Digestive health benefits explained -
Breastfeeding helps an infant develop a healthy gut microbiome, which may help protect against certain health conditions later in life. Regular cardiovascular exercise such as walking and cycling can stimulate the muscles of the gut to move digestive contents through the body.
Stress can impact your gut health. Manage your stress levels by exercising regularly, getting enough sleep, socialising, using relaxation techniques and eating well.
Not getting enough or sufficient quality of sleep may impact your gut microbiome and may contribute to digestive discomfort. It is best to improve your gut health through food and other lifestyle factors rather than supplements.
There are many nutrients in wholefoods that cannot be packaged into a single supplement. Nutrients in foods also interact with each other in a helpful way and this cannot be replicated in a pill.
Many people are interested in taking probiotic supplements. In some cases, there is research to support taking a probiotic, however just like medications, you need to take a specific probiotic for the health condition you are trying to manage.
While antibiotics can be very important and useful, they can also have a negative impact on your gut microbiome. Antibiotics aim to kill the harmful bacteria when you have an infection or illness, but in doing so they can remove some of the beneficial bacteria in your gut.
Research into gut health is relatively new and understanding of this complex topic is developing. Be careful of non-evidence-based information about gut health. Focusing on eating healthily with the tips suggested on this page is the best evidence we have so far.
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Skip to main content. Healthy eating. Home Healthy eating. Gut health. Actions for this page Listen Print. Summary Read the full fact sheet. On this page. What is gut health and gut microbiome? Why gut health is important Signs of an unhealthy gut How to improve your gut health Gut health and diet Gut health and breastfeeding Gut health and exercise Gut health and stress Gut health and sleep Gut health and probiotic supplements Gut health and antibiotics Myths about gut health Where to get help.
The health of your gut can impact both your physical and mental health. It is understood that there are links between gut health and: the immune system mental health autoimmune diseases endocrine disorders — such as type 2 diabetes gastrointestinal disorders — such as irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease cardiovascular disease cancer sleep digestion.
Signs of an unhealthy gut Your gut microbiome can be affected by: stress too little sleep lack of physical activity eating too many ultra-processed foods smoking and drinking alcohol taking antibiotics.
How to improve your gut health You may be able to improve your gut health through lifestyle and diet changes. Gut health and diet Your gut bacteria are influenced by what you eat. Eat a high fibre diet Fibre is important for our gut health for many reasons. Foods that are high in fibre include: vegetables beans and legumes fruit bread and cereals nuts and seeds.
They are found in some types of: vegetables — for example leek, onion and garlic legumes — for example chickpeas, beans and lentils wholegrains — for example rye bread, barley and oats nuts — for example pistachios, cashews and almonds. Aim to eat at least 30 different types of plant-based foods a week.
Limit ultra-processed foods Eat foods that are as close to their natural state as possible to support your gut health. Drink water Water is the best fluid to drink and provides benefits to gut health. Drinking plenty of water may also be linked to increased diversity of bacteria in the gut.
Eat foods rich in polyphenols Polyphenols are plant compounds that may beneficially impact our gut microbiome. Foods rich in polyphenols include: herbs and spices colourful fruits and vegetables nuts and seeds green and black tea coffee cocoa and dark chocolate.
Eat slowly Chewing your food thoroughly and eating slowly may reduce digestive discomfort such as gas, pain and bloating. Eat fermented foods Fermented foods External Link have undergone a process in which their sugars are broken down by yeast and bacteria. Fermented foods include: yoghurt kimchi sauerkraut kefir kombucha tempeh.
Gut health and breastfeeding Breastfeeding helps an infant develop a healthy gut microbiome, which may help protect against certain health conditions later in life.
Gut health and exercise Regular cardiovascular exercise such as walking and cycling can stimulate the muscles of the gut to move digestive contents through the body. Exercise can also positively affect the gut microbiome. Gut health and stress Stress can impact your gut health.
What you eat, your gut health and your mental health are all linked. Gut health and sleep Not getting enough or sufficient quality of sleep may impact your gut microbiome and may contribute to digestive discomfort.
Gut health and probiotic supplements It is best to improve your gut health through food and other lifestyle factors rather than supplements. Gut health and antibiotics While antibiotics can be very important and useful, they can also have a negative impact on your gut microbiome.
