World Digestive Health Day

World Digestive Health Day

World Digestive Health Day is about wellbeing for digestive health. For this reason, we raise awareness every year on May 29 with World Digestive Health Day. Support the event by raising awareness of the role lifestyle and wellbeing have on digestive health. The color periwinkle blue represents many of the gut health issues such as IBS. Purple represents other gut issues. The color green represents gastroparesis. And the color blue represents colon cancer. Please look at our Cause Chart to see which color pertains to your particular gut health awareness campaign.

The Gut Microbiota and World Digestive Health Day

The gut microbiota is the community of microbes (bacteria, viruses, fungi) that live in the gastrointestinal tract and in particular the large intestine (large bowel).

Why is the microbiota important? 

The balance of your community of gut microbes is important to the health of the gut microbiota ‘ecosystem’ and your health. Think of it like a rainforest, where the health and survival of the plants and animals effects all the other species living there and in the environment as a whole. The composition of the gut microbiota will, therefore, impact your health too.

Our gut microbiota has many helpful interactions with our body but three of the main functions are:

• Immune Function – Supporting our immune system, the gut microbiota helps our immune cells differentiate between friendly bacteria and invading pathogens.
• Nutrition – Helping our digestive system absorb some minerals and synthesize some vitamins. Our gut microbiota also helps to break down dietary fiber.
• Gut-Brain – Supporting our mood and behavior through the gut-brain axis.

Some bacteria, such as lactic acid bacteria, are associated with good health and bifidobacteria is associated with digestive health.

Lifestyle factors like diet, physical activity, sleep and managing stress can support our gut microbiota.

• People who engage in physical activity regularly have a more diverse microbiota. Diversity is related to health.
• Eating a variety of types of fiber in a diverse diet with lots of plants supports a more diverse and balanced gut microbiota. Additionally, eating enough fiber and plants in the diet supports digestive health.
• The environment we live in impacts which microbes are in our surroundings. This includes how we socialize, who we live with and whether we have pets.
• Stress can affect the balance of our microbes and cause gastrointestinal symptoms. Stress management strategies such as, yoga, cognitive behavioral therapy and hypnotherapy reduce stress and gastrointestinal symptoms.
• Sleep quality is related to a healthy gut microbiota and sleep loss can impact our gut microbiota by altering appetite and stress hormones. Sleep deprivation leads to differences in the composition of the microbiota.

If you’ve never listened to your gut, you may be pleased to know that you’re not alone. Last year’s Love Your Gut survey showed that 1 in 3 of us ignore gut health problems.

But the digestive system is unique. iIt communicates signs, both healthy and warning signs, using all of the five senses. These senses provide health indicators. So by listening, tasting, seeing, smelling and feeling more, you can really tune in to your gut.

Sound: The rumbles and groans generated in your abdomen are caused by the propulsion of gas and fluid through different regions of the gut. The fluid is a mixture of food, drink, and digestive juices. These noises are more obvious when you are hungry or nervous because stimulation of the vagus nerves cause gut propulsion.

Sight: Feces can differ in color, but black and tarry stools can indicate bleeding in the small intestine or stomach while pale stools accompanied by dark urine could indicate gall stones.

Feel: Cramping and abdominal pains are most likely due to spasm but if persistent may indicate intestinal obstruction. Pain like a knife just below the breast bone that is relieved by eating may suggest peptic ulceration. Pain in the right upper corner of the abdomen that goes to the back just below the right shoulder blade may indicate gallstones. Bloating may be related to a combination of stress and ingestion of gassy fruits and vegetables.

Taste: Sufferers of acid reflux may experience a sour taste caused by regurgitated stomach acid.

Smell: Contrary to popular belief, men don’t produce smellier gas. The smell of an individual’s gas is related to the fermentation of unabsorbed carbohydrate and protein food and therefore relates to what they have been eating, how much escapes absorption, and the effect of stress on gut transit.