Awareness of gut health has spread through social media. This has led to a rise in gut health foods that have gone viral for their perceived benefits. But how effective are they?
The gut is the entire gastrointestinal tract. It starts with the mouth and trails through the stomach, intestines and colon, digesting and absorbing the nutrients needed for a healthy life.
Good gut health means smooth digestion, reduced inflammation and a stronger immune system. You may feel more alert and focused, with higher energy levels and greater protection against anxiety and depression. The risk of chronic health conditions is also reduced.
Poor gut health is the inverse. Impacted sleep leads to fatigue and lack of physical activity. This increases feelings of stress, low mood or anxiety. You may also experience, bloating, constipation and heartburn, as well as frequent illnesses like the common cold. These symptoms are what viral gut health foods hope to stop.
The BBC explored the effectiveness of several popular foods. These include: chia seed water, olive oil shots, sea moss gel, bone broth and kombucha.
Microbiologist Alan Walker and gut health scientist Dr Megan Rossi examined these foods to decree if they were beneficial or not. From their perspective, caution was advised for sea moss gel. Bone broth and olive oil shots were seen as having a minimal effect; bone broth nutrients do not reach the large intestine and cooking with olive oil has the same effect. In the case of chia seed water and kombucha, these are filled with useful fibres and antioxidant compounds. However, fibre must come from a diversity of sources – no single fibre is enough on its own to feed all the many microbes.
Like many viral wellbeing trends, a degree of scepticism is needed with gut health foods. Whilst many may have health benefits, they may also have other drawbacks, or are less effective than more traditional sources of fibre, such as fruit. Hearing an expert’s insight can better identify which foods to go for. However, it can be easy to make gut health an obsession, where a daily olive oil shot is part of the ritual. This can add stress to daily life, making consumers more worried about their health. Finding the right balance is key.
What is of note is finding professional help if you do experience symptoms like constipation or ongoing abdominal pain. Caroline Steel, the BBC’s science broadcaster, warned against following online diets instead of seeking medical advice. She believes that, rather than chasing trends, people can easily keep their gut happy by “eating more plants, increasing fibre and cutting back on ultra-processed foods.”
With new research appearing almost every day, staying up to date on the latest health trends can be useful – but should never be taken as gospel.
>Since you’re here, why not read about the importance of a healthy heart?
Main image credit: Unsplash
