We used to think the gut was a simple stem that broke down food, absorbed nutrients, removed waste. Studies show you have 300-500 different kinds of bacteria in your system, and these bacteria affect everything, even your immune system and your risk of diabetes. Here are nine ways that bad gut health affects your health!
Upset Stomach
The most common symptom of bad gut health is a rise in stomach and intestinal issues. Gas, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, heartburn, GERD, and other gastrointestinal issues are affected by your gut health. This is because a healthy gut has an easier time breaking down food and removing waste. A study on probiotic treatments demonstrated that improving the healthy bacteria in your gut can reduce vomiting, gas, GERD, and other gastrointestinal issues by 40-81%.
Food Intolerances
Food intolerance is when you have trouble digesting particular foods, leading to gas, constipation, diarrhea, pain, and other upsets when eating those specific foods. A healthy gut environment can help alleviate some food intolerances by improving absorption and keeping the wrong things from being absorbed by your body.
Unintentional Weight Changes
Poor gut health impairs your ability to absorb nutrients, burn and store fat, regulate blood sugar, and other critical metabolism functions. This results in cravings, nutritional deficiencies, and weight fluctuations. Studies even show that obese and lean people have different gut environments, and it could indicate our gut health even affects how calories are harvested and used.
Sleep Disturbances and Fatigue
Unexplained sleep disturbances could indicate a reduction in serotonin production, which happens primarily in your gut. Serotonin is responsible for helping regulate your mood and sleep, along with other functions like bowel movements and maintaining bone health.
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Skin Irritation
“Leaky” gut is when poor gut health allows your body to absorb unwanted proteins and other particles that otherwise would have been filtered out. When unwanted invaders filter into the bloodstream, they can cause inflammation and skin irritation as they travel throughout the body.
Poor Immune System
When you have poor gut health, your whole immune system suffers. Inflammation increases its workload. The lower production of serotonin affects sleep and stress. Cravings encourage poor food choices. On top of all this, specific gut bacterias also affect specific autoimmune responses!
Poor Mood and Depression
Our gut microbiomes affect how we feel! Not only does the decreased serotonin affect our sleep and mood, but other studies show that our gut health directly affects our mental well-being in everything from anxiety to depression.
Type 2 Diabetes
Poor gut health leads to a higher risk of Type 2 diabetes. Studies show that poor gut health affects our ability to regulate sugar in our bloodstream, and it also contributes to the rapid insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes.
Cancer
Your gut health affects your risk of cancer, your resilience, and even how your body responds to various cancer treatments. If you are at risk of cancer or are currently undergoing cancer treatments, your gut health will make a difference.
Can Probiotics Help Gut Health?
Probiotics help support the growth of good bacteria and suppress bad bacteria and fungi in the digestive tract, promoting better health and immune response. However, not all probiotic sources are created equal.