In the wellness space, gut health has been all the rage. Everyone dialed in with it can talk for hours about good gut bacteria, and the specific types of fibers they crave. There are even services for testing your stool and analyzing the specific strains and species of bacteria you might have. Go to any bookstore and you’ll see several gut-focused books in the health section. Obviously, the gut and its bacteria- which were once considered our “forgotten friends”– have made a comeback, and with more science popping up everyday, it’s only a matter of time before they become household names.
But most people don’t have the time to understand these bacteria! Or why the gut is so important. I myself have only recently fallen down the rabbit hole, and can tell you there’s still so much to understand. And I’m always sharing with you what I can as I go along! (Make sure you’re subscribed to my YouTube channel for all the latest installments in my gut health series!)
With that being said, I wanted to list some very important reasons why you should be paying attention to your gut. When it comes to our digestive system, there’s more than meets the eye. It isn’t about avoiding a stomachache or being able to go to the toilet everyday. Gut health impacts our entire body and mind.
So if you’re ready, let’s discover why our gut deserves our undivided attention!

Hormones
The gut plays an important role in maintaining healthy hormones. For instance, a group of bacterial genes called the Estrobolome are responsible for processing estrogen in the gut, helping to usher them out of the body. Estrogen is very helpful and has its place, but too much can cause a multitude of problems, from acne to PMS to PCOS and infertility. [1] Gut bacteria also affect testosterone levels. They respond to everyday habits like diet and stress and either increase or decrease testosterone production depending on what we eat and how well we manage stress. [2]
For men and women, a healthy gut is a key player in balancing hormones. Our bacteria ensure that we have just enough and are getting rid of any excess.

Brain
Your gut instincts are more than right- they’re real. The mind-gut connection is so real in fact that scientists often refer to the gut as the “second brain”. The proverbial butterflies in our stomach aren’t actually butterflies but are really just a group of neurons firing up from the brain all the way down to your gut. How we process information and feel emotionally from day to day depends on the state of our gut. Research has shown that changes in our gut can lead to an assortment of symptoms, including headaches, depression, anxiety, and brain fog. [3] Several neurotransmitters are also stored in the gut: Serotonin, dopamine, GABA, and norepinephrine, which are all important for brain health and mood balance. [4] If your mental state hasn’t been very well, there’s a good chance that your gut is imbalanced.

Metabolism
Whether you’re aiming to lose, maintain, or gain weight, having a strong metabolism is key. And once again, part of that has to do with the bacteria living inside the gut. Bacteria and gut health is more than just a game of numbers. It’s about the having the right kind of bacteria (think quality over quantity). With our metabolism, bacteria can influence how we store and use the calories and fat from food. Animal research has shown that when comparing germ-free mice to mice with healthy bacteria, the former would continue to gain body fat despite eating fewer amounts of calories than the latter. [5] The reason why is that the wrong kinds of bacteria are able to increase the amount of calories we take from food, and turn fiber and sugar into fatty acids that can later be deposited as fat in the liver. These “fatty deposits” increase the risk for obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and metabolic syndrome. [6] Not only that, gut bacteria also affect our appetite. The wrong ones in particular can increase our cravings for sugary, sweet foods, since that’s what they also crave and need to survive. In a way, they’re manipulating use in order to stay alive. [7] So suppressing your latest addiction may not just be a practice in willpower- it may involve giving your gut a makeover, getting rid of those bacteria’s fuel source and introducing non-sugary foods so that newer, helpful ones can take their place (and stop with the mind games!).

Immunity
With cold and flu season upon us, it’s time to start preparing our bodies for the battle against infection! And an underrated way to do so is by paying attention to the health of our gut. The gut is home to 70-80% of our immune cells and is considered as the first line of defense between us and anything that enters our body. [8] If they come across a foreign invader or pathogen, they’ll activate immune cells in the gut in order to bring it down. [9] Bacteria alone are also worthy opponents against their enemies. They produce potent antimicrobial substances like butyrate that are effective against invaders like E. Coli and Salmonella. One study even refers to our good bacteria as “novel antimicrobials” because of this superpower! [10] [11] They’re so important for overall immune health that in mice that were depleted of their gut bugs, infections were difficult to overcome, and would happen frequently. That is until they were colonized with the bacteria from healthy mice. [12] As you can see, our gut and immune system are intimately tied. Any imbalances in the gut leads to compromised immunity, and higher instances of infection.

After reading all of these benefits, is it any wonder why the gut has become so popular these days? While digestion itself is very important, our gut is far more complex than it’s made out to be. It’s like a web connecting every system of the body. And should anything go wrong, that web and its connections will all be affected.

Sources:
[1] https://kresserinstitute.com/gut-hormone-connection-gut-microbes-influence-estrogen-levels/
[2] http://www.jlr.org/content/54/9/2437
[3] https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-fallible-mind/201701/the-pit-in-your-stomach-is-actually-your-second-brain
[4] https://medium.com/@drbradysalcido/how-your-gut-influences-your-brain-841173517673
[5] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK154098/#
[6] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK154098/
[7] https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-gut-bacteria-tell-their-hosts-what-to-eat/
[8] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2515351/
[9] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24169517?dopt=Abstract
[10] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4882515/
[11] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29584555
[12] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25391317