6 things that can happen to your gut when you don't look after it!

Savannah Daisley is creator of Smart Cleanse. Photo: Supplied

Chemicals in our food can destroy the delicate balance of the ecosystem or ‘microbiota’ (gut flora) that lives within our own bodies!

Did you know that 90% of the cells in your body are non-human? Your gut actually contains over 10 times more microbial cells than human cells, although your entire microbiome only accounts for about for 1-3% of total body mass. That’s 100 trillion friends inside your gut that you didn’t know you had!

Your 100 trillion friends are like an army or troops lining your gut wall, protecting and nourishing this exposed interface and your precious internal environment from the harsh external world.

This delicate balance of friendly and some opportunistic (unfriendly) microorganisms are always present in your body, but poor lifestyle choices - such as intake of processed foods and alcohol - can weaken the army of beneficial microbes, reducing their numbers, and allowing the unfriendly or opportunistic microorganisms to multiply rapidly. This imbalance is referred to as dysbiosis.

Savannah Daisley - creator of the 14 Day Smart Cleanse - explains what can occur when your gut flora has been damaged....

1. DYSBIOSIS AND LEAKY GUT SYNDROME
Dysbiosis causes damage to the gut lining or wall know as leaky gut syndrome, and symptoms such as headaches, nausea, skin rashes, allergies, and other more serious conditions can develop as a result.

Stretching over 300 square meters or about the size of a tennis court, your gut lining possesses the largest mass of immune cells (T and B lymphocytes) in the human body, known as Gut-Associated Lymphoid Tissue or (GALT), which attack and defend against these pathogens (3). Its your gut flora army that stimulates your immune system and strengthens is function. Without them your immune system doesn’t function as efficiently.

2. INFLAMMATION
When these spaces form in between cells lining the gut wall pathogens, toxins including toxic waste products from digestion, and partially undigested food molecules (larger proteins), are able to pass directly into the bloodstream launching an immune system attack against the foreign invaders, and inducing inflammation. This immune reaction and inflammation can also create allergy symptoms such as nasal congestion, itchy, watery or puffy eyes, sneezing, sore throat, postnasal drip, fatigue, shortness of breath and more.

3. LIVER OVERLOAD
All these toxins are immediately circulated through the liver and then the kidneys, further burdening both the important organs of detoxification, along with every other system in the body, and ensuring toxic overload throughout.

4. BRAIN FOG
Dysbiosis in the gut also releases a steady source of endotoxins, which are known to be as toxic as almost any chemical or pesticide that may enter your body from outside. For example, candida ablicans actually release somewhere around 80 different poisons including the toxic alcohol, acetaldehyde, which causes symptoms like brain fog.

5. ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION

Did you know that 90% of the brains serotonin is actually produced in the gut and your gut flora play a huge role in its production. They also play a role in the production of other wonderful and calming neurotransmitters like dopamine and GABA (relaxing neurotransmitter).

Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that regulates your thought and emotions and produced feelings of calm and happiness. When you have dysbiosis your gut flora aren’t able to do their job so your serotonin production diminishes leading to poor mood, anxiety and depression.

6. WEIGHT GAIN
When you have dysbiosis your body holds onto excess weight. This is because your digestive system isn’t working properly so your use of calories isn’t as efficient and you therefore don’t absorb as many nutrients, which reduces your overall energy production. Your gut is your energy source!

Your stress hormones adrenalin and cortisol also kick in because of the increased fatigue you feel and cortisol is a fat storing stress hormone that elevates your blood sugar level. If this isn’t already enough, your insulin levels are higher too because of your higher blood sugar levels, leading to further weight gain.

Also, due to possible leaky gut syndrome, the passage of toxins through your gut wall is enhanced and your liver can’t do its fat burning job as well. Because toxins are fat-soluble and stored inside your fat cells, the more toxins in your blood stream the more your body will create fat cells to protect itself from their harm.

Smart Cleanse. Photo: Supplied

Nurture you’re the army of “100 trillion friends you didn’t know you had” and they will support and nourish you in a million ways. After all you both cant live without each other!