here are 5 facts you need to know about your gut:

1. We are bacteria

Our gut is home to more than 100 trillion bacteria. Trillion! That’s 10 times more bacteria in our gut than all the human cells in the entire body.

This is why we call the gut a microbiome, because it is home to bacteria.

They play a vital role in our metabolism and health.

It’s a mutually beneficial relationship; the bacteria happily feed on dietary fiber while they perform a variety of duties, including helping to make vitamins B and K, repressing growth of harmful microorganisms, and breaking down and fermenting dietary fiber. This breakdown of fiber results in a release of beneficial, anti-inflammatory short chain fatty acids that are a vital energy source for our bodies.

2. Diversity leads to health

What exactly is a healthy microbiome? That is difficult to answer in one sentence because everyone’s microbiome is very unique.

Typically we refer to a healthy microbiome as one that has high diversity; as opposed to defining it in terms of a specific number of specific bacteria.

Dysbiosis, on the other hand, is any change to the composition of bacteria relative to the bacteria found in healthy individuals. More specifically, it can be due to a loss of beneficial microbes, expansion of potentially harmful bacteria and/or loss of overall microbial diversity.

Given the importance of microbial diversity it is likely that no one single bacteria will work most effectively to correct dysbiosis, but rather a complex assortment of bacteria will provide the maximum benefit.

3. Your gut is like a garden

Now you know that the key to a healthy gut is diversity. Indeed when there is an imbalance in the gut, or dysbiosis, it can lead to inflammation and other GI issues.

This imbalance means that when potentially harmful bacteria are present in your gut, the space for good bacteria is limited.

Think of a garden overrun with weeds. Just like the weeds, non-beneficial bacteria leave no room for beneficial flora to grow, taking up vital nutrients needed to survive.

You need to get rid of some of the harmful bacteria, and increase the number of beneficial bacteria in your gut; with probiotics for example.

4. What happens in your gut does not stay in your gut

More than 70% of your immune system resides in your gut.

That means that the complex system that protects you and keeps you healthy is influenced by your intestinal flora and what happens there.

Our gut flora is like the gatekeeper, and it cannot allow harmful bacteria to penetrate the boundaries. When it does come across harmful bacteria the gut flora signals the immune system to take action.

This is basically the alarm sounding, telling the body that there is an intruder. If our immune system is working overtime to capture bad guys and put out fires, then we are left with an immune system that is not functioning at its optimum.

This is why, most of the time when your immune system is weak and depleted, it can be traced back to what is happening in your gut, and you can enhance your immune system by changing what is going on in your microbiome.

5. Your gut is your second brain

Our brain and gut are connected by an extensive network of neurons and a highway of chemicals and hormones that constantly provide feedback about how hungry we are, whether or not we’re experiencing stress, or if we’ve ingested a disease-causing microbe.

This information superhighway is called the brain-gut axis and it provides constant updates on what is happening in each part of the body.

This connection between the gut and the brain means that poor digestive health can lead to mood disorders and other neurological disorders.

Recent evidence indicates that not only is our brain “aware” of our gut microbes, but these bacteria can influence our perception of the world and alter our behavior.

For example, the gut microbiota influences the body’s level of the neurotransmitter serotonin, which regulates feelings of happiness.

More and more research is being done on the implications of the gut flora on mood, and how it is linked to depression for example.

The takeaway is that digestive health impacts your overall health in a myriad of ways and balancing your gut bacteria is key to good health .

Read our next blog post: 10 tips to improve gut health