The gut is a busy place, and it works constantly to influence almost every process in your body. From digestion and waste elimination to immune function, brain health and mood, it has a lot to do with your wellbeing.
Your digestive system is about 30 feet long, running from your mouth to your anus and collaborating with other parts of your digestive tract to break food down into smaller molecules that can be absorbed by the bloodstream to be used for energy, growth, and repair. It takes on a great deal of responsibility, and when it goes haywire, it can mess with your well-being.
Gut microbes assist with the absorption and metabolism of nutrients, producing metabolites that help cells in your intestine use and store energy. For example, butyrate helps maintain the tight junctions between cells, while acetate can help regulate fat storage and glucose utilization.
Keeping your gut healthy requires good lifestyle choices. Those include exercising regularly, eating a wide variety of nutrient-dense foods and getting enough sleep, says Salazar.
You can also help your gut thrive by avoiding inflammatory and damaging foods. Fried foods, high-sodium diets and alcohol can all damage your gut flora, so you should try to limit or eliminate them as much as possible.
What’s more, a 2014 animal study found that reducing stress can be beneficial for your gut health. Practicing yoga, meditation and other meditative methods are popular tools to help you relax your mind and body and ease your stress.
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