Sophie King, one of our health advisors at Blackberry Clinic Guildford has a clinical interest in Human Nutrition. Here she shares some of her knowledge about the gut and why it plays a key part in our health and wellbeing. If you need help and information about maintaining a healthy lifestyle do book a Bupa Health Assessment at one of our Blackberry Clinics where you will be warmly welcomed and well looked after by our Bupa Health Assessment team. We also have a Nutritional Therapy service and you can book this remote service with Eleanor Allum.
A little bit about our gut microbiome.
The human body has 10x more gut microbes than human cells with every person having a different gut microbiome composition, which is influenced by what we consume and our environment. It is now well established that a healthy gut flora is largely responsible for the overall health of the host. The gut microbiome is involved in a variety of key processes within the body. These include making vitamins such as vitamin K and B vitamins, training our immune system, preventing the invasion of bad microbes, as well as communicating with vital organs such as the heart, liver and brain.
Why is it important to have good gut health?
Most foods we consume are digested and absorbed in the small intestine. Whatever hasn’t been absorbed will make its way to the large intestine where it is fermented by our gut bacteria. A diverse gut microbiota has been linked to a reduction in risk to many diseases, including heart disease, depression, Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), liver disease, obesity, diabetes, allergic diseases, cognitive issues and digestive cancers. Many factors can influence our gut health, including stress levels, alcohol consumption, smoking, physical activity, ageing as well as antibiotics.
Diet is a key modifiable factor which can influence the composition of our gut microbiota and a poor diet can negatively affect our gut microbes. However, adopting healthier lifestyle habits, along with increasing our gut diversity can help contribute to the reduced risk in health conditions and make for a healthy and happy gut.
How can I keep my gut healthy?
Dietary Fibre
Fibre is essentially the backbone of plant based foods which have many health benefits. Fibre does not get broken down in the small intestine as we do not make the enzymes to digest it, instead fibre is passed down into the large intestine where our gut microbes can process fibre. Short chain fatty acids (SCFA) are produced from the fermentation of dietary fibre, which have been shown to play a crucial role in weight regulation, reducing inflammation as well as contributing to the balance of blood sugars, all of which can reduce the risk of developing metabolic diseases. A high fibre diet has been linked to a reduced risk of bowel cancer, cholesterol, blood pressure and coronary heart disease. Currently, UK adults consume around 19g of fibre per day, with the recommendation being 30g per day. When it comes to reaching our fibre goals, evidence suggests we should be aiming for 2
portions of fruit, 5 portions of vegetables, 3 portions of wholegrains and 1-2 portions from nuts, seeds or legumes each day. This may sound like a lot, but making small changes like adding nuts or dried fruit on porridge, adding lentils or beans into a bolognese or switching to a higher fibre bread is a great place to start!
Diversity
There are approximately 100 trillion microorganisms in the human gastrointestinal tract, which all thrive off different foods. Aiming to consume around 30 different plant based foods per week can help maintain a healthy and happy gut. Plant based foods covers a wide basis, these include fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, wholegrains and pulses. This can sound like a hard number to reach, but adopting new habits can make reaching this number easier. Planning the shopping list, ordering a veg box, buying frozen fruit and vegetables instead of fresh or snacking on nuts and seeds can all help reach the final goal.
Prebiotics and Probiotics
Most prebiotics can be described as ‘microbiota shaping compounds’ and are a type of dietary fibre which feed our good gut cells. Prebiotics are found in over 3,500 plant species which have been demonstrated to have many health benefits. These include contributing to blood sugar control, supporting bone and skin health as well as improved immune system defences. Great sources of prebiotics include vegetables such as onions, garlic, leeks and asparagus. Additionally, nuts (such as almonds and cashews), legumes (such as butterbeans, chickpeas), oats and tea’s such as chamomile and fennel are great sources to include in the diet.
Probiotics on the other hand are live microorganisms which are found in a variety of foods, consumption of these live microorganisms have been shown to have health benefits to the host. Probiotics can mainly be found in live yogurts and fermented foods such as sauerkraut, kefir, kimchi and kombucha.
Lifestyle influences
Sleep
We all know the groggy, drained feeling after a bad night’s sleep, but did you know this can affect your gut microbiome too? Like our human cells, our gut has its own circadian rhythm, so a bad night’s sleep can also affect your gut. Sleep deprivation can increase inflammation and stress hormones in your body, which can worsen gut symptoms and also make the body more susceptible to illness. With 70% of our immune cells calling home in our guts, it’s important to keep these gut bugs healthy. Research has also highlighted that a higher
consumption of processed foods, refined sugars and energy drinks are consumed in participants who have poorer quality sleep or short sleep duration, so adopting a good nighttime routine and improving sleep quality is key to a healthy gut.
Stress and Physical Activity
The gut is often referred to as our second brain and is directly influenced when we are feeling stressed or anxious. Managing this stress through mindfulness techniques and exercise can help alleviate and manage gut symptoms associated with stress. Physical activity can also help promote the production of SCFA which provide immune support. Any form of movement can not only help manage stress levels, but also aid in digestion, from yoga to swimming exercise is great for not only in keeping our gut microbes happy, but also in improving our mood and wellbeing too.
