The Importance of Keeping Our Gut Healthy
Growing up I remember the importance my mother placed on keeping our gut healthy, and it wasn’t until I have gotten older that I started to learn more about how important it is in relation to a variety of factors within the body. The importance of gut health has been accounted for in medicine for centuries, and also a principle belief within naturopathy. Recently we’ve seen a mainstream focus on the sorts of issues that can come from an unhealthy gut as trendy social media stars peddle off their products to boost our gut health, often addressed as ‘pioneering’ even though these practices are nothing new.
There is a variety of things that can go wrong within our body when our gut isn’t properly taken care of. There is a lot to explain and discuss within this topic but I’ve focused on making it as easy to understand as possible. I knew a little bit about the topic prior but sat down with my mother to learn more in-depth.
A look at the gut (colon or large intestine)
There are four layers in the large intestinal wall: mucosa, submucosa, muscular layer and serous layer.
The intestinal microbial community (gut microbiota) lies on the top of the mucosal part of the layer and comprises of more than 1000 strains of bacteria. It lives in a mutualistic relationship with its host, producing vitamins and other metabolites that are beneficial for a person’s physiology. As the gut microbiota are separated from the rest of the body by only a single layer of enterocytes, the trillions of bacterial cells form a permanent threat. Thus, to prevent translocation and causing the inflammatory response by pathogenic microorganisms across the mucosal barrier, the host has developed effective defence mechanisms, including the formation of a physical mucus barrier that covers the intestinal epithelium. As much as we need to take care of the right microbiome balance, we need to take care of the underlying layers as well, feeding nutrients to our enterocytes. Feeding gut microbiota is specific to each person, so it is crucial to get a professional assessment of your own profile.
Skin
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve noticed that the food I eat directly impacts my skin. When I was eating healthy, I would have clear skin and a healthy bright complexion. In times when my diet was neglected, the result would end up on my skin overnight or in the coming days or weeks. I realised (with the help of my mother) that my gut tissue wasn’t healthy, meaning that when I consumed junk food, the toxins and pathogenic microbes were passing through the unsealed gut and into the body which resulted in skin outbreaks.
Allergens
Have you noticed that when springtime comes you’ve become increasingly more prone to allergies than you did when you were younger? This could be another sign that your gut isn’t very healthy. When we don’t have a healthy gut, the allergens (which are proteins in origin) that would normally pass through our bowel, can also pass into the body, thus creating a histaminic response that we didn’t use to have.
Autoimmune Disorders
This is also important when we look at many autoimmune disorders where the immune system response towards pathogens (proteins that are normally passing through the gastrointestinal system), get out of control, and our immune system starts attacking our own tissues.
Mood
The gut also has a direct response to our mood. Studies have shown that a lot of our serotonin production happens in the gut. When we have an unhealthy gut this serotonin production is inhibited which means we aren’t getting the feel-good neurotransmitters that our body possesses naturally. There is also a connection between the gut and then brain directly through the vagus nerve, that connects our brain to all essential body parts.
Probiotics have their place, but aren’t always the solution
Probiotics are becoming increasingly more and more popular in mainstream health. We need healthy flora within our gut to protect the gut from becoming sick. However, it’s not as simple as that. If the layers of our gut are already damaged then probiotics might not be the first step to take. We need to first heal our gut tissues before strengthening our flora capacity. Another note is that we have more than 1000 known strains of intestinal bacteria, and we have varying amounts of each. When we take a probiotic product there is always a chance that we already have adequate levels of the certain flora. When it comes to probiotics it is important to talk to your naturopath or other health practitioners to figure out which probiotics would be useful, rather than just overloading on a particular kind that you may already have enough of.
Promoting a healthy gut
When it comes to gut health, it’s important to treat it naturally and from the source of the issue. There is no quick fix that comes in the forms of readily available probiotics or supplements. We need a tailored approach as individuals. There are certain things that can promote a healthy gut and aid in the repair.
Glutamine - A unique nutrient that is providing fuel for metabolism, regulating cell proliferation, repairing and maintaining the gut barrier functions. There are too many benefits of glutamine that can be mentioned and talked about, but in short there is nothing more important for preservation of gut barrier function and the epithelial tight junction integrity than this amino acid.
Slippery Elm - Slippery elm is a gastrointestinal specific demulcent and emollient, helping the repair of enterocytes and the mucosal layer. It also works to lubricate and soothe the whole “tube” from oesophagus to colon.
Marshmallow and Liquorice Root - Mucilaginous herbs such as marshmallow and liquorice root provide prebiotic foods that feed the good bacteria in the intestine.
Fermented foods such as sauerkraut, kefir, kimchi and yogurt - In conjunction with the above, it is recommended to consume fermented foods to maintain a healthy digestive system.
Slippery Elm, Glutamine, Marshmallow Root and Liquorice Root are all key ingredients in Mura Organics G.I.T Repair, a product I took alongside fermented foods to get my gut happy and healthy again.
I hope today everyone’s learned a bit more about the gut and its importance for our general wellbeing.
With wellness,
Aleksandar
Title painting by Jasenka Bulj, photography by Aleksandar Zarić for Welluvia
Illustration of the gut from Asklepios Atlas of the Human Anatomy, available at Fine Art America