Myths about gut health There are no miracle cures for good gut health. Where to get help Your GP doctor A dietitian Dietitians Australia External Link Food and Mood Centre, Deakin University External Link The Gut Foundation External Link. Resources External Link , Food and Mood Centre, Deakin University.
It keeps these toxins from spreading throughout the bloodstream and causing serious diseases. The digestive system is also essential for maintaining a healthy weight. A healthy lifestyle adds to the natural effect of a healthy digestive system.
Drinking enough water, eating enough fiber, and exercising often will help you lose even more weight. An unhealthy digestive system may not be able to send everything you eat through your body, leaving too much of it stuck in your stomach or intestines.
This can leave you feeling bloated and overly full. It may also be unable to get enough nutrients out of the food and drinks you take in. This can leave you feeling weak and undernourished.
Both of these problems can decrease your energy and stamina. Maintaining a healthy digestive system will help you get your energy and stamina back.
Immune weaknesses leave you open to disease and bacteria. They may even cause your body to attack healthy cells and systems and lead to inflammation and other unpleasant symptoms. Have your immune system and your digestive system checked at the same time if you notice any of these symptoms.
It affects your:. One of its most important and well-known functions is the way it regulates and affects your mood. Having a healthy digestive system makes sure that your body gets enough of it. This will help improve your mood and overall sense of well-being.
It even lowers your risk of developing psychological disorders such as depression, anxiety, and mania. If you already have them, a healthy immune system can reduce the impact of your symptoms. Maintaining the gut microbiome has been shown to have similar effects.
Balancing the amount of healthy and unhealthy bacteria in your digestive system using probiotics also improves your mood. This explains why there are plenty of mental benefits of a healthy digestive system.
Everything from our stomach to our intestines contains neuropeptides that transmit brain signals. They can do their job better if the digestive system is in proper health, and this allows you to enjoy greater mental clarity.
A healthy body starts in the gut. It contains essential organs, neurotransmitters, and hormones that you need to be at your best. A healthy digestive system is essential for proper nutrition, avoiding toxins and disease, maintaining a healthy weight and stable mood, and improving energy and mental clarity.
It has a major impact on overall health and needs to be maintained with a healthy diet and exercise. Fairbanks Family Wellness can help you find natural ways to improve your gut health.
Heatlh Health is a popular term used by consumers, explxined food industry, and practitioners, but what does it mean? Five major dxplained have been beneefits to define gut health from a Hydration treatments for dehydrated skin perspective 1 :. Blood sugar control through exercise discomfort explalned a variety Ecplained symptoms that may negatively impact the status of well-being. Some of these symptoms are bloating, flatulence, abdominal pain, diarrhea, constipation, and borborygmi rumbling. Common disorders associated with these symptoms include lactose intolerance and irritable bowel syndrome IBS. Often dietary changes can help alleviate or help manage these disorders. Food intolerances are not life-threatening, but intolerance to one or more foods can be life-altering; gut discomfort can often be so painful or debilitating that individuals can find it hard to focus on day-to-day activities.Digestive health benefits explained -
DailyOM Courses. About DailyOM Most Popular Courses New Releases Trending Courses See All. Digestive Health. By Megan Mikaelian. Medically Reviewed. Lynn Grieger, RDN, CDCES. Fiber is a carbohydrate that the body cannot digest. Yet it is essential for digestive health. Are You Getting Enough Fiber?
Editorial Sources and Fact-Checking. Resources Fiber. Harvard T. Chan School of Public Health. April Feng Z et al. The Gut Microbiome: Linking Dietary Fiber to Inflammatory Diseases. Medicine in Microecology.
December Bifidobacteria and Their Role as Members of the Human Gut Microbiota. Frontiers in Microbiology. June Fiber, Digestion, and Health. Cornell University Gannett Health Services. Within our gut microbiome, there are types of bacteria that are helpful for our health. These bacteria have several beneficial functions:.
However, there are also bacteria which can live in our gut that can be harmful. Most recently, a gut microbiome-brain connection has been identified, meaning the different populations of bacteria in our gut can even impact how our brains work 2. Foods that help create and nourish a healthy gut microbiome include prebiotics fibers that bacteria use for energy, e.
garlic, onions, bananas, inulin , fermentable fibers e. beans, legumes, fruits, and vegetables , and fermented foods or probiotics foods containing bacteria that survive the digestive process and take residence in our gut, e.
yogurt, kefir, kimchi. Lactose intolerance is the inability to digest lactose, a natural sugar in dairy, and it occurs when a person has either a limited amount of lactase enzyme that breaks down lactose available or their lactase enzyme is not as effective as it should be.
