Here's how compromised gut health can impact your well-being

Gut health is a hot topic hese days, and everybody is interested to know more about it. Your gut, which includes the stomach, intestines, and the trillions of bacteria living in it (known as the gut microbiome), plays a vital role in your overall well-being. Often called the “second brain,” the gut affects not only digestion but also mental health, immunity, and even the health of your skin and hair.

Enteric nervous system (ENS) controls digestion and communicates with the brain. This is why you may get a wired feeling or feel “butterflies” in the stomach when you’re in a stressful situation, too excited or too nervous. Conditions like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) are often triggered by anxiety and doctors often prescribe anti-anxiety medication to manage IBS rather than focusing solely on gut treatment. But when your gut is out of balance, it can lead to a host of serious health issues. Let’s look at how com promised or poor gut health can impact you overall.

A disrupted gut can alter how your body stores fat and balances blood sugar, making it easier to gain weight. Certain gut bacteria are linked to cravings for high-sugar, high-fat foods, which can lead to obesity over time.

Poor gut health can lead to insulin resistance, a condition where your body doesn’t properly use insulin. This can lead to type 2 diabetes. The gut microbiome influences how our body processes sugar, and when it’s out of balance, it can cause blood sugar spikes and crashes.

An unhealthy gut can cause chronic inflammation, and this inflammation can damage cells and DNA, setting the stage for cancerous growths. Some studies suggest that certain harmful bacteria may even increase the risk of colorectal cancer.

Almost 70-80 percent of your immune system is in your gut. When your gut is unhealthy, your immune system becomes weak, making you more prone to infections, viruses and even autoimmune diseases, where the body starts attacking its own cells.

Research suggests a link between gut health and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s, plus they often havean imbalance in their gut bacteria. It’s believed that poor gut health can lead to the accumulation of harmful proteins in the brain, which contributes to these issues. The gut and brain are closely connected through the “gut-brain axis.” Poor gut healthcan lead to mental health issues like depression, anxiety and cognitive disorders by disrupting the production of neurotransmitters like serotonin, which is mostly made in the gut.

An unhealthy gut can lead to skin conditions like eczema, acne and psoriasis because of leaky gut syndrome, and we have discussed this several times. The gut microbiome also affects nutrient absorption, which can lead to weak, dull hair and poor skin quality if your body isn’t getting enough vitamins and minerals.

It is clear that gut health plays a significant role in almost every aspect of your body. To improve it, we need to pay attention to what we eat, how we live, the movement or activity and how we manage stress. In next week’s article, we will learn a few tips to manage stress as well as overall gut health.