Your gut flora are the friendly bacteria that live in your intestinal tract. Most people know that gut microbiome can affect their digestion, whether it’s constipation, diarrhea, or bloating. But, the effects of the gut microbiome aren’t limited to the gut itself! If you have chronic health problems, chances are there’s something going wrong with your gut flora.
1. Gut flora affect insulin sensitivity and autoimmunity.
The hormone insulin controls all kinds of processes, from carbohydrate digestion to hormones like leptin (which regulates hunger). It’s one of the most important hormones for weight loss and metabolic healing. Insulin sensitivity means that your body is producing and using insulin correctly.
The opposite of insulin sensitivity is insulin resistance: when your body isn’t interpreting insulin signals properly. This is leads to obesity, type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome.
One important factor in developing autoimmune diseases is intestinal permeability, or “leaky gut”. That’s when undigested proteins get through the gut lining.
The gut flora affect the permeability of the intestinal lining. They’re like gatekeepers that can either let proteins in or keep them out. An example is rheumatoid arthritis (an autoimmune disease). Rheumatoid arthritis is caused by gut flora dysfunction.
Gut flora control that careful balance between attacking outside invaders (immunity) without attacking your own body as well (autoimmunity). Improving gut health is the best way to improve your immune health.
2. Your gut determines your appetite and tastes.
It’s common to hear from our FastEatLive clients “my taste buds change”. Without the constant intake of simple carbs or junk food, you stop wanting it. Your tastes and appetite adjust depending on your diet. One important factor of that is the gut microbiome which affects your overall appetite. Change your nutrient sourcing and you won’t be stuck using only “willpower”!
3. Gut flora affects mood and mental health.
“Gut feeling” is more than just a saying! The gut-brain axis is one of the most interesting ways that your gut can affect your health. Gut flora affect everything from production of neurotransmitters to the hormonal stress response. Gut flora problems often go along with mood disorders. A great example is Irritable Bowel Syndrome. IBS patients have significant gut flora dysfunction, and also significantly higher rates of anxiety, depression, and other mood disorders. Improve your gut health to change your mood.
4. Gut health improves liver health.
Your liver is your body’s natural detoxifier. If you want an effective detox, don’t worry about dandelion tea or a juice cleanse. Instead, focus on taking care of your liver.
The clearest way to see this is to look at the ways gut flora dysfunction contributes to liver disease. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) affects up to 1/3 of the population. Gut flora are important for digesting and absorbing choline (an important nutrient that the liver needs); they control the metabolism of bile acid.
5. Gut flora regulate systemic inflammation.
Chronic inflammation is your immune system’s response to persistent irritation. Gut flora are a crucial part of your body’s immune defenses.
If the gut flora perceive a persistent irritation they’ll react with an inflammatory response. Inflammation that starts in the gut has been connected to problems from obesity to chronic kidney disease to autoimmune disorders: it might start in the gut, but it certainly doesn’t stay there.
You can clearly see from the 5 examples how critical your gut is to your overall health.
