How do you tell if your gut is not well?
An unhealthy gut leads to a weak immune system and a host of problems. Here’s how to know when your gut is not in tip top condition.
The science is still unclear but research has shown that when it comes to the body’s immune response, the gut is in the driver’s seat. Specifically, it’s the microbiome in your gut – a lively community of bacteria, fungi and a variety of microorganisms – that’s responsible not only for breaking down the food you eat and converting them into nutrients, but also serves as a warning system that informs the immune system when danger lurks in the body. These can range from allergens and irritants to inflammatory substances and viruses. To shore up your immune system, make sure that your gut is happy and healthy. How do you know if it’s not?
Not so yummy in the tummy
Everyone experiences bloating, constipation, acid reflux, gas, abdominal pain and even diarrhoea at some point or another but if any of these conditions persist or occur regularly, they could point towards imbalances in the gut bacteria, which leads to difficulty in processing food and eliminating waste.
You’re completely exhausted at the end of a working week and try to catch up on sleep over the weekend. But no matter how much you rest, it seems that you’re just tired all the time. You could be suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome, an indication that your circadian rhythm is out of sync due to poor gut health, which greatly disrupts your sleep and causes you to feel constantly tired.
If your diet is high in sugar, it decreases the amount of good bacteria in your gut while increasing the amount of yeast. And yeast loves sugar, so it will make you crave sugar and keep the destructive cycle spinning.
Up and down, up and down
When your gut is not in balance, your body may have difficulties absorbing nutrients, regulating blood sugar, storing fat – all of which can lead to weight loss – or become more resistant to insulin, which causes your weight to spike. When the body is nutritionally deficient, it will prompt you to eat more and that, in turn, can lead to ballooning weight.
Get under your skin
Your gut and your skin are in direct contact with each other – the bacteria in the former directly influences those that are on your skin. If you find yourself breaking out in acne, psoriasis, eczema and other types of skin inflammations, instead of slathering on copious creams on your face, take a good look at your gut instead.
In the mood for…
It’s a complicated relationship but there is evidence that shows what happens in your gut affects your mental health. If your gut is not in the best of health, you could be susceptible to mood disorders (such as anxiety and depression) as well as weak concentration, poor memory, and even migraines. Unsurprisingly then, the gut is often known as the second brain.
Your immune system functions to protect you from invasion by harmful elements, but what happens when it turns against itself? Autoimmune diseases – such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and multiple sclerosis – are the result, whereby the body mistakenly attacks healthy body tissues. This is caused by increased systemic inflammation in the body, which stems from an unhealthy gut, that then changes the way the immune system functions.
If you identify with one or more of these symptoms of an unhappy gut, don’t wait – fix it now.