The truth about gut health

"My own gut health story has been more of an odyssey than a journey. Beginning with the admission that perhaps something wasn’t right with my lack of, err, movements down there to seeing doctors, a gastroenterologist, more doctors, approximately one thousands different pills, all kinds of tests, a colonoscopy and a very real and near faecal transplant which is every bit as disgusting and terrifying as it sounds.

Which is why you’re reading this story. Because I interviewed Cate Lilja, Nutritional, herbal, and complementary medicine scientist, and Co-Founder of OPTY.NC whose hero ingestible beauty (and gut health!) supplement, Ultimate Skin Elixirs help me cut through the crap (!) and the hyperbole to uncover the biggest lies and some hardcore truths about gut health – and we’re here to share them with you."

THREE BIG GUT HEALTH MYTHS… AND WHAT THE TRUTH REALLY IS

1. YOU NEED TO ‘CLEANSE’ YOUR GUT

   Cate says: “Despite the popularity of colon cleansing or ‘detoxing’ there is no good scientific basis to support the practice. If you are constipated an enema may provide some immediate relief but does not address the underlying cause. But, if you have developed leaky gut and dysbiosis it is very important to get your microbiome back into balance and break the cycle of inflammation with a qualified health care professional.”

2. YOU NEED TO POO ONCE A DAY TO BE HEALTHY

   Cate says: “We are all different and so is our microbiome. In fact our microbiome is like a fingerprint, no two are the same. As such, we all digest, absorb and process our food uniquely. Whilst some advocate that we should have at least one bowel movement per day, this is not reflected in large scale surveys of the general population. In fact the typically accepted healthy range is anywhere from three times per day to three times per week. A better indicator of gut health is the consistency of your stool - which should be well formed and sausage like - and changes to frequency of bowel habits. 

3. YOU CAN STOP TAKING PROBIOTICS ONCE YOUR GUT IS HAPPY AGAIN

   Cate says: “With such a variety of probiotics out there, the first thing is to understand the type of probiotic you are taking and its benefits. Some probiotics can be used short term, for example to support your gut health whilst taking a course of antibiotics. 

   Generally though probiotics are used as part of a long-term strategy to help maintain good gut health. Gut health and microbiome diversity can be affected by many lifestyle factors that we come into contact with on a daily basis (diet, alcohol, stress, just to name a few). So if these are still in play then strategies such as daily pre and probiotic supplementation could help to counter these damaging factors and maintain your newly acquired gut health.”

For the full article, click here.