There, the bacteria of our microbiome can use the lactose for fuel, creating byproducts like gas. Lactose intolerant individuals may experience gas, bloating, nausea, abdominal cramps, or diarrhea when they consume significant amounts of lactose. The current recommendation to deal with lactose intolerance is to reduce lactose intake, not exclude it entirely.
Most people can tolerate at least 12 g lactose the amount of an 8 oz glass of milk without any symptoms or 18 g of lactose spread throughout the day Click here to view the lactose content of common foods.
Evidence suggests that probiotics may help reduce or eliminate the symptoms of lactose intolerance, specifically lactic acid bacteria that is found in yogurt, fermented milk and probiotic supplements Irritable bowel syndrome IBS is a functional bowel disorder, which means there are no structural abnormalities in the gut or laboratory tests to diagnose the disease.
The common complaints are abdominal pain, bloating, and altered bowel habits diarrhea and constipation. Enter FODMAP. What is FODMAP? FODMAP is an acronym that stands for fermentable F , oligosaccharides O , disaccharides D , monosaccharides M , and A , polyhydric alcohols P 7.
The oligosaccharides include fructoligosaccharides FOS , galactooligosaccharides GOS , fructans, raffinose, and inulin. The disaccharides include lactose and sucrose; monosaccharides refer to fructose.
The polyhydric alcohols include sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol, and maltitol. Although they sound complicated, the main message is that these carbohydrates can be fermented by bacteria in our gut, which produces by-products like gas and can create discomfort.
The FODMAP diet is relatively new, with most of the literature on its efficacy occurring over the past five years. Although earlier studies brought some skepticism, current publications shed a better light on FODMAP benefits.
Most of the data indicate that it reduces functional symptoms of IBS based on findings from dietitians who use the diet with patients and clients The FODMAP diet involves two phases: elimination and reintroduction.
The elimination diet, avoidance of high FODMAP foods, should be followed for weeks. Symptoms of celiac disease include diarrhea, fatigue, abdominal bloating and pain, and weight loss. Diverticulosis and diverticulitis.
In diverticulosis, small pouches develop and bulge out through weak spots in the walls of the colon. These small, balloon-like pouches are called diverticula. If the diverticula become inflamed or infected, the condition is called diverticulitis.
Diverticulitis can lead to severe complications, such as abscess, perforation tears in the colon wall , intestinal blockage from internal scarring, or fistula, an abnormal connection between two organs. The most common symptoms of diverticulitis are abdominal pain and tenderness, pressure in the lower abdomen, fever, nausea, vomiting, chills, cramping, constipation, and diarrhea.
Inflammatory bowel disease IBD. IBD occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks the intestines and triggers inflammation of the tissues.
These areas can thicken or wear away in spots, which creates ulcers, cracks, and fissures. Inflammation can allow an abscess a pocket of pus to develop. With UC, inflammation in the lining of the large intestine the colon causes ulcers.
This can cause bleeding, diarrhea, weight loss, and fatigue. Other symptoms can vary depending on the severity of the inflammation and where it occurs in the large intestine. They include:. Irritable bowel syndrome IBS. IBS is characterized by recurrent bouts of constipation or diarrhea or both , abdominal pain, bloating, and gas.
The severity and duration of symptoms vary. Some are mild and come and go, while others are severe and last several weeks. Some people can go months or years between episodes. Most people are never cured of IBS, but dietary changes, medication, and stress management can help manage the condition.
Gallstones are hardened bits of bile that form inside the gallbladder, a pear-shaped pouch that sits just below the liver. Bile makes it easier for the body to digest fat. Small stones can pass out of the body through the intestines. However, gallstones can cause symptoms if they get caught in the narrow outlet of the gallbladder or in the ducts that drain the gallbladder.
Symptoms include abdominal pain, usually high in the abdomen and often in the center or on the right side where the gallbladder is located , and can spread to the area of the right shoulder blade. When symptoms recur or the gallbladder becomes inflamed, the gallbladder needs to be surgically removed.
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