Gut Health: Why It Matters To Your Overall Health

“Gut health” has become a trending topic, and for good reason! Your gut is home to trillions of microorganisms, collectively called the gut microbiome, which play a critical role in your overall well-being. This ecosystem of bacteria, fungi, and other microbes must stay balanced to support everything from digestion to mental health! 

Let us explore what gut health is, what affects it, and ways to keep it strong and balanced.

What Is Gut Health?

Gut health refers to the optimal functioning of your digestive system, particularly your gastrointestinal tract. The food you eat is broken down by the gut microbiome, which helps absorb nutrients into your bloodstream, fueling the body and ensuring it functions properly.

A balanced gut microbiome is key to this process. When your microbiome is diverse and healthy, it supports digestion, nutrient absorption, and immune function. However, an imbalance — where harmful bacteria outweigh beneficial ones — can lead to several issues that go beyond poor gut health.  

Beyond Digestion: The Importance of a Healthy Gut

Your gut does more than just process food — it has a hand in numerous bodily functions that contribute to overall health:

• Immune System Support: Roughly 70-80% of your immune system resides in your gut. A balanced microbiome strengthens your immunity, helping you ward off illnesses, infections, and even skin-related issues. 

• Mental Health Connection: The gut-brain axis links your digestive system with your brain. Research shows that gut health influences mental health, with imbalances potentially contributing to anxiety and depression. Interestingly, 95% of the body’s serotonin (the happy hormone!) is produced in the gut. 

• Hormonal Balance: Gut bacteria play a role in regulating hormones. Some hormones, like estrogen, get metabolised in the gut and are converted into their active form there. A disrupted gut can lead to imbalances that affect everything from menstrual cycles to mood swings.

• Skin and Hair Health: A balanced gut microbiome also contributes to healthy skin and hair! Gut imbalances can lead to inflammation, which may manifest as skin issues like acne, eczema, and rosacea. Additionally, a healthy gut ensures better absorption of vitamins and minerals crucial for strong hair.

Understanding the importance of gut health on overall health, Apollo ProHealth offers gut microbiome testing — one of the latest diagnostics that can help you understand your gut's current health — and we guide you toward personalised solutions.

Factors Affecting Gut Health

Did you know that gut health begins before birth, with a baby’s microbiome shaped by the mother’s own gut health? Even during childbirth and breastfeeding, babies receive good bacteria that help build their gut microbiota. Factors like the mother’s diet, stress, and antibiotic use during pregnancy can all impact the baby’s gut health, laying the groundwork for lifelong microbiome balance. 

As life progresses, additional factors continue to influence gut health. The top four modifiable factors are diet, lifestyle, medication, and hygiene.

• Diet: The Double-Edged Sword of Traditional Indian Foods

Traditional Indian cuisine offers a mix of gut-friendly and gut-damaging foods. Fibre-rich ingredients like whole grains, fruits, and vegetables help maintain a healthy gut by promoting digestion and feeding the good bacteria in your gut. Fermented foods like curd, pickled vegetables and kimchi are also packed with probiotics that can enhance your gut flora. 

However, many Indian dishes are also high in processed oils, sugars, and refined grains, especially during the festive season. These processed foods can promote the growth of harmful bacteria and lead to gut inflammation. Balancing indulgences with nutrient-rich options is crucial for maintaining gut health.

• Lifestyle: The Gut-Stress Connection

A healthy lifestyle is just as important as your diet. A sedentary lifestyle with a lack of physical activity can slow down digestion, leading to issues like constipation. Chronic stress directly impacts the gut-brain axis and can trigger gut issues like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Poor sleep, especially when combined with stress, negatively impacts your gut, reducing the variety of beneficial bacteria.

Alcohol and smoking are other key factors. Both can damage the gut lining, alter the gut microbiota, and reduce the production of digestive enzymes, making it harder for your gut to function optimally.

• Medications: The Antibiotic Overuse Dilemma

While antibiotics can be lifesaving, their overuse or inappropriate use can wipe out both good and bad bacteria, disrupting the balance of your gut microbiome. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), commonly used for pain relief, can also harm the gut lining over time, leading to conditions like “leaky gut”, where the intestinal lining becomes permeable and allows harmful substances into the bloodstream.

• Infections: Why Hygiene Matters

Bacterial infections like Salmonella, E. coli, C. difficile, etc. can severely disrupt gut health. These may occur through contaminated food or water, often leading to diarrhoea and abdominal pain, and may weaken the gut lining and promote inflammation. Proper food hygiene and storage practices are essential for reducing the risk of harmful bacterial infections. 

Ways to Improve Your Gut Health 

• Fibre-rich diet: Incorporate fibre-rich foods like whole grains, millets, fruits, vegetables, and legumes. Fibre helps bulk up stools and promotes the growth of good bacteria in your gut. 

• Probiotics and Prebiotics: Fermented foods such as curd, pickled vegetables, and kimchi are rich in probiotics, which can restore balance to your gut microbiota. Alongside probiotics, prebiotics play an essential role in gut health. Foods high in prebiotics include garlic, onions, bananas, asparagus, and oats.

• Exercise: Physical activity stimulates digestion and promotes a diverse microbiome. Even moderate exercises, like walking or yoga, can benefit your gut health.

• Stress Management: Mindfulness practices, yoga, and meditation are excellent ways to manage stress, which can otherwise disrupt the gut-brain axis and lead to digestive issues.

• Sleep: Aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep each night to allow your gut to recover and function properly. Establishing a bedtime routine can help regulate your body’s internal clock.

Start Your Gut-Healthy Lifestyle Now

With Navratri and Diwali festivities behind us, now is the perfect time to start focusing on your gut health! Festive indulgences can throw your gut out of balance, but it is never too late to start healing your gut with gut-friendly habits. Taking charge of your gut health is an investment in your overall well-being.

Gut microbiome sequencing can provide an objective view of where you stand, highlighting any lifestyle adjustments that might be needed. Though the science is still young and evolving, and there is much more to learn before fully developed therapies emerge, tuning in to what works best for your body is a powerful way to start. So why wait? Begin your journey to a healthier, happier you by making gut health a priority today!