Gut Feel

A balanced gut doesn’t only promote good digestion but is also responsible for our overall wellbeing

- Stephanie Zubiri

Most of us take for granted our digestive system, simply relying on it to process our food and deliver the nutrition and energy our body needs to keep going. However, research has shown that our gut is responsible for far more than a simple breakdown of nutrients. “We need to go beyond our traditional understanding of the gut to know its impact on our overall health,” shares Dr Stan Chua, resident doctor of BioBalance, a centre for measured wellness. “Traditionally, we understand the gut to simply digest, absorb and excrete our food, but with the latest advances in gut research, we are finding out more and more that the gut also plays a major role in hormone balance, neurotransmitter balance, detoxification of our body and inflammation.”

Having a healthy gut can directly affect our overall wellbeing and health, including our mental health. “Understanding the other roles the gut plays shows us that what we put into our bodies can change the course of diseases,” explains Chua. “These include hormone-driven diseases such as acne, polycystic ovarian syndrome and diabetes; those driven by neurotransmitters such as depression and anxiety; by inflammation such as hypertension and even cancer.”

What exactly constitutes a healthy gut?