It's All In The Gut

When you think about the fact that 70-80% of our immune system lies in the intestinal tract, it’s easy to conclude that regularly recurring digestive distress (constipation, bloating, reflux, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, cramping, bacterial overgrowth, etc.) can lead or contribute to a number of immune-related diseases.

To understand why it is so important to look at gut health when addressing autoimmune conditions, let's take a deeper look at our digestive system functions.

The roles of our digestive system includes:

1. Nutrition absorption

Vital nutrients that are essential for growth, cell repair and immune function, are absorbed into the bloodstream through our stomach and small intestine.

  2. Immune system regulation

Our digestive system encounters “the outside world” on a day to day basis. When we ingest something problematic (a contaminated food item, for example), our gut triggers an immune response, which triggers inflammation causing symptoms such as gas, bloating, and diarrhea.

Constant inflammation that is unmanaged and/or ignored, might eventually lead to intestinal permeability or what most people refer to as “leaky gut syndrome”, a condition that compromises our ability to digest nutrients and causes the tight junctions in our intestinal wall to loosen up.

When our intestinal lining becomes compromised due to “loosened” cell junctions, unrecognizable materials that belong in the small intestine can enter our bloodstream, which can cause an immune system reaction.

A constant and untreated state of intestinal permeability can eventually lead to a variety of autoimmune diseases, by triggering the immune system regularly, creating inflammation.

 3. Neurotransmitter regulation

Have you ever heard of the “gut-brain connection?”. It’s real my friends.

A healthy gut microbiome has been shown to help manage the activity of various neurotransmitters that have anti-anxiety and antidepressant qualities. So, if your gut microbiome is suffering, your mental health will, too.

 4. Microbiota formation

Our gut houses our microbiota, which changes constantly throughout our lifetime depending on our diet, environment, stress levels, and antibiotic use. Among other things, our microbiome plays a role in our digestion, balances our hormones, and boosts our immunity. It is also responsible for the manufacturing of vitamin K and B vitamins and is needed to produce short-chain fatty acids which play a significant role in metabolic functions.

Now that we have a good foundation to why most diseases begin in the gut, let’s talk about certain digestive imbalances that could lead to an unhealthy gut.

Gut Health Disruptors:

Poor diet

Meeting our individualized dietary needs is difficult given the go-go-go lifestyle many of us have adapted. We lead stress-filled careers, use antibiotics frequently, and are exposed to an array of  “safe” but toxic products that cause nutrient deficiencies and inflammation. Instead of supporting our gut and immunity, we consume highly processed and nutrient-poor foods that are many times inadequate at meeting our micronutrient needs.  

Stress

Stress is stress. Whether you are running away from a mountain lion, or stressing over a presentation at work - your body just can’t tell the difference and has one response to stress: metabolic distress. Our body has 2 modes: rest and digest vs fight or flight. Basically, when we are stressed, our digestion slows down due to a reduction in gastric secretion and an influx in the stress hormone cortisol. If our stress is chronic, it can eventually create a pro-inflammatory physical state, which can lead to an array of digestive tract issues when not treated.

Antibiotics

Antibiotics are antimicrobial substances meant to target bacteria. Good bacteria or bad bacteria, (most) antibiotics can’t tell the difference. Consistent or a high dosage of antibiotics can rapidly diminish the levels and diversity in our gut, which many times results in dysbiosis, or microbial imbalances that can lead to an array of symptoms, including: nausea, constipation, diarrhea and bloating.

Something that makes digestive-issue symptoms tricky to navigate is the fact that they are both physical and mental and can be the result of many different causes.

Does your gut need support?

In short, if you have an autoimmune disease with active flare ups and symptoms - yes. If you are undiagnosed or simply curious about gut health, here is a list of symptoms that might indicate poor digestive health:

• You experience an upset stomach after meals regularly
• You're constantly gassy
• You are constantly bloated
• You are constipated or experience diarrhea regularly
• You experience heartburn often
• You’re fatigued and experience brain  fog
• You suffer from anxiety and depression + behavioral problems (lash outs, easily frustrated for example)
• You experience pain in your joints
• You have known nutrition deficiencies
• You have skin problems (acne, for example)
• You’re struggling with infertility
  

Restoring gut health

There are a number of factors that can boost gut health. First, an unprocessed or “traditional food” diet that is high in anti-inflammatory foods is a great place to begin.  

Foods you might consider incorporating might be:

• Fiber rich fruits + veggies
• Lean proteins + wild caught fatty fish
• Fermented foods – kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi (don’t forget to check for added sugar content)
• Healthy fats (monounsaturated preferred): olive, ghee, coconut, avocado

Foods you might consider eliminating from your diet might be:

• Refined grains
• Added sugars and artificial sweeteners
• Processed vegetable oils that are that are rich in Omega-6 fatty acids: corn, soybean, canola, safflower and sunflower oils
• Processed meats: Sausages, hot dogs, salami.
• Hydrogenated products (trans fats): margarine, shortening, premade baked goods, fried foods, creamers
• Any food intolerances you might have (most commonly: gluten, soy, dairy, eggs, wheat, nuts)

Also important - investing in de-stressing activities! Carving out 10 minutes a day to breath, take a phone-free walk, stretch, jump, have a meaningful conversation - whatever floats your boat - is a great place to start! Triggering the parasympathetic nervous system will activate your digestion and promote cell repair and gut microbiome production.

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References

Rowland, I., Gibson, G., Heinken, A. et al. Gut microbiota functions: metabolism of nutrients and other food components. Eur J Nutr 57, 1–24 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-017-1445-8

Natarajan N, Pluznick JL. From microbe to man: the role of microbial short chain fatty acid metabolites in host cell biology. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol. 2014 Dec 1;307(11):C979-85. doi: 10.1152/ajpcell.00228.2014. Epub 2014 Oct 1. PMID: 25273884; PMCID: PMC5243208.

Kim, Chang H et al. “Gut microbiota-derived short-chain Fatty acids, T cells, and inflammation.” Immune network vol. 14,6 (2014): 277-88. doi:10.4110/in.2014.14.6.277

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