How does gut health improve your mental health? What are microbiomes? What does your poop say about your health?
9 simple but essential questions about gut health, answered by an expert.
9 simple but essential questions about gut health, answered by an expert.
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LifestyleTranscript
00:00Poop is so important and gives us a lot of information about our gut health.
00:04So I certainly don't recommend you need to fixate on your bowel movements,
00:08but there are a few things to keep in mind.
00:18So gut health relates to the functioning of our nine meter long digestive tracts.
00:22It's incredibly important for three key reasons.
00:25The first one is about digestion, because if we don't have a good gut lining,
00:28we can't actually extract the nutrients from the food we eat.
00:32The second reason comes down to our immune system,
00:34knowing that 70% of our immune system lives along that nine meter digestive tract.
00:39But it's really this third element that's brought the fame to the concept of gut health,
00:44and that is that along that nine meter digestive tract lives trillions of microorganisms.
00:53The microbiota, so those microorganisms, as well as the chemicals that they produce.
00:58So kind of like their environment, which synergistically work, typically to look after us.
01:03The gut-brain connection essentially is this two-way communication that occurs
01:06between the gut and the brain.
01:08Recently, we discovered a new key player in this two-way communication.
01:12Those trillions of microorganisms that live in our gut.
01:15In fact, the science has shown that targeting them
01:17can actually influence things like our mental health.
01:24There are really four key pillars.
01:25So the first one, yes, is diet.
01:27But the second one is stress.
01:28Because if we're stressed up here, that can really strangle our gut
01:32and have a negative influence on the microbes living there.
01:34The third one is sleep.
01:36And the science has shown that actually just after two days of not having much sleep,
01:40that can negatively impact the microbes living within you.
01:43And the fourth one is exercise.
01:45So just like our muscles need movement, so do the microbes.
01:49The unbalanced microbiota actually has been linked
01:52with over 70 different chronic conditions.
01:54So things like type 2 diabetes, mental health conditions, hypertension.
02:03Now, I wouldn't go as far as to say that's true.
02:06But we certainly do know that our gut microbiome
02:09actually can have a really powerful impact on our metabolism.
02:13I actually call it like the secret weapon of the microbiome.
02:16I actually call it like the secret weapon to our metabolism.
02:20Because these microbes can do things like influence our appetite.
02:24So if you are looking to support your metabolism,
02:26it really reinforces the importance of nourishing your microbes.
02:35When we eat plant-based foods that contain dietary fibre,
02:38actually our human cells can't digest that dietary fibre.
02:41And instead, the bacteria digest it.
02:44When the bacteria eat that fibre, they do produce a little bit of gas.
02:48Now, for most people, a little bit of bloating
02:51is a sign of a well-fed community of microbes
02:53because they produce a little bit of gas.
02:55But for some people, particularly those with sensitive guts,
02:58such as those with Irritable Bowel Syndrome,
03:00too much of that gas can actually irritate that gut.
03:07Actually, you don't need to fixate on excluding things.
03:10So if you enjoy chocolate, absolutely include chocolate in your diet.
03:13But hey, why don't you add some mixed dried fruit with that
03:17and some mixed nuts and seeds,
03:18which are food that feeds your gut bacteria.
03:20So think inclusion, not exclusion.
03:38Essentially, there are seven different types of stool.
03:40Now, what we consider as healthy or normal stool
03:43is anywhere from type 3, 4 or 5.
03:46The other thing to keep in mind is the frequency.
03:49So at a minimum, we'd want you to open your bowels
03:52at least three times a week
03:53and a maximum no more than three times a day.
03:56And there's another element and that's the amount of stool.
03:59Because studies have shown that having a bigger stool,
04:01if it's a formed stool,
04:02actually reduces your risk of things like colon cancer.
04:09So having one glass of red wine a day,
04:12or one lager a day, or one Guinness a day,
04:14actually has been associated with feeding some beneficial microbes.
04:18But if we go from any more than one a day,
04:21actually those potential anti-inflammatory benefits
04:24can turn to pro-inflammatory.
04:26And that's because the alcohol component
04:29can make our gut lining a little bit leaky
04:31and allow things into our body that normally wouldn't get there.
04:34So it is important that if you enjoy alcohol,
04:37that you do so in moderation.
04:39Otherwise, your microbes might not like you for it.