Keeping Your Gut in Check Healthy Options to Stay on Tract Your Digestive System Is Busy
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May 2017 National Institutes of Health • Department of Health and Human Services • newsinhealth.nih.gov Inside News: 3 Bronchitis vs. Pneumonia... 4 Eating Habits and Disease... Spanish Health Materials... Human Genome Keeping Your Gut in Check Healthy Options to Stay on Tract Your digestive system is busy. What you eat can help or When you eat something, your hurt your digestive system, and food takes a twisty trip that influence how you feel. “Increas- starts with being chewed up ing fiber is really important for and ends with you going to constipation,” says Chang. “Most the bathroom. A lot happens in Americans do not eat a lot of between. The health of your gut fiber so you have to gradually plays a key role in your overall increase the fiber in your diet. health and well-being. You can Otherwise you might get gas make choices to help your body and more bloating, and won’t stay on tract. stick with [the changes].” Your digestive, or Chang says you should eat at gastrointestinal (GI), tract is a least 20–30 grams of fiber a day long, muscular tube that runs for constipation. You can spread from your mouth to your anus. out your fiber in small amounts It’s about 30 feet long and throughout the day. Start with works with other parts of your small servings and gradually digestive system to break food increase them to avoid gas, and drink down into smaller bloating, and discomfort. molecules of nutrients. The Try to eat fruits and vege- blood absorbs these and carries them Chang, a GI expert at the University tables at every meal. A variety throughout the body for cells to use of California, Los Angeles. How your of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, for energy, growth, and repair. body’s built, your family and genetic and nuts can provide a healthy mix With such a long GI highway, history, how you manage stress, and of different fibers and nutrients to it’s common to run into bumps in what you eat can all affect your gut. your diet. An added benefit is that the road. About 60 to 70 million “I see a lot of lifestyle-related GI the more fiber and whole foods you Americans are affected by digestive issues, and there are often no quick eat, the less room you’ll have for less diseases, like gastroesophageal reflux fixes for that,” she says. “In general, healthy options. disease (GERD) or irritable bowel people do well when they create a But some fiber-rich foods, called syndrome (IBS). GERD happens when more routine schedule, eat a healthy high FODMAP foods, can be hard to your stomach acid and/or contents diet and smaller more frequent digest. Examples include certain fruits come back up into your esophagus meals, add in some exercise, and get and vegetables, dairy products, and (swallowing tube) or throat. This a good amount of sleep.” wheat and rye products. If you have causes uncomfortable symptoms Chang studies the connection IBS, your doctor may recommend a like heartburn and indigestion. IBS is between stress and IBS. Her research diet low in FODMAPS. a group of symptoms that includes group has found that people who continued on page 2 pain in the abdomen and changes have early life stress are more likely to in bowel habits. People with IBS develop IBS. “However, this increased may have constipation, diarrhea, or risk for IBS went down when people both. Many more people have other confided in someone they trust @ digestive problems, like bloating and about the stress they experienced,” Subscribe stomach pain. she explains. “Finding healthy ways “There are many factors that to manage stress is important for GI newsinhealth.nih.gov can impact gut health,” says Dr. Lin health, and your health overall.” 2 May 2017 newsinhealth.nih.gov/issue/May2017 continued from page 1 Researchers are coming to may influence our health in other understand the complex community ways too. Studies suggest that they Web Links of bacteria and other microbes that may play roles in obesity, type 2 live in the human GI tract. Called gut diabetes, IBS, and colon cancer. They For more about gut health, flora or microbiota, these microbes might also affect how the immune click the “Links” tab at: help with our digestion. But evidence system functions. This can affect newsinhealth.nih.gov/issue/May2017/Feature1 has been growing that gut microbes how your body fights illness and disease. Recent studies have found that microbes’ effects on the immune of IBS, but more needs to be learned. Wise Choices system may impact the development Researchers still don’t know which For Better Gut Health of conditions such as allergy, asthma, probiotics are helpful and which and rheumatoid arthritis. aren’t. They also don’t know how n Eat slower. Chew your food well You