Well done. You've picked the most exciting time to invest in your health.
Why? Because more than ever before you can reliably make simple but really impactful changes - that benefit you in both the short and long-term.
Evolving science is consistently showing us how crucial the state of your gut is to so many other aspects of your health. Like a forest floor that allows many different plants to grow (or not), the gut seems to touch everything. In the past, things like energy, immunity, skin, and sleep seemed unrelated.
Not anymore.
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The incredible bustling community of trillions of bacteria and their byproducts that reside in our intestines (the microbiome) are the ultimate influencers, connecting with organs all over your body in many ways, like the blood, nerves, and immune system.
But how do they pull off this epic feat? Well, incredibly they can both send signals directly or release powerful compounds like short-chain fatty acids, which wield incredible health effects like reducing inflammation, curbing appetite, and even shaping your mood and cognition by tinkering with neurotransmitter levels.
We think that's pretty incredible.
Some things are well established such as the gut-brain axis, and the gut-immune axis. Two rather big factors when it comes to your wellbeing! But scientists are still delving deep into other areas with promising findings, including the gut’s role in sleep, skin health, sports performance, and diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease, and autoimmune conditions.
Here's some bite-sized science behind some of our positive gut-health possibilities.
Your gut and brain are besties, constantly chatting through what we call the gut-brain
axis. Anxiety, stress, and the blues? They've all got a hotline to your gut, and if your gut contains too many unhealthy bacteria, well the connection isn’t great. For example, unhealthy bacteria can lead to an unhealthy gut lining through which unwanted chemicals can pass into the bloodstream and cause chronic low-grade inflammation in your body (not good).
This has been seen to relate to the mechanism of some forms of depression and neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimers and Parkinson’s disease. But fear not. Prebiotics and fiber-rich foods can keep the conversation positive, supporting your mental wellness by nurturing those good gut bugs and their brain health-boosting chemicals (like short-chain fatty acids). Dietary interventions looking at altering the gut microbiome for better mental health are recommended to be followed for 3 months.
This is to give the gut microbiome time to change and promote positive effects. However, studies often start reporting improvements after 4 weeks.
Your gut is like Grand Central Station for your immune system, with 70% of your immune cells hanging out there. Your gut can train your immune cells to fight off bacteria and infections effectively, but it has to be healthy to do so! When your gut microbiome health is in-check, it can help to control levels of inflammation in your body – very important since inflammation has been linked with several chronic diseases including diabetes, heart disease, certain cancers and cognitive decline.
A UK study has shown that people who regularly ate lots of vegetables had lower levels of unhelpful inflammatory white blood cells. In practice, can you change things quickly? The answer is yes. Mainly because immune cells turn over quickly so improvements in immune function can also happen quickly when prebiotic fibre is increased. Studies have shown positive effects after a week. However, long-term health effects will take longer as you need to allow your gut microbiome to change and flourish - producing new health-promoting chemicals.
Your gut and skin? Total BFFs. The gut–skin axis refers to the bi-directional relationship (meaning they can both affect each other) between the gut microbiome and your skin. Science is learning more about how the gut and skin communicate, but we know that unhealthy gut bacteria have been found in inflammatory skin conditions such as acne, eczema, rosacea and psoriasis.
Whilst there is a lot to learn, we know that a healthy gut reduces inflammation in the body which has a direct impact on the health of your skin. Prebiotics are, of course, our important ally when it
comes to supporting all the good guys in your gut and helping to keep inflammation low.
Positive changes in the gut won’t be seen immediately as new skin cells take a while to reach the surface. At the age of 18 the cell turnover rate is 14 to 21 days, while at the age of 50 years old, it can take up to 60 to 90 days before the new skin cells make their way to the surface.
Poor sleep quality has been linked with many chronic diseases including diabetes, heart disease, obesity, depression, anxiety and even dementia. A 2023 UK report showed that 30% of UK adults are reporting poorer sleep, so it is an area that a lot of people are struggling with. Growing evidence suggests that microbial diversity, as well as having certain beneficial bacteria, can improve sleep quality.
Interestingly, the gut-sleep axis is bi-directional - that means poor sleep reduces microbial diversity just as poor microbial diversity affects sleep quality. It only takes two nights of poor sleep for your gut bacteria to be affected, so ensuring you get good sleep is also key for supporting your gut and other areas of your health (which actually seems quite obvious now we say it).
Research linking the gut to energy levels is still in its infancy. However, an exploratory study on 20 people showed that people who had high levels of mental energy and low mental fatigue had specific types of healthy bacteria living in their gut. However, the small sample size meant the findings were only suggestive rather than conclusive.
So although the jury is still out, there are other ways looking after your gut health can support your energy levels. We know that immune health and mood are both supported by a healthy gut microbiome. If you are getting sick regularly and don’t feel very motivated due to low mood, your energy levels will suffer.
It’s a little shocking. The most recent review of fibre intakes in the UK showed that no age group is meeting their fibre requirement. Adults should be consuming 30g of fibre per day, but the average intake is sadly only two-thirds of this. Worryingly it's been reported that one in seven adults in the UK suffer from constipation with 211 people being admitted to hospital every day because of this condition alone!
A recent UK report stated that every additional 7g of fibre in the daily diet reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease by 9%, colon cancer by 7%, stroke by 7% and type 2 diabetes by 6%. There are several different mechanisms at play but the gut-immune axis we’ve mentioned plays a key role. By supporting your gut health throughout life you can help to reduce your risk of developing certain chronic diseases.
Poor gut health is by no means the only cause, but its involvement is certainly not disputed! But don’t be disheartened if you are late to the game, as changes to your gut microbiome happen very quickly so you can start impacting your health straight away.
Packed with prebiotic plant fibre that selectively feeds only your good bacteria to nourish your gut microbiome and support all-round health.
Deeply’s special formulation not only boosts your gut health but also contains naturally sourced vitamins D3 and B9 for immune support.
Powerful proven ingredients like Chicory inulin which promotes healthy digestive function thanks to increasing frequency of bowel movements.
Studies consistently point to the role of consuming adequate dietary fibre (30g per day) to support short-term digestive health and long-term health outcomes.
Packed with prebiotic plant fibre that selectively feeds only your good bacteria to nourish your gut microbiome and support all-round health.
Powerful proven ingredients like Chicory inulin which promotes healthy digestive function thanks to increasing frequency of bowel movements.
Deeply’s special formulation not only boosts your gut health but also contains naturally sourced vitamins D3 and B9 for immune support.
Studies consistently point to the role of consuming adequate dietary fibre (30g per day) to support short-term digestive health and long-term health outcomes.
Whilst everyone can benefit from a healthy gut, confusingly, not everyone will benefit in the same way.
Why is that you ask? Well, your gut microbiome is as unique as your fingerprint, shaped by lots of factors like your birth delivery method, diet, and even whether you’ve owned a pet. A lot happens in the early stages of life, but you can still nurture and diversify your gut microbiome throughout your life.
For the average person it can be impossible to know whether a specific food, or probiotic strain is encouraging the growth of the bacteria that they need or the important post-biotics that are key to their health concern. This is not to say that it won’t work, but it's why it may not work for them but will for someone else.
That's why science has shown that a smart approach is to focus on a varied diet rich in fiber (especially the prebiotic kind) and plant foods, aiming for at least 30 different varieties each week. By offering a buffet of nutrients to your gut bacteria, you create an environment where beneficial microbes thrive, while harmful ones fade away.
Doing this consistently is like being good at saving your money - invest in your gut health today and compound health benefits in the future.
