The gut is our secondbrain, it is worth taking good care of it.

July 23, 2022

The gut is an underestimated and often neglected body organ. It hugely impacts not only our physical but also mental health.

The gut is an important part of the digestive system. It is not without reason that it is called our second brain as the condition of our intestines is also responsible for our well-being.

If you think about depression, obesity, colds or skin rashes, the factor connecting these ailments can be gut problems.

There are many important processes happening in the intestines, like absorbing of nutrients from food, but by the same way via this enormous surface (intestines may have up to 400-500 sq m) many intruders can get to our body.

The result of this may be the deteriorating well-being, weight gain or significant weight loss, weakened immune system or skin rashes.

You should realize how important it is to take care of the health of the gut as well as of its inhabitants. You have about 2kg of bacteria, viruses and fungi in the digestive tract. The right bacteria species balance and health is crucial i.e. for food digestion, body resistance and mental well -being. Thanks to communication through the brain-gut axis the microorganisms living in our body can affect things like the feeling of hunger or craving various types of food.

Other factors adversely affecting the condition of our intestines are an unhealthy lifestyle and a bad diet. Long lasting stress, increased consumption of alcohol and processed foods as well as antibiotics or high sugar diet may cause a deterioration in the condition of the gut.

One of the ailments that affects more and more people is a leaky intestine. This is a disorder accompanying many diseases, especially autoimmune. It goes on the increased permeability of intestinal mucous membrane, which causes that toxins or pathogens not fully processed nutrients get into the blood, interrupting the functioning of the whole body. It may also cause diseases such as food intolerances, dermatological disorders, joint pain, chronic fatigue and the overloaded immune system can lead to such diseases as celiac disease, diabetes, colitis, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, multiple sclerosis, or rheumatoid arthritis.

Apart from the healthy lifestyle and balanced diet a good way to support our digestive system are vitamins and minerals in a form of good quality health supplements.

First element we could take is zinc. The research from 2001 confirmed that supplementing zinc my help strengthens the gut lining. Study from 2015 on the other hand found that taking zinc is beneficial in inflammatory bowel disease and crone disease.

Next would be Probiotic – probiotics are generally known for their use in treating the gastrointestinal diseases. Probiotics are basically live microorganism that help to improve microbiota. There are studies proving that the gut leakage was significantly decreased with supplementing probiotics.

Third element worth looking at is Curcumin. Because of its many health benefits Curcumin is known as Golden Nutraceutical. Research prove that Curcumin concentrates in gastrointestinal tract. As it has strong anti-inflammatory effect, it helps to decrease gut leakage.

The other things that may help you keep your gut healthy would be reducing sugar intake, increasing fiber-reach foods and try to minimize the inflammatory foods, mostly processed foods and hydrating (drinking at least 2l of water a day)