A healthy gut is essential to good overall health and can improve digestion, immune function, hormone production, and even mental wellbeing. The health of your gut impacts your overall health in ways you may not even realise. In fact, your digestive system plays an important role in maintaining the health of every other organ and system in your body, so it’s essential to ensure that your gut is healthy to promote good health across the board.
What are signs of an unhealthy gut?
The most common signs of an unhealthy gut include diarrhea, gas, bloating, constipation, fatigue, and weight gain. Many people also experience what’s known as a leaky gut syndrome which is where small holes develop in your intestinal lining through a lack of nutrients or digestion problems. When these holes allow particles to pass through them into your bloodstream they can cause a wide range of additional health issues such as food sensitivities and autoimmune disease.
Probiotics and prebiotics: A healthy gut relies on many different components that all work together to keep things running smoothly. If even one component isn’t functioning properly it can lead to overall gut dysfunction. While probiotics are often marketed for their digestive benefits, there are actually some surprising conditions probiotics have shown to help out with: obesity, diabetes, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and eczema. Prebiotics actually feed beneficial bacteria in your gut.