YOUUntil fairly recently, the idea of listening to your gut was mostly metaphorical. The heart, lungs and liver are important to keep in good shape. But the stomach, intestines and colon? Sure they just keep chugging along, processing whatever you put into them, occasionally objecting, but basically doing their job.
Well, not quite. Over the past five years or so, evidence has accumulated that the vast community of microorganisms—bacteria, viruses, and fungi—that live in the gut affects everything from the immune system to mental health. We learned that there are about 500 million neurons in the human gut, alongside the 100 billion in the brain, and research around the “gut-brain axis” – the biochemical signaling system that connects your digestive tract and your central nervous system – suggests that signals go both ways between the two. For example, professional athletes have more diverse gut microbiota than normal people, but it’s becoming increasingly clear that the relationship is two-way – they may be better runners because they have more efficient gut bacteria, but getting more exercise probably helps keep the little guys happy.
“Having a healthy gut is part of being a healthy person on a number of levels,” says Dr. James East, a gastroenterologist at Mayo Clinic Healthcare in London. “Common signs that something is wrong with the system include persistent changes in bowel habits, abdominal pain, blood in the stool, weight loss and difficulty swallowing. If any of these happen, you should seek medical attention. But your gut microbiome can be important for many other things, such as weight gain and depression. We can see correlations with that and we’re already investigating whether changing or improving your microbiome can help some of these other health issues that aren’t classically associated with gut health. It’s an exciting field of research – the manipulation of the microbiome may be an opportunity to approach some of these challenging societal issues.”
The gut appears to play a role in appetite, energy absorption and circadian rhythmwith one small study suggesting that diets may be effective depending on the different bacteria that make up the microbiome. a relative recent review of 21 studies on the subject, meanwhile, found 11 suggesting that regulating gut bacteria can have a positive effect on anxiety. So how do you give your gut the best chance to keep you in shape?
“From a dietary perspective, there are simple things you can do, like eating a more Mediterranean-style diet—less processed meats, more olive oil, fish, nuts, fruits and vegetables,” says East. “Having enough fiber in your diet, drinking enough water and taking exercise can all improve bowel motility, while eating a varied range of foods is also helpful.”
Gut motility, or how quickly food is moved throughout the system, appears to be a good indicator of your microbiome’s overall health, with shorter “transit times” for food generally indicating a healthier gut.
If you want to improve the overall diversity and health of your gut bacteria, the best nutritional bang for your buck is to add prebiotics and probiotics to your diet from whole foods – the former will encourage existing gut bacteria to multiply by giving them something to feed on , while the latter are living bacteria that will replenish your stores. Prebiotics are easily increased by adding more garlic, onions, legumes, beans and berries to your regular diet. Probiotics are another matter—some options include kimchi (try it in quesadillas), sauerkraut (a spoonful goes well with scrambled eggs), or kefir (perfect as a post-gym drink).
It’s probably a good idea to avoid processed foods if you can, but your gut’s relationship with booze is more complicated – in one study, gin reduced the amount of “good” bacteria in subjects, while moderate red wine intake appeared to increase it. And, as we have already seen, get enough exercise and sleep appears to be important for good gut health, but the relationship goes both ways – so by looking after your gut’s feelings, you can trust it to look after you.