might have heard that much of the probiotics people would before swallowing. It may help probiotics—live microbes that are have to take or who would most you swallow less air and better similar to those found in the human likely benefit from them. sense when you’re full. gut—can improve your gut health. Certain food additives called n Enjoy smaller meals. Eat in These are also called “friendly emulsifiers are something else moderation to avoid overfilling bacteria” or “good bacteria.” Probiotics that may affect your gut health. your stomach and encourage are available in dietary supplements Emulsifiers are added to many digestion. A packed stomach and in certain foods, such as yogurt. processed foods to improve texture may also cause reflux, or your There is some evidence that and extend shelf life. But studies food to come back up. probiotics may be helpful in show they can affect our gut flora. “Our work and other research n Set a bedtime for your gut. Try preventing diarrhea associated with to limit how much you eat after antibiotics and improving symptoms indicate that emulsifiers and other dark. Your GI tract is most active food additives can negatively in the morning and daytime. impact the microbiota and promote Definitions inflammatory diseases,” says n Manage stress. Learn healthy Georgia State University’s Dr. Andrew ways to reduce stress like relax- Immune System Gewirtz. His group has been studying ation breathing, mindfulness, the relationships between food and exercise. Stress makes it The body’s defense against germs and foreign substances. additives, gut bacteria, and disease in harder to digest your food well. mice. The team also plans to examine n Create a routine. Try to eat Rheumatoid Arthritis how different food additives may around the same times each day. A disease in which your immune affect people. Your GI system may do best on a system starts attacking your joint Based on what his team and others schedule. tissues. have found, Gewirtz advises, “The n Consider probiotics. Talk with take home message: Eat a balanced Inflammatory Diseases diet and less processed foods.” your doctor about taking pro- Diseases that cause too much biotics (supplemental healthful “The GI system is complicated inflammation—a swelling and irritation bacteria). They may ease and such an important part of our constipation and IBS symptoms. that normally protects your body from health,” Chang says. “It takes a real infection and disease. partnership between patient and doctor to get to the root of issues. Everyone has to find a healthy NIH News in Health Editor Harrison Wein, Ph.D. ISSN 2375-6993 (Print) Managing Editor Tianna Hicklin, Ph.D. routine that works for them.” ISSN 1556-3898 (Online) She encourages you to take an Contributors Alan Defibaugh (illustrations), Geri active role in finding a doctor who Piazza, and Bonnie Tabasko. National Institutes of Health makes you feel comfortable. The right Office of Communications doctor will listen carefully to your & Public Liaison Attention Editors Reprint our articles and illustrations in your own Building 31, Room 5B52 publication. Our material is not copyrighted. Please acknowledge health history and symptoms. You Bethesda, MD 20892-2094 NIH News in Health as the source and send us a copy. can help keep your gut in check by [email protected] talking with your doctor and— Tel: 301-451-8224 For more health information from NIH, visit together—making the right n newsinhealth.nih.gov health.nih.gov choices for you. newsinhealth.nih.gov/issue/May2017 May 2017 3 Cough Culprits What’s the Difference Between Bronchitis and Pneumonia? Coughs help your body clear your of cases are caused by viruses, airways of irritants and prevent but most of them are bacterial infection. But a deep cough from related,” says Dr. Kenneth Olivier, your chest may signal bronchitis or a lung infection expert at NIH. pneumonia. Although they may have “They’re from bacteria that are different underlying causes, their quite common, like Streptococcus symptoms can be similar—and both pneumoniae, which is the leading can be serious enough to send you to cause of bacterial pneumonias in the doctor. all ages in the U.S.” Bronchitis and pneumonia both If you get a fever with involve inflammation in the chest. bronchitis, it is usually mild Both can cause coughs that bring up (below 101 degrees Fahrenheit). a slimy substance called phlegm to In more serious cases, you may help clear out germs and pus. And have chest pain, feel short of both can cause shortness of breath breath, or wheeze when you and wheezing. breathe in. Bronchitis is a condition in which “Pneumonia, on the other the bronchial tubes that lead to the hand, typically is associated lungs become inflamed. Viruses, with fever, sometimes very bacteria, and even toxins like tobacco high, spiking fever,” Olivier says.