An acquaintance at my running club goes on about gut health being fundamental to our wellbeing but often overlooked. She even eats to optimise pre-, pro- and postbiotics. It’s a lot to digest for sure, but is she onto something?
Sometimes you just have a gut feeling that something is good for you or bad for you. Trust your gut, they say. Do you have the guts to follow through?
Idioms and sayings about the gut are more than mere metaphors, if we are to believe a new wave of scientists, doctors and natural health practitioners. The gut is often referred to as the second brain. We have all felt “butterflies” or other sensations when nervous or anxious. Scientific papers, as far back as 15 years ago, were talking about the “emerging” biology of gut-brain communication.
I find it fascinating that something so primitive can become a kind of superpower if harnessed correctly. However, there is far more to the gut story than just a sixth sense or integration of memories. The gut is also said to hold the keys to so much about our health.
Whereas conventional wisdom, and probably a healthy dose of conventional medicine, tends to treat the symptom, gut-health proponents claim that chronic inflammation is a driver of life-threatening conditions such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases. The gut, they argue, is our body’s inflammation master regulator.
Jacki McEwen-Powell is a doctor of natural medicine and an integrative nutrition health coach. She is also a published author and mentor, drawing on her own battle and eventual overcoming of ulcerative colitis. This is what she told Business Day:
“The majority of the top global causes of death are rooted in chronic inflammation. Cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, neurodegeneration and many autoimmune conditions all have strong inflammatory drivers.
“One of the most influential regulators of systemic inflammation is the gut. The gut health triangle I teach — microbiome balance, gut barrier integrity and immune modulation — is often the ‘aha’ moment in understanding how to down-regulate inflammation through diet, supplementation and lifestyle. It’s not just gut health; it’s foundational to longevity practice.
“And the gut–brain connection is powerful. The gut plays a central role in mood regulation via immune signalling, neurotransmitter production and the vagus nerve.”
At the Water Cooler, we enjoy digging a little deeper. A review article, “Chronic Inflammation” in StatPearls on NCBI Bookshelf, claims that worldwide, three out of five deaths (about 60%) are due to chronic inflammatory diseases, including stroke, chronic respiratory diseases, heart disorders, cancer, obesity and diabetes.
One of the most influential regulators of systemic inflammation is the gut. The gut health triangle I teach — microbiome balance, gut barrier integrity and immune modulation — is often the ‘aha’ moment in understanding how to down-regulate inflammation through diet, supplementation and lifestyle.
— Jacki McEwen-Powell
They’re not alone. The article “Chronic inflammation in the etiology of disease across the life span” in Nature Medicine by David Furman and colleagues claims that chronic inflammatory diseases represent the most significant cause of death globally, “with more than 50% of all deaths attributable to conditions such as ischemic heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes mellitus, chronic kidney disease, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and autoimmune/neurodegenerative disorders”.
“Gut microbiota, intestinal permeability, and systemic inflammation: a narrative review”, published in Internal and Emergency Medicine by Federica Di Vincenzo and colleagues, said that dysbiosis (imbalance) in the gut microbiome triggers systemic chronic inflammation, contributing to chronic diseases including metabolic disorders, autoimmune conditions, and neurodegeneration via immune dysregulation and microbial metabolites.
The same review links “leaky gut” to chronic inflammation. Increased intestinal permeability, it said, allows bacterial endotoxins to enter circulation, driving systemic inflammation and linking to metabolic diseases, autoimmune disorders, neurodegeneration and other age-related conditions.
Both papers reference how the interplay of microbiome balance, gut barrier integrity and immune modulation regulates systemic inflammation. Targeted interventions such as diet and lifestyle can restore this axis to reduce chronic inflammation and promote longevity.
McEwen-Powell’s personal journey and professional passion emphasise this to a growing choir of the converted, so to speak. The Water Cooler will never tell you what or what not to do but will always suggest doing something clever.
In this instance, it would be wise to trust your gut and do some reading on the topic. It would no doubt serve you well to digest some new ideas about health and wellness.
