More and more, the scientific community is finding out ties to our mental and physical health relating to our gut. Turns out what’s going on in the digestive tract can have a huge impact on the rest of our bodies – including our brains – giving more meaning to “you are what you eat.”
Keeping a healthy balance of good bacteria in your gut is important to maintain overall health and keep cravings for sugary foods at bay. Let’s digest 12 facts about gut health and how it affects you…
What Exactly Are Gut Bacteria?
Your gut health generally relates to the quality of the bacteria that resides in it, and there are actually about 300 to 500-kinds containing more around 2-million genes, according to WebMD. “Paired with other tiny organisms like viruses and fungi, they make what’s known as the microbiota, or the microbiome,” it adds.
No two people have the exact microbiota – it’s like a fingerprint, it adds. The bacteria that live in your gut may have the biggest impact on your overall health, affecting everything from how quickly you metabolize foods to your immune response, it adds.