Why Gut Health Matters For Mind & Body

Who hasn't felt the pain of needing to run to the bathroom when your food just doesn't agree with you? While occasional bloating, gas and diarrhea are normal, maintaining good gut health can reduce these negative symptoms - and bring more benefits beyond stopping the runs.

Your gut health is connected to other aspects of your health, both physical and mental, and keeping your gut working at its best can bring benefits that extend far beyond your digestive tract. Have you ever felt foggy or had difficulty concentrating when you haven't been eating well?

"It is a very overlooked subject," said Ahmed Akhter, MD, gastroenterologist with Franciscan Physician Network in Munster and Crown Point. "People do not think that gut health has implications, but it has very far-reaching implications, both day-to-day and long term."

Our Franciscan Health gastroenterology experts weighed in on the importance of gut health and how to keep your digestive system working at its best.

Key Takeaways: Why Gut Health Is Important

• Your gut is a key to overall health. The "gut" refers to organs like the stomach and intestines that are home to a balance of bacteria. A healthy gut with a higher number of beneficial bacteria can reduce inflammation and lower the risk of heart disease and obesity.
• Poor gut health has clear symptoms. An imbalance of good and bad bacteria can lead to short-term issues such as bloating, gas, and diarrhea.
• While occasional symptoms are normal, you should consult a doctor if you have persistent issues for several weeks or notice blood in your stool.

What Is "The Gut?"

We're all familiar with the organs and structures that make up the gut, including the:

• Anal canal
• Colon
• Esophagus
• Mouth
• Rectum
• Small intestine
• Stomach

We are also probably familiar with the gut's role in digestion: breaking down the food we eat, absorbing the parts we need and disposing of the rest. The pancreas and liver help the gut in these efforts.

What Is The Gut Microbiome?

Your gut microbiome is made up of trillions of microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses, fungi and archaea, as well as their genetic material. These organisms typically help humans by performing services important to health, such as helping digest food and manage immune reactions.

The gut is home to a host of friendly bacteria, including Lactobacillus, Bacteroides and Bifidobacterium, which further aid digestion. Those bacteria interact with the brain and other organs in three ways:

• The gut and brain communicate by molecules carried in the blood, and microbes influence those chemical messages.
• Microbes also interact with the gut's special nervous system, called the enteric nervous system. It has a direct, two-way connection with the brain via the central nervous system.
• The immune system of the gut wall and the body's other immune components respond to gut microbes, affecting the brain and organs.

Your makeup of this bacterial collection, or microbiome, is affected by many things, including diet, exercise and cultural influences. The diversity of these organisms is believed to play a role in promoting physical health and mental well-being.

What Does A Healthy Gut Look Like?

Those friendly bacteria make up the flora of the gut, particularly in the colon. Unfortunately, they are joined by some common species of harmful bacteria as well. A healthy gut means that there are more good bacteria than harmful bacteria and that harmful bacteria don't overtake the good.

The balance of bacteria in the gut flora can lead to many health benefits, including reducing inflammation that can lead to heart disease and lowering the chance of obesity.

"If you maintain good gut health, it helps you in many ways," said Ariel Houim, a nurse practitioner with Franciscan Physician Network Gastroenterology Lafayette. "People with good gut health have more energy to go through the day. It may be a small thing, but if you're feeling well because of your good gut health, you do well overall."

What Causes Poor Gut Health?

If good gut health means having more good bacteria than harmful bacteria, then it makes sense that poor gut health is often caused by an excess of harmful bacteria. This imbalance can occur as a result of:

• Antibiotics
• Food poisoning
• Traveling

While these causes can quickly change the balance of bacteria in your gut, there are also day-to-day habits that impact your gut health. For example, eating gas-forming carbohydrates, also known as FODMAP carbohydrates, can lead to poor gut health and symptoms like bloating and loose stools.

What Are The Risks Of Poor Gut Health?

As mentioned, poor gut health can lead to some unpleasant, short-term symptoms that impact day-to-day activities.

"I hear patients saying they always have to figure out where the restroom is," said Houim. "These symptoms are often not debilitating, but they can affect you negatively."

For example, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a condition that can affect up to 10% of the population, impacts the colon with persistent symptoms like:

• Abdominal pain
• Bloating
• Diarrhea or constipation
• Excessive gas
• Mucus in stool

While IBS has no known specific cause, excessive stress and poor diet may contribute to these symptoms.

On a more extreme scale, poor gut health can lead to more serious conditions, including C. difficile colitis - a condition caused by an excess of harmful C. difficile bacteria which can arise following courses of antibiotics, and which can lead to hospitalization.