Five reasons why you must take good care of your gut

Our gut is where our health actually resides. Everything - both good and bad - that happens in the body originates from there. Yes, every thing! That's how important this part of our anatomy is. But unfortunately, it is the most neglected part too. Just recall how many articles on heart health you have read over the last week... and how many about how to keep your gut happy. See what I mean! Add to this the fact that majority of us have very poor gut health owing to terrible diet and toxic exposures.

Let me try and persuade you to begin taking care of your gut a little more.

First, a primer about what our gut constitutes of. Yes, it is your intestines and stomach. But the most important bit in there is the flora that habitats it: the bacteria, both good and bad. They are the ones which actually call the shots as far as our health is concerned. And don't be under any doubt, our guts' health status doesn't just determine how well we'll chomp and digest the food we eat, but it, in fact, affects the entire body. Sample some of these far reaching effects below and get surprised...

For starters, the digestion, absorption and assimilation of food is directly impacted by our gut's health. It is these minutiae bacteria that actually help us digest the food, produce vitamins, regulate hormones and throw out toxins from the body - and so decide our wellness level to a large extent.

Studies have made it clear that an imbalanced gut flora (bad bacteria more than the good ones) is linked to multiple diseases ranging from autism, depression and autoimmune disorders like inflammatory bowel disease and even type 1 diabetes. Eczema too has a connection to a stinking, unhealthy gut.

Our immunity depends excessively on how happy our gut is. Basically, we need enough healthy bacteria to thrive there so that they can cover the gut wall extensively - as that is the only barrier that keeps bad toxins and other "bad guys" away from the bloodstream.

Gut is called the second brain of the body. That's because it contains more neurotransmitters than our brain (there are about 100 million neurons within the intestinal wall) and these not just control digestion, they also send regular updates to the brain about the stuff happening in the belly. From simple stuff like "I am full so stop eating" (satiety) to more complex chemical messages that affect our mood and mental health. The brain-gut connection, in fact, is a red hot field of research today and scientists are discovering more about it every day.

Finally, this one will interest you the most: these pesky little organisms living in our gut influence how our body uses the food we eat, what and how much gets stored and how efficiently our metabolism functions... so basically, they have a big say in how easy or hard it is for us to lose and gain weight. And even though it is too early to really conclude, but research seems to be suggesting that someone with an unhealthy gut (read with more bad bacteria) could eat the same amount of food as someone with a healthy gut, but end up extracting more calories from it - and thus gaining more weight.

You must be thinking... so I am off the hook. My excess weight is not my fault at all... But you are. Aren't you? Tell me who messed up the gut flora in the first place? But don't worry. Next post is about how you can put your gut in order.