Why the Human Gut Is Extremely Important ?
- February 2, 2020
- Written by : Rebecca LaMarca, MSN, APN-BC, CNS
We often tend to put focus on the things happening outside of the body. How our abs look, what size pants we wear, or how tight our sleeves are. We rarely take time to think about what is happening on the inside.
If we have certain feelings like sluggishness, brain fog, or even emotional issues; we cover them up with stimulants or medication.
Never is there a strong focus on the innermost part of us.
The gut.
This is composed on the stomach, intestines, and colon area. This is where food is passed through and broken down for the body to use. We can really eat anything, and the body will attempt to break it down, however, it doesn’t favor everything. You may have noticed that some foods bother you or cause gastric distress. Some foods may stop you up or make you sleepy. These are extremely important feelings that you should always pay attention to.
There are tons of factors that affect the biome of the gut, and there can be tons of differences (1). We’ll discuss those in the next section.
DIFFERENCES.
We have a plethora of bacteria and microbes in our gut. No, they aren’t bad or going to harm you, they actually play a very important role. They help to break food down and end up excreting certain chemicals that can benefit us. Many people have a certain kind of uniqueness to their gut as well. No two people will have the exact same gut bacteria. It can vary from person to person, but also from location to location. People who live on the other side of the world may have totally different microbes and bacteria. This is due to the different foods that have been consumed over time, as well as just geographical differences.
TREATMENT.
What is super interesting about this topic, is that it can change the way people are treated for illness. Often times, you may go to the doctor and have a symptom. This symptom can be common to many issues, and that is really the only thing doctors try to fix. Prescribe medication and that person’s symptom will be “healed”. It may continue to recur, but that means that they will buy more medicine. Thus, the health industry profits.
Instead, there needs to be a focus on treating people individually. Many of these issues can be solved by identifying the gut microbiome that person possesses. They may be feeling sluggish due to the fact that their gut doesn’t do well with gluten. Instead of being prescribed some medication, they could simply heal and fix this issue by removing gluten or at least limiting it in the diet.
This concept of healing or treating the person with this approach is often termed functional medicine. It is more about the patient or client instead of the symptom.
WHY THE GUT IS POWERFUL.
The gut is a powerful part of our bodies. It has one of the biggest responsibilities, which is to convert food into energy. We need energy to live, and without a way of breaking food down, this would be difficult. With the gut being so important, we need to take better care of it. We tend to eat any and everything, drink alcohol, and overly medicated; which can take its toll on the gut.
We then complain that we don’t feel well, when we are the ones in charge of this even happening. Therefore, we need to take care of this powerful component of the body.
Here is an example of the power that it possesses:
Some may claim that they feel no clarity or a bit foggy. This can also be attributed to the gut! The gut is connected to what is called the “vagus nerve”. It is the longest cranial nerve in the human body and reaches down into the center of the body. It is in charge of many things such as communicating motor and sensory impulses to every organ in the body. Since it is close to the gut, it can detect the changes in the metabolites that are created by the gut microbiota. If the gut is not happy, it will therefore push out metabolites of the same nature. If it is getting what it needs, there is a higher chance that more positive metabolites will be released. The vagus nerve can take these metabolites and create signals throughout the nervous system to different tissues, organs, and even other systems. If the gut isn’t happy, some other region of the body may end up being just as upset due to the signals that the vagus nerve is receiving. This nerve is often referred to as the body’s second brain (2)!
HOW CAN YOU TAKE CARE OF THE GUT?
You can start by making sure that you eat whole, unprocessed, unrefined foods. Food as it should be and in its most natural form. The gut adapted to the natural foods that were given to it, and if we are always putting in extremely processed food it can cause issues. The gut bacteria almost don’t know what to do with it!
In addition to whole foods, make sure to be consuming massive amounts of vegetables. This is going to provide the gut with food that it enjoys eating. All of the various forms of fiber will help to create a healthy gut biome.
Eating the right kinds of fat will also help. This means eating more Omega-3 Fatty Acids vs Omega-6 Fatty Acids. These are essential fatty acids that we can’t make within the body. We therefore have to consume them, and the majority of us over consume the Omega-6’s. These are pro-inflammatory and have a place, but we want to keep inflammation under control. We can do this, and help the gut, by consuming more of the Omega-3’s. Some foods that include these are fatty fish, mushrooms, and grass-fed products (3).
If you find that you are struggling with maintaining a sufficient diet, another option to support your body is IV treatments, such as a fat burner, or vitamin drip.
As we go along, we can actually help to populate the gut microbiome. We can do so by consuming or taking a probiotic supplement. These come in capsule form and contains millions of various bacteria. These are all great for the gut and help to ensure that we have plenty of the right bugs. I would highly recommend using one of these if you have just come off of an antibiotic or other medication that wipes out all bacteria. The gut will need help healing and a probiotic can do just that.
If you don’t want to take a supplement, you can always get them from foods. Foods that contain probiotics are typically fermented. This can be in the form of kombucha, sauerkraut, kimchi, or some pickles. Some food that has been fermented to contain some healthy bacteria. It is highly recommended to include some form of fermented food within your normal diet!
REFERENCES
- Human gut microbiome: hopes, threats and promises: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29934437/
- The Microbiome-Gut-Brain Axis in Health and Disease: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28164854
- Impact of Omega-3 Fatty Acids on the Gut Microbiota: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29215589
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