It has been known for a long time that looking after our digestive system, by consuming a diet rich in fibre, is important in the prevention of many diseases, including many types of cancer and diabetes. More recent research is starting to show that a healthy diet, with enough dietary fibre, doesn’t just influence the way in which we absorb various nutrients and promote digestive system health, but that the health of the digestive system is intrinsically tied to the health of many of the body’s systems.
The digestive system not only acts to support immune function by providing a barrier to germs and other unwanted foreign bodies entering the blood stream that we may ingest, but by directly influencing immune system functions including parts of our inflammatory response and protecting against illness caused by infection and other pathogens that may enter the body. There is also some intriguing research looking at the impact of levels of certain gut bacteria, obesity and obesity-related health conditions.
The proper functioning of the digestive system can also have a profound effect on mental wellbeing through this wider influence on the body’s systems. It comes as no surprise then, that for people who are looking to improve their general health, we need to consider eating in such a way that supports a healthy digestive system, and maybe consider the use of dietary supplements. We can support our digestive system and gut health in a number of different ways:
Firstly, by consuming enough fibre in the diet (around 20-25g per day is recommended) or through fibre supplements. This acts to not only add bulk to our stools to help us pass waste, but is also a food for the ‘good’ bacteria in the stomach from which these bacteria produce compounds that are important for our digestive system to function.
Secondly, the amount and type of gut bacteria we have can also be influenced by the foods we eat, antibiotics and illness, so the use of ‘probiotic’ drinks that contain these good gut bacteria can be useful to help top up our good bacteria at key times.
Finally, digestive enzymes that are produced by the body, essential for the break down foods for efficient and effective absorption, can also be found in supplement form. These can be useful for those who have recently changed their diet, have mild food intolerances or are having to consume large amounts of food, or different foods that perhaps they are not used to.
In summary, supporting digestive health through diet and the appropriate use of supplements is not only important for gaining the best possible benefit from the foods we eat, but also has much wider potential impact on our general health and wellbeing, so we should give it the care and attention it deserves, but does not often get.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23426535
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/phar.1640/full
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17461391.2014.971879
https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-4939-1203-2_5
