The Best Supplements for Gut Health
You may already know that your gut plays a vital role in your body’s overall health. It controls your digestive system, bowel movements, and absorption of nutrients from food.
However, the gut is so much more than that! The gut microbiome is an incredibly complex ecosystem that comprises trillions of microorganisms, such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other microscopic life forms. They all work together to shape your immune system, influence your metabolism, and even affect your moods. The gut is basically the center of your body, and we are only just starting to learn how important it is to our overall health.
To maintain a healthy gut, you’ll need a healthy diet filled with fresh fruits and veggies. If you are lacking in that department, you can always turn to natural supplements to support your gut health. Here’s how!
Understanding Gut Health
As mentioned, the gut plays an integral role in many of your body’s functions, including digestive health, brain function, immune system, and metabolism. The trillions of healthy bacteria in your colon are called probiotics, and these little warriors fight nasty, invading bacteria and viruses for you.
Probiotics appear in your gut naturally, but they are also found in fermented foods such as kimchi, yogurt, sauerkraut, kombucha, and kefir.
There are thousands of types of probiotics in your gut. Diversity is key as each one plays a different function like defending against invading bacteria, protecting cell walls, and preventing digestive problems like diarrhea or Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).
To feed your probiotics and keep them happy, you’ll need prebiotics, which is the fiber commonly found in fruits and veggies. In a nutshell, prebiotics are what your body cannot digest, and your probiotics will ferment them for you.
A recently coined term is postbiotics, which are the bioactive byproducts of probiotics when they are done fermenting your indigestible fiber. They are a wide range of compounds such as SCFAs (short-chain fatty acids), proteins, peptides, polysaccharides, and cell wall components.
Unlike probiotics, which are living organisms, postbiotics offer a stable, safer alternative, especially in people who are immunocompromised and may not take to live bacteria well.
Best Natural Supplements for Gut Health
Probiotics
As mentioned, probiotics are the beneficial bacteria that live in your colon. They are the stars of your gut microbiome, an environment of bacteria, yeasts, fungi, and other little life forms. An incredible 100 trillion bacteria live in there, both good and bad. If the bad outweighs the good, your probiotics are losing the fight, and you’ll get sick.
The two most common good guys are Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. They are found in fermented foods like pickles, yogurt, miso, tempeh, kombucha, kefir, sourdough bread, and kimchi. The more probiotics you have in your gut, the better, but having a diverse gut microbiome is also crucial, as each strain is responsible for different functions.
Prebiotics
As mentioned, prebiotics are what you feed your probiotics to keep them healthy and nourished. Prebiotics are fermentable fibers that your body cannot digest, such as certain types of fiber that can be found in beans, legumes, fruits, and veggies.
These non-digestible fibers pass through your digestive tract relatively untouched until they reach your colon. There, the trillions of bacteria happily go to work fermenting them and producing postbiotics, which are byproducts of the fermentation process.
One of the awkward results of feeding your probiotics is they produce gas, which is what healthy foods are notorious for doing. Flatulence is one of the side effects of a high-fiber diet. Still, social situations aside, that means your body is healthy, and your gut bacteria are doing what they should be doing, which is to munch up all the good stuff you fed it and turn it into beneficial compounds.
A healthy diet filled with fiber should contain enough prebiotics to keep your gut happy.
Digestive Enzymes
Digestive enzymes are proteins that break down the food you eat into nutrients, making them easier for your body to absorb. Common enzymes are amylase, lipase, protease, lactase, and sucrase.
Located throughout the body but mainly in the pancreas and small intestine, these enzymes are found in fruits like bananas, pineapples, and mangoes, as well as fermented foods like kefir and kimchi. If you have an inadequate number of enzymes, you might experience gastrointestinal problems like cramps, bloating, diarrhea, or lactose intolerance.
L-Glutamine
L-Glutamine is made and stored mostly in the muscles, and it is the most abundant amino acid in the body. It is the primary energy source of enterocytes, which are the cells lining your small intestine.
Enterocytes are what protects your gut lining and creates an intestinal barrier, preventing the leaking of harmful substances into your bloodstream. Glutamine also plays a key role in repairing damage to enterocytes, accelerating the healing process, and restoring normal gut function after an injury or inflammation.
Glutamine is also an energy source for immune cells such as lymphocytes and macrophages. By supporting these cells as well as the gut microbiome, L-Glutamine indirectly promotes a powerful immune system and can significantly help with reducing inflammation.
While your body typically gets enough glutamine from foods like fish, seafood, leafy greens, dairy, seeds, and nuts, in times of extreme stress, like an intense workout or severe injury, your body might need more glutamine than it can get.
Herbal Supplements
Herbs have been used by many cultures to support their wellness for thousands of years, and now we can simply buy them in a bottle! Ginger has long been used for its many purported wellness benefits including helping speed the food you consume along your gastrointestinal tract.*
Gingerol, which is the main bioactive compound in ginger root (Zingiber officinale), is what gives ginger its distinctive flavor and aroma.
Another root that can be potentially beneficial for gut health is licorice. Derived from the plant Glycyrrhiza glabra, licorice has been used for centuries to support digestion, boost the immune system, and provide and support recovery after physical activity.
Turmeric (Curcuma longa) has been in the spotlight for its purported wellness properties. In addition, curcumin, a polyphenol found in turmeric, has also been shown to have many potential positive effects on the gut microbiome.
Conclusion
Our health has never been more important to us, and the center of it all is the gut microbiome. A well-functioning gut means a happy body, and while having a healthy diet is critical, you can give your body a little support by integrating supplements into your lifestyle.
Better yet, why not make your own? If you’re thinking of launching your own supplement line, check out our white-label and private-label manufacturing services. All our supplements are from a third-party lab, tested, and made in a GMP-certified facility under strict quality controls and standards.
FAQ Section
What are the signs of an unhealthy gut?
Symptoms of an unhealthy gut include constipation, diarrhea, bloating, abdominal pain, and cramps.
How do probiotics support gut health?
Probiotics are the trillions of healthy bacteria that live in your colon. They help fight off infections, improve your immune system, protect cell walls from damage, and support a healthy gastrointestinal system.
Can natural supplements replace a healthy diet for gut health?
No, natural supplements should be used with a healthy diet for optimal gut health. Dietary supplements alone should not be used to substitute a healthy diet of fruits, veggies, whole grains, and healthy sources of fat and protein.
Are there any side effects of taking gut health supplements?
While rare, there may be some side effects like bloating, gastrointestinal discomfort, cramps, diarrhea, or allergic reactions. Always consult with your healthcare professional before incorporating any supplement into your regimen, especially if you have pre-existing conditions and/or are on medication.
*This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.