The reasons your gut health matters

If you’ve ever noticed stomach pains, the chances are you were experiencing some kind of issue with your gut. After all, people often mistake the stomach for the gut, as it has been long overlooked in terms of its significance. So, to bring you up to speed, here are some of the reasons why you need to pay close attention to your gut health.

Lots of people experience gut issues

So many people in different parts of the world experience problems with their guts. Whether it’s occasional bloating or general discomfort, gut issues can be particularly problematic and unsettling. Approximately one in four people experience gut issues related to bowel habits, bloating, or pain. If someone has regular gut discomfort, they are often diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Unfortunately, IBS doesn’t have a specific cause or treatment, and it can come and go at different times.

Treating your gut

One of the best ways to treat an unhealthy gut is to improve your diet. Also, choosing a supplement like Sons’ Gut Health can help you along the way. Comprising the live bacteria LP299V, it has the potential to help treat a range of gut issues. If you’re not careful, gut health can impact various other aspects of your life, as we explain below.

Gut health and your general health

Your gut is connected to all parts of your body. Therefore, when your gut is in bad shape, it can impact so many other aspects of your health and wellbeing, including:

Immunity

Approximately 70% of your immune cells are situated in your gut. Therefore, your gut plays a vital role in protecting you from diseases and infections. Your immune cells are responsible for tasting everything that passes through your gut before signalling to other cells to determine if anything that passes through contains disease-causing bacteria. Striking a balance between immune cells and your gut bacteria is important, and it protects you from infection. Studies have found that people with healthy gut microbiomes might be less likely to pick up infections, including Covid-19. Given that your gut is at the centre of your immune system, you need to keep it in good health.

Weight

Your gut decides which nutrients to allow into your body and which to remove. Therefore, it plays a crucial role in the maintenance of your weight. Some gut microbes feed on fibre, while others prefer sugars and fats. The balance between your diet and your gut microbes essentially controls how much energy is stored as fat, which then impacts your overall weight.

Brain health

Through a network known as the gut-brain axis, your gut and your brain are inexorably linked. The two systems are connected by the vagus nerve, which enables your gut cells to send signals to your brain and vice versa. Researchers believe that this might be the reason why you experience strange feelings in your gut when you’re nervous. One of the most prevalent gut-brain conditions is IBS, which can be triggered by stress.

Heart health

Your gut and the microbes within are responsible for regulating digestion and absorbing fat and cholesterol. In other words, it controls your risk of heart disease. In some instances, your gut microbiome may even produce chemicals that are harmful to your heart. For example, when you digest red meat, a compound known as trimethylamine N-oxide is produced, which could increase your chances of developing heart disease.

General fitness

Last but not least, new research suggests that your gut health may be linked to your general fitness levels. A study conducted with professional rugby players found that their gut microbiome was more diverse than non-athletes. Other studies have found interesting relationships between the gut microbiome and the breakdown of lactic acid during exercise in marathon runners. While more research is required, it’s likely that the more diverse your gut microbiome, the fitter you will be.

So, your gut health matters for a whole host of reasons, as so many aspects of your general health and wellbeing are connected to your gut. Therefore, make sure you take the necessary steps to maintain good gut health and ensure your body can function to the best of its ability.