Did you know that there are more bacteria living in your gut than there are people on the planet?
Did you know that there are more bacteria living in your gut than there are people on Earth? What are these bacteria doing and how do they affect your overall health and well-being?
Learn more about your gut microbiome and how it impacts your health, as well as some simple steps you can take to maintain a healthy gut.
What Is Gut Health?
Gut health refers to the well-being of your digestive system, which is responsible for breaking down food, absorbing nutrients and eliminating waste from your body. It is home to trillions of bacteria, viruses and fungi, which together form your gut microbiome.
Many of these microorganisms are really beneficial to our health, but some are harmful. Researchers are gaining insight that our gut microbiome may influence our health in several ways other than digestion, including reducing our risk for certain health conditions, improving our immune system, impacting our brain health and much more.
Each person’s gut health is completely unique, but in general a healthy gut contains the presence of bacteria that are healthy and the absence of bacteria that cause disease.
How Does My Gut Health Impact My Overall Health?
When we have a loss of good bacteria and an overgrowth of bad bacteria in our gut, it can impact our health in several ways. Negative impacts include digestive issues such as bloating, gas, food intolerance, inflammation of the bowel, constipation, heartburn and diarrhea. Poor gut health can also lead to additional health problems such as:
- Diabetes
- Obesity
- Crohn’s and celiac disease
- Anxiety and depression
In addition, National Institutes of Health research suggests poor gut health may impact your risk for colon cancer and irritable bowel syndrome. It can also impact risk for conditions related to your immune system such as asthma, allergies and rheumatoid arthritis.
How Can I Maintain Good Gut Health?
Between 60 and 70 million Americans are affected by digestive diseases, suffering from uncomfortable symptoms such as heartburn, indigestion, pain, constipation and more.
With so many of us affected by digestive issues, knowing how to maintain a healthy gut is critical to our overall health and well-being. Here are some tips from the National Institutes of Health and Johns Hopkins Medicine to help keep your gut in check:
- Manage your stress levels. Stress makes it harder to digest food and can cause your body to release certain hormones that may impact your gut. Consider activities such as yoga, meditation or exercise to relieve stress.
- Eat the right foods. Certain foods can promote beneficial gut bacteria, including fruits and vegetables, high fiber foods and fermented foods such as kimchi, kefir or sauerkraut. Avoid highly processed foods as certain food additives may be linked to inflammation.
- Eat slower and consume smaller meals. Eating slowly allows your stomach to let you know when it’s full. Smaller meals can encourage digestion and help avoid reflux.
- Allow for rest. Your digestive system is most active during the morning and daytime hours, so try to avoid eating late at night and give your body a break.
- Get enough sleep. Not getting enough sleep is linked to several digestive disorders. Aim for seven to nine hours of sleep each night.
- Move more. Regular exercise helps you maintain a healthy body weight and reduces your risk for obesity. Regular movement can also help regulate digestion.
- Stay hydrated. Drinking plenty of water can prevent constipation.
- Check for food intolerances. If you regularly experience bloating, pain or diarrhea, you may want to try to eliminate certain foods to see if your symptoms improve.
- Consider probiotics or prebiotics. Talk to your health care provider about foods or supplements that may improve your gut health. There is research suggesting that probiotics and prebiotics may impact your gut microbiome.
- Treat your mental health. Research suggests that your mood and your digestive system are closely connected. Irritation in your gut may lead to mood changes and the reverse may also be true – mood changes and mental health disorders may lead to gut health issues.
- Get additional support. If you’re struggling with symptoms of an unhealthy gut, contact your health care provider. Together you can address your symptoms and plan a healthy way forward.
Additional Resources
- The National Institutes of Health has information on a range of digestive diseases, including acid reflux, celiac disease, constipation, irritable bowel syndrome and more.
- The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Whole Health Library offers additional information about promoting a healthy microbiome with food and probiotics. VA’s Whole Health handout on maintaining a healthy gut shares important ways to improve your gut health.
Use these tips and resources to get your gut health in check!