Gut Health: Your GoodRx Guide

How digestion affects the body

Digestion is the process by which your body breaks down the food you eat into the nutrients you need. It turns protein into amino acids, carbohydrates into simple sugars, and fats into fatty acids. 

Your digestive tract absorbs these nutrients, and then they’re transported to the rest of your body to help your organs perform their daily functions. Energy from good nutrition and a healthy digestive tract allows you to grow and maintain a healthy body.

Research shows that a healthy gut relies on a healthy gut microbiome. The gut microbiome is all the “good” bacteria that live in your intestines and work with your body in digestion. Keeping a healthy gut microbiome can help with intestinal health as well as skin conditions, high cholesterol, and healthy weight.

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Benefits of a healthy gut

Your gut keeps your body well supplied with nutrients — but it also plays a number of other important roles in your day-to-day health. Some benefits to a healthy gut include:

• Allergy prevention: When food passes through your digestive tract, your gut decides which things are safe for your body and which things are not. In this way, your gut plays an important role in preventing food allergies.

• Immune function: Your digestive tract is one of the first lines of defense against infections from bacteria, viruses, and parasites. So when your gut is running smoothly, it actually strengthens your immune system and prevents infection and inflammation. 

• Metabolic health: A healthy gut can also keep your sugar and cholesterol levels in check. This can help you maintain a healthy weight and decrease risk for heart disease. 

• Mood regulation: Research shows that a healthy gut microbiome even benefits mood and stress.

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Signs of an unhealthy gut

Most people have a sense when their digestion feels off. It can be subtle, like changes in appetite or bowel movement patterns. Or it can feel severe, like painful bloating that can significantly affect your daily life. 

In short, symptoms can vary from person to person, and there can be a wide range of them. Things you may notice with an unhealthy gut include:

• Bloating or gas

• Constipation

• Diarrhea

• Bowel movement irregularity

• Loss of appetite or nausea

• Abdominal pain or cramping

Aside from symptoms in your digestive tract, you may also experience:

• Fatigue

• Skin changes

• Joint pain

• Weight changes

• Headaches

• Mood changes

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Diseases linked to poor gut health

Changes in the gut microbiome can affect your health beyond the gastrointestinal system. Ongoing studies are trying to better understand how this happens. In many cases, experts believe that different strains of gut bacteria use up or produce proteins that can then create disease in other parts of the body. 

Conditions related to an unhealthy gut include:

• Skin conditions: Some strains of gut bacteria cause inflammation in the body, which may lead to eczema, acne, and psoriasis. 

• Weight maintenance: Microbiome changes can affect the absorption of nutrients in your gut, making it harder to maintain a healthy weight.

• Diabetes: Gut bacteria changes the way your body uses insulin and sugar.

• Heart disease: Levels of cholesterol change depending on the strains of bacteria in the gut. This can contribute to how much plaque forms (atherosclerosis) in your blood vessels.

• Autoimmune diseases: Changes in the gut can affect levels of inflammation, which can lead to conditions like inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and lupus. 

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Foods that improve gut health

What you eat can change how well your digestive tract works. Some foods like meat or fatty foods are harder to digest and slow down your gut. Other foods like caffeine or sugar substitutes speed up digestion. And both can lead to unpleasant symptoms and poor digestive health.

Many studies have looked at different diets and how they may affect gut health and the microbiome. Reports show that these two diets are healthiest for the gut:

• Plant-based diet: This diet emphasizes plant products as the main source of all your macronutrients — including protein. It’s high in beans, legumes, grains, nuts, and vegetables. Studies show it decreases the risk of many diseases — including colon cancer, obesity, and heart disease. 

• Mediterranean diet: This diet is similar to a plant-based diet. It emphasizes vegetables, olive oil, healthy fats, and protein from sources like nuts and seafood. It’s well known for the way it decreases risk for heart disease and diabetes. But research also shows that it improves the gut microbiome, mood, and brain function. 

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Supplements that improve gut health

A host of supplements have been touted to help with gut health. But research is still trying to catch up to the latest health trends to understand which ones are beneficial. Here are some that may keep your digestive tract working at its best:

• Fiber: Research consistently backs fiber as one of the best things for your gut. Given its other health benefits, it might be the best “bang for your buck.” It can decrease your risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and cancer. 

• B vitamins: The various B vitamins have many important roles beyond helping with digestion. They’re needed for healthy red blood cells, skin, and nervous system. 

• Vitamin D: This vitamin is commonly known for its importance in bone health, but research shows it also plays a role in healthy digestion and can help regulate blood sugar levels. 

• Omega-3: This is a fatty acid that’s in fish and seafood. And research shows they can decrease triglycerides and the risk of dying from heart disease.  

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Probiotic benefits

Probiotics are “good” bacteria that live in your digestive tract. They’re vital to keeping your gut healthy, and they help you optimally digest and absorb nutrients. They’re in some foods and also come as a supplement. Common foods that contain probiotics include:

• Yogurt

• Buttermilk

• Kombucha

• Pickled vegetables and kimchi 

Beyond the benefits of keeping your gut healthy, probiotics may help with other conditions: 

• Diarrhea: Oftentimes probiotics can improve symptoms and restore healthy gut bacteria when you’re recovering from travelers’ diarrhea, stomach flu, or antibiotic-associated diarrhea.

• Allergies: The research on this one is still young, but there’s promise that probiotics help with allergic rhinitis and eczema.  

• Heart disease: Probiotics may have a role in improving blood pressure and lowering cholesterol.  

• Diabetes: Probiotics showed small improvements in glucose levels in the bloodstream.

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