Understanding Unhealthy Gut And The Importance Of Good Gut Health

The gastrointestinal tract (the gut) is responsible for movement of food from the mouth to the stomach through the oesophagus (the food pipe) to break down nutrients and carbohydrates present in the food into absorbable forms. These blocks of nutrients and carbohydrates are then used by the organs to perform everyday tasks. The unutilised carbohydrates are stored in the body in the form of fat. Recent years have seen more researchers studying the implications of gut health on the immune system, the mood patterns, state of mental health, various autoimmune diseases, endocrine disorders, skin conditions, and even forms of cancer.

Gut health is all about function and balance of bacteria present in the gastrointestinal tract.

The gut has its own defence mechanism that’s made up of gut microbes. Gut microbes refers to microorganisms that live in the intestines (both large and small). A healthy person has about 300 to 500 different species of gut microbes living in their intestines. A cluster of gut microbes functions like an organ to support your overall health. While many of these gut microbes are healthy and essential for proper functioning of the body, a few of them pose harm. These unhealthy gut microbes if not treated effectively can cause gut health problems and disorders

What’s Making Your Gut Unhealthy?

An unhealthy gut can be a result of high stress levels, disturbed circadian rhythm, routine consumption of processed and high-sugar content foods, and use of high concentration of antibiotics for minor conditions like flu can damage the gut microbiome system.

The unhealthy disturbances in the gut possesses high risk to the brain, heart, the immune system, skin, weight, hormone levels, body’s ability to absorb nutrients and even creates an environment for cancer to grow by making the body and organs vulnerable to bacterial ovrergrowth, fungal attacks and various infections.