Tag Archives: healthy gut

How Your Gut Flora Can Improve Your Health

The Gut Health World Summit is a conference that highlights the latest in microbiota research.
This conference always highlights interesting findings. One of the recent presentations was about a new glycoprotein called P-glycoprotein.

P-glycoprotein helps stop the infiltration of neutrophils (white blood cells) into the gut. Certain antibiotics destroy the bacteria that produce glycoprotein, opening the door for increased gut inflammation.

This is an example of the research that validates my concerns about antibiotic use. I suspect that research like this will help experts design antibiotics that are better than the loose cannons that are currently available. We need to get a lot better at placing antibiotics exactly where they need to be, so they cause minimal collateral damage to beneficial bacteria.

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Other interesting research from this conference focused on the gut health of mice. When mice are given prebiotics, it stops their gut from being damaged by radiation exposure. Mice given prebiotics had better bowel flora and suffered a lot less damage than mice who not given prebiotics. This research again demonstrates how important it is to have good numbers of beneficial gut flora.

It’s essential to keep an eye on the research about gut flora as it helps inform decisions about diet, supplements, and lifestyle choices that are gut-healthy.

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Your Gut And Exercise: What You Need To Know

Exercise can impact your gut and digestive health in several different ways.

One study I read compared the bowel flora between people who were exercising and those who were not. Over the six week study, exercisers dramatically increased the amount of short-chain fatty acids in their bowel. Increased SCFA is associated with lower rates of inflammatory diseases like heart disease, cancer, and metabolic syndrome.

The researchers also found that after the six weeks when people stopped exercising, the short-chain fatty acid population slowly dropped and went back to the pre-exercise baseline. In other words, the impact of exercise may only endure for as long as the exercise. Nevertheless, this study certainly provides another reason for incorporating regular physical activity into your life.

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The mechanism for the positive effect of exercise on gut flora hasn’t yet been determined. But, I can tell you from my clinical experience that people who exercise a lot tend to rarely get constipated. They also don’t get gas or bloating that much as people who sit around all day watching Netflix or TV.

Active people have better digestion, better appetite control, and better bowel movements. They also tend to eat more reliably and regularly on time. I’ve also noticed that my physically active clients don’t have the same rate of fatigue and sleeping issues as sedentary people.
I believe that exercise has a massive influence on overall health and well-being, not just on the bowel flora.

Exercise improves blood, stool, and other medical test results. The tests also improve with more exercise.

Whether it’s being active around the house or going to the gym or walking or cycling regularly, the benefits of physical activity are clear.

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