All Diseases Begin in Your Gut

It was the Greek physician Hippocrates, known to the world as “The Father of Medicine”, who said, “All disease begins in the gut.”

Thousands of years later, science is still proving that his words are far more accurate than early cultures realized.

While not all disease is tied to the gut, the vast majority are. In fact, virtually all disease can be tied to the gut in some way—your gut health is either a cause or a contributing factor to just about every disease on the planet.

In this post, we’ll take a closer look at how the gut is linked to or behind most major health problems, how it contributes to the prevalence and spread of disease, and, most important of all, how you can improve your gut health to combat disease.

Your Gut Health and Disease

Nobel Laureate Barry Marshall said, “The gut microbiome is like an extra organ.” It’s an incredibly true statement because of the role your beneficial bacteria play in not only digestive health, but all aspects of your health.

Your gut microbiota serve some pretty important functions [1]:

• Protection against pathogens. Your gut microbiome is comprised of bacteria, which tend to be very protective of their breeding grounds. When other harmful bacteria and pathogens enter your intestines (via the food and drink you consume), the bacteria that live in your gut will attack these pathogens and eradicate them. It’s your body’s primary line of defense against food- and water-borne contaminants.

• Immunomodulation – Seeing as a significant amount of the pathogens you ingest daily enter your body via your digestive system, it’s safe to say that a significant amount of immune activity takes place in your gut. The bacteria in your gut fight off viruses and fungi in addition to harmful bacteria. Your gut health can also directly impact the count of white blood cells [2] and other immune cells in your body. A healthy gut will increase your chances of a healthy immune system.

• Mucosal Lining Maintenance – The bacteria in your gut play a role in the maintenance of the mucosal lining that protects the intestines from pathogens and toxins. The mucosal lining also doesn’t allow excessively large (undigested) food particles from passing through, which ensures all the food that does get absorbed into your bloodstream is broken down enough that your body can utilize it. Your mucosal lining is one of the most critical defense mechanisms your body has against internal damage.

• Drug Metabolism – The bacteria in your gut break down the drugs and antibiotics you ingest in order to A) put them to use in the body, and B) prevent excessive toxicity from causing damage. The gut microbiome plays a significant role in keeping medications and drugs from poisoning you; it’s the first line of defense that makes the liver’s job a bit more manageable, especially in our modern day and age of high medication intake.

• Nutrient Metabolism – Your gut bacteria are responsible for breaking down the food particles that your stomach acid has already begun digesting. The bacteria breaks down the fiber and starches in the food, allowing your body to absorb the individual (microscopic) particles. By the time the food particles reach the mucosal lining, they’re small enough to pass through and be absorbed by the villi directly into the bloodstream to be utilized with maximum efficiency in the various internal organs, tissues, and systems.

All of these things are the direct function of your gut microbiome. However, research [2] has identified a link between your gut and your brain.

Inside your GI tract are two thin layers of nerve cells that form the “Enteric Nervous System” (ENS). This nervous system is responsible for sending signals from your digestive tract to your brain in order to control digestion—everything from the moment you swallow to the breakdown of food to the blood flow that keeps nutrients moving through your body until its elimination.

It has been proven that your ENS communicates with your central nervous system, and it can have some pretty significant impacts on your brain. People who suffer from digestive problems (including diarrhea, bloating, constipation, IBS, and stomach upset) are significantly more likely to experience anxiety and depression because the enteric nervous system is sending “warning” signs to your brain, which your brain translates as a problem in the body (which manifests as what we know as anxiety or depression).

A lot of these gut health problems that affect the ENS can be directly linked to the health of your gut microbiome, it turns out.

For example, when your gut bacteria are depleted (due to antibiotics or imbalanced food intake), they are unable to defend against invading pathogens. This can lead to reduced immunity and greater susceptibility to disease and infection.

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When there aren’t enough active bacteria breaking down food, excessively large particles can be absorbed into your body. This is often accompanied by external factors—such as including excessive alcohol intake, poor diet, high stress levels, etc.—that both compromise the intestinal barrier (lining) and reduce the composition and activity of your gut microbiota. [3] Put together, that can lead to a condition known as “leaky gut syndrome”. Fewer nutrients are absorbed and you are at risk of nutrient deficiency. At the same time, however, the larger food particles are often absorbed along with toxins and chemicals that can damage your body from within your bloodstream.

Leaky gut can also be a precursor to autoimmune conditions [4]. Research has linked poor gut health and leaky gut syndrome with both higher rates of autoimmunity and exacerbation of existing autoimmune health conditions.[5]

And, of course, because you’re not getting proper nutrition, your entire body begins to suffer. Think of it as one large ripple effect that begins in your gut and spreads outward to negatively affect your body—all due to poor gut health.

How to Support Your Gut and Reduce Disease Risk

The good news is that improving your gut microbiome and increasing the activity of beneficial bacteria can have a direct positive impact on your health overall. Better news still, it’s fairly easy to support your gut health—try these five things:

1. Eat more fiber. Fiber is a “prebiotic” that feeds the gut bacteria and causes it to flourish. More fiber-rich foods in your diet will be a direct positive impact on both the composition and activity of the beneficial bacteria in your gut.

2. Consume fermented foods. Fermented foods contain live bacteria cultures, aka “probiotics”, that act as reinforcements for the good bacteria in your gut. Kimchi, sauerkraut, natto, tempeh, and kombucha are all amazing for increasing activity and population in your gut bacteria.

3. Cut back on sugar and processed foods. Sugar can trigger inflammation in your body and decrease your gut bacteria’s ability to fight off pathogens [4]. Processed foods similarly have an inflammatory effect, and tend to be high in chemicals (some of which can be harmful for your gut bacteria) while also being incredibly low in gut-friendly fiber and the nutrients your body needs in order to function.

4. Reduce medication intake. Strong drugs and antibiotics can decimate your gut bacteria population and “reset” your gut health in a bad way. While they may be necessary to combat more serious infections and health problems, it’s a good idea to reduce your use of casual, everyday medications as much as possible.

5. Take a gut-boosting supplement. Supplements that contain fiber, digestive enzymes, L-glutamine, and probiotics can all work to improve your gut health and increase activity of your gut microbiome. If you’re not already taking such supplements, it’s definitely worth adding them to your daily regimen.

Wrapping Up:

Your gut is critical for good health—not just good digestive health, but proper function of quite literally every internal system and function.

The bacteria in your gut at your first line of defense against exterior attacks, make sure your body gets enough nutrients, and plays a significant role in keeping your brain healthy and functioning properly.

By caring for your gut microbiome, you will ensure your body keeps functioning smoothly no matter what your daily stressful, fast-paced life throws at it.

Resources:

[1] www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4528021/

[2] www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7725892/

[3] www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9862683/

[4] www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9271567/

[5] www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9271567/

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