Your Gut and Your Health : Delving into Your Digestive Garden

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A healthy gut is a crucial part of maintaining your overall health. It seems today that many diseases and health concerns have root in an imbalanced gut. The foods we consume, the stresses we experience, and the exposure to toxic elements have created a dysbiosis of the gut. This leads to changes in our moods, our vitality, and our energy. We feel less inclined to get through the day, and most of our day becomes a task rather than anything else.

The barrier functions of the gut represent one of the most important interfaces between a person and the external environment.^[1] This barrier isn’t just a means to keep things out; instead, it is a sophisticated system to communicate with, and allow selective entry of certain components from the digestive tract lumen into the body. The proximity of the gut lumen permits the absorption of available nutrients and interactions with trillions of nonhuman microbes.^[1] The changes in the intestinal permeability and barrier function contribute to gastrointestinal dysfunction and the diagnostic phenomena that follow.

What does your gut do? Our digestive system is involved in the digestion of foods and drinks. It controls the breakdown of these foods and the production of energy from the foods and drinks we consume. By doing this task, it is involved in regulating our metabolism, moderating our immune system, and making sure toxins are eliminated regularly. When the gut is imbalanced, all these simple yet intricate tasks do not work properly, and we end up feeling sluggish, getting bloated after meals, always getting sick, and feeling swollen and tired, amongst many other symptoms.

The digestive system is comprised of 100,000 billion cells within the intestine.^[2] That’s a lot! Within these 100,000 billion cells, there are up to 2,000 different species, and from those 2,000 species, there are 7,000 strains.^[3] Once again, that’s a lot! The digestive system is an intricate system of cells that work together to keep our body balanced and healthy. There are two main parts in the digestive system: the small intestine and the large intestine. The irony in their names is that the small intestine is 20 feet long, while the large intestine is 4 feet long. Maintaining or improving the integrity of our gut barrier is foundational for preserving our overall health. Breaches in barrier function will lead to gastrointestinal symptoms, but will also further burden on the immune system with a heavy antigenic/allergenic load and increase the number of toxins requiring detoxification and elimination.^{[1]:144–150}

What can we do to reduce the permeability of the gut and thereby reduce secondary effects on our overall health? Firstly, removing signals that damage gastrointestinal cells and promote intestinal permeability. This can be anything that increases gut inflammation—stress, inflammatory foods, pathogens, toxins, NSAIDS, etc.

Stress has a major effect on the health of our gut. When we are stressed out, or if the stress continues for a longer duration, there can be effects not only on how we feel, but also on our hormones (all of them) and the gut. Stress slows down the digestive process; increases inflammation in the gut; reduces digestive enzymes; and leads to increased permeability, allowing molecules to pass through that shouldn’t. This ends up creating more inflammation in the body, creates digestive complaints, and over time can lead to the body attacking its own cells.

To support the anti inflammatory pathways, we need to increase the intake of anti inflammatory foods. These are mostly contained in plants, as many phytonutrients are reported to reduce inflammatory burden.^{[1]:144–150} Additionally, other very important aspects include a nutritious and allergen-free diet, avoidance of processed foods, and avoidance of refined sugars. Our diet should, instead, include fermented foods and drinks, pre and probiotic foods, and whole foods.

Providing nutrients in a supplementation form can also assist in the healing process, especially when you are already experiencing symptoms of gut dysbiosis. This helps gastrointestinal cells build metabolic reserve and maintain their capacity to rapidly divide and maintain barrier function.^{[1]:144–150} Such supplementation includes L glutamine (an amazing amino acid with great gut healing properties), Aloe vera, and anti inflammatory herbs—marshmallow, slippery elm, cat’s claw—and digestive enzymes products, to name a few. It is always important to meet with your naturopathic doctor for more information on the correct uses of supplements and for a treatment plan specifically tailored for you.

In addition to food and supplement protocols, you can do testing to provide insight on the permeability of your gut and the immune function/response you may be already experiencing. Food-sensitivity testing gives us an idea of how reactive we are to food groups and specific foods. It is an IgG test, which is a delayed response our body has to the foods we consume. This means the symptoms we experience from the foods we eat can take up to three days before they become noticeable. Because of this time lapse, it can be hard to understand what foods may be causing the complaints. Zonulin is a protein that modulates intestinal permeability.^{[1]:144–150} By testing this protein, elevated levels could be indicative of increased gut permeability. Lastly, hormone testing is also beneficial, as long-term gut dysbiosis can affect the levels and function of endocrine glands—thyroid, adrenal, and reproductive. Primarily, the inflammation that ensues with increased gut permeability leads to dysfunction in these glands, which could spill over, creating symptoms of adrenal fatigue, hypothyroidism, and possibly auto-immune conditions.

Gastrointestinal symptoms are some of the most frequently experienced by many individuals and are one of the most common reasons they seek medical care. Some of the symptoms are acute and self-limiting, while others can linger for many years, never really going away, and possibly getting worse as time goes on. As we know, the gastrointestinal tract is the first line of communication with our external environment.

In our lifetimes, we will consume between 30 and 50 tons of food and host more microbial cells in our gut than human cells in the rest of our body.^{[1]:144–150} A healthy gastrointestinal tract maintains a healthy balance of microbes and prevents the entrance of harmful substances into the body. In this respect, our health and vitality are dependent on the health of our gastrointestinal tract. When it is imbalanced, disease arises, and our health is affected. Cheers to feeding our health and keeping our vitality strong. Bon appetit!