It should come as no surprise that gut health plays a crucial role in your overall well-being. After all, your gut is instrumental to digestion, a process that breaks down food into vitamins and nutrients necessary for proper organ function and vitality. But the importance of your gut extends far beyond gastrointestinal health — it can also contribute to heart health, immune health and even brain health.
Ready to learn more? Let’s jump in:
Your gut microbiome
Your gut is home to over 100 trillion microbes like bacteria, fungi and viruses, collectively known as the gut microbiome. The ideal gut microbiome is diverse, containing a wide variety of microbes to help the body run smoothly, maintain its resilience and reduce the risk of developing conditions like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), Crohn’s disease and gallstones.
Immune health
Because 80% of your immune system is in the gut, having a diverse microbiome of beneficial bacteria can assist in maintaining immune health. In fact, having a healthy gut regulates your immune system so it responds swiftly to injury, infection and even cancer without targeting healthy tissue.
Heart health
As we’ve discussed, gut flora has a direct impact on digestion. Microbes create byproducts when breaking down certain foods within the gastrointestinal tract. If your microbiome is out of balance, the breakdown of these foods can lead to higher levels of byproducts capable of raising cholesterol levels and damaging blood vessels. One example is homocysteine.
Brain health
Not only does the majority of your body’s immune system exist within your gut, but so does the majority of your body’s serotonin. This is one of the nurotransmitters that is responsible for supporting mood. Plus, while your gut contains a smaller portion of neurons than your brain —they are equally as important to brain function. These neurons are connected to your brain through numerous nerves in the nervous system such as the vagus nerve. Good gut health helps control inflammation and regulates the production of compounds that play a role in brain health.
Improving your gut health
Certain lifestyle and diet changes can enhance diversity within the gut microbiome, leading to better gut health. Our top tips include:
- Drink plenty of water
- Eat whole foods like fruits, vegetables, legumes and nuts
- Avoid inflammatory foods containing sugar, gluten and dairy
- Take probiotics and or eat probiotic-rich foods like fermented foods
- Avoid processed foods with additives and chemicals, which destroy good gut bacteria
- Learn ways to reduce and manage your stress
- Avoid unnecessary antibiotics, acid blockers, steroids and NSAIDs
- Cut out ultra-processed foods and artificial sweeteners
- Avoid toxins from environment and chemicals
- Participate in moderate exercise to boost good gut bacteria
- Get healthy sleep and prevent sleep disruption
It’s time to reclaim your gut health once and for all! Call 303.327.7300 or request a consultation online today to get started at BESANA Health & Wellness.
