Unlocking The Science of Gut Health: 5 Things You Need To Know
Gut and digestive health have become hot topics in the wellness world, and could even be considered “mainstream” at this point. We have come a long way in recent years, especially considering when I started on my health journey in 2017, I knew little about the microbiome (and even less on how it affected both my mental and physical health). During this process, I’ve found it empowering and more motivating to make changes when I know the science behind what’s actually going on in my body. So today I thought I’d share some fascinating information about the role your gut plays in your overall health, so you can make more educated decisions when it comes to your lifestyle habits.
Why this information is even available today is because of the Human Micriobiome Project which started in 2007. This was a multiphase research study conducted by the NIH to improve the understanding of microbiota in human health. The gut microbiome is an ecosystem of microorganisms that have an impact on just about every system in your body. It blows my mind how crucial this is to our overall health yet it’s only a fairly recent discovery!
Basically, your gut health is a direct reflection of your overall health, which is why it’s so important to nourish and heal this extraordinary system from the inside out.
So what’s going on in there anyway?
These are the 5 things you need to know about your gut and the role it plays in your overall wellness. I also included some personal stories to give you a better idea of how these things can show up in real life.
01. Your gut is your primary organ for assimilating nutrients.
You can eat the healthiest diet, but it doesn’t matter much if you’re not absorbing the essential nutrients from that food. Malabsorption can happen for a variety of reasons like damage to Microvilli (the finger-like projections that line your small intestine and what Celiac’s Disease is characterized by - damage to Microvilli due to immune reaction caused by eating gluten), bacteria overgrowth, and parasites (which are more common than you think!)
For many years I was not absorbing Vitamin D and B-12 very well, which was made clear from blood test results and the fact I was taking pretty high doses via supplements. Once I got my gut dysbiosis in order, I was able to get my levels in the normal range.
02. Your gut’s ideal state is in “symbiosis” where there’s balanced gut bacteria.
The opposite of this is “dysbiosis” which can be an overgrowth of bad bacteria, not enough good bacteria, not producing enough enzymes, and / or presence of yeast / fungi / parasites. We hear a lot about probiotics to restore the gut microbiome (which are important!) but it’s the prebiotics that feed them who are really the stars of the show. Some foods high in prebiotics include garlic, onions, Jerusalem artichoke, bananas and oats.
Gut dysbiosis is super common (but doesn’t mean it should be “normal” as it’s not “normal” to feel like shit…just saying!) and can be caused by antibiotics, indigestion / acid reflux, chronic constipation and / or stress.
There are many symptoms that go along with gut dysbiosis (which are also symptoms of several other chronic conditions, so can be challenging to diagnose by symptoms alone) including recurrent diarrhea, gas, bloating, rashes, hives, eczema, and joint pain
For me, it was my rash-like breakouts on my face that I couldn’t figure out for YEARS that lead me on this journey. Although I was constantly bloated and anxious, it was the skin issues that had me seeing various practitioners. I honestly had no idea I was anxious and bloated because that was my baseline (but inflamed skin was not). A friendly reminder that these symptoms should not be normalized because you deserve to THRIVE (not just survive!)
03. 70% of your immune system lives in your gut.
This is why your gut health is a reflection of your overall health. If your gut-associated immune system is constantly activated (by stress, toxins, pathogens, or other triggers) it leads to body-wide alertness and inflammation. This inflammation can manifest as weight gain (especially in the mid-section) and autoimmune disease.
Symptoms of this chronic activation can show up as migraines, asthma, allergies, autoimmune diseases and / or depression.
I had always wondered why I got several colds a year, even though I lived a pretty healthy lifestyle (or so I thought). Now that I understand the role of our gut and the immune system, it all makes a lot more sense! Ever since I got my gut health in check, I don’t get sick nearly as often as I used to.
04. The lining of your gut is only one cell thick and is the barrier between what you eat and your bloodstream.
So if there are cracks or holes in this lining, it allows partially digested food, toxins and bugs to get into the bloodstream (which is not what we want). This increased intestinal permeability plays a role in certain gastrointestinal conditions such as Celiac disease, Crohn's disease, and irritable bowel syndrome. Just like everything else we’ve discussed so far, can occur for a variety of reasons (typically a combination of a few or many of these): poor diet (ie. Standard American diet), stress, infections, low stomach acid, toxin exposure (pesticides, mold, preservatives), NSAIDs (Advil, Ibuprofen), and GMOs.
This is what probably took the longest for me to heal. I’m not sure I’ll ever be 100%, which may be partially due to genetics. I recently did a genetics test which I’ll be sharing in more detail coming soon (this is also fascinating and I can’t wait to get into it more). But I’ve had a history of a build-up of toxins (especially mold) which doesn’t work in your favor when you have Leaky Gut.
05. 95% of Serotonin (the “feel good” neurotransmitter) is found in your gut.
Your gut is considered your “second brain” because of this magical connection. Your brain and gut communicate through the Vagus nerve, which is involved in digestion, absorption, and metabolism of nutrients, as well as gut permeability. We now have research correlating an unhealthy diet with anxiety and depression. I find this research to be very exciting as it gives us more autonomy over our own health. For those who may think there’s something wrong with their brain, it might be worth it to look to the gut first.
I never knew I ran anxious until I started learning more about my own health and making some lifestyle changes. Once my skin started to clear up, the bloating then subsided and my stress levels started to decrease. I’m confident in saying my sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight) was pretty much constantly activated for many years, and it wasn’t until I made some adjustments to my diet where I could notice a full body difference (from the inside out, mentally and physically). It takes work and it takes time but I’d do it all over again knowing where I used to be vs where I’m at now.
I hope you found this information helpful, as this is one of my favorite health topics to discuss. I find it all so intriguing and because of my direct experience, I love to share this with others. I know so many people (especially women) struggle with these symptoms and are either written off by their doctors and / or may not think they’re a big deal (because they’re so “normalized”). But I want you to know that you absolutely can take your health into your own hands and you don’t have to suffer.
I will be diving into this more in a follow-up post about the changes I made in my own life that made the biggest difference in my gut health. But for now, take it all in, see if any of this resonates with you, and if it does I’d love to be here to support you on your own gut health journey. I recently launched a Gut Health Reset program with Integrative Nutritionist Sarah Baker, so be sure to check out the details and feel free to book a discovery call if you’d like to chat further.
Leaving you with this….
