Why Is Digestive Health Important?

Original article courtesy htpps://drugwatch.com

Digestive health is important because without a healthy digestive system, the body cannot properly break down and absorb nutrients from food. Nutrients like amino acids from proteins, fatty acids from fats and simple sugars from carbohydrates provide energy and materials for growth and cell repair.

In addition, a healthy microbiome in the gut — bacteria in the stomach and intestines — is linked to overall good health and the prevention of health problems.

“We now know that the GI tract is full of trillions of bacteria that not only help us process food but that also help our bodies maintain homeostasis and overall well-being,” Dr. Tara Menon, a gastroenterologist at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, told Time magazine.

When a person has a healthy gut, good bacteria and bad bacteria keep a healthy balance. In an unhealthy gut, a person might have more inflammation throughout the body and a lower immune system. They also have a greater risk of allergies, asthma, and chronic illness like heart disease and diabetes. 

Research also links gut health to mental health. Poor gut health may increase risk of mental illnesses such as dementia, anxiety and depression.

For example, Megan Clapp and other researchers published a review in Clinics and Practice revealing that some studies have shown that probiotics — supplements containing live beneficial bacteria and yeasts — helped control the symptoms of anxiety and depression as effectively as prescription medications...

Read on here https://www.drugwatch.com/health/digestive-health/#why-is-digestive-health-important