There are more stomach issues than you can shake a stick at. More than 70 percent of your body’s immune cells are located in the digestive tract, which means a happy gut can help create a healthy you. Things like stress, anxiety and a high-fat, low-fiber diet can lead to a weak immune system, which lead to a very uncomfortable midsection.
“Stress can affect every part of the digestive system,” says Dr. Kenneth Koch, a professor and medical director of the Digestive Health Center at Wake Forrest University. “Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, the great German writer and philosopher, believed that the gut was the seat of all human emotions.”
Most of us are cognizant that stress can impact the entire body, and the stomach is no exception. It can bring about those all-too familiar knots in the stomach, heartburn, gas, ulcers, constipation, diarrhea and all other sorts of digestive ailments.
Stress is a normal psychological and physical reaction to the never-ending demands associated with modern life. Finding ways to cope with your own unique stress could be very helpful… to your mind and digestion.
Odds are also pretty good that an imbalance of beneficial bacteria could be a reason for your tummy troubles. Keeping the delicate balance of intestinal bacteria required to keep your gastrointestinal tract healthy, which in turn can help keep your whole body healthy, is of the utmost importance for anyone with digestive issues. Evidence shows that keeping a healthy gut comes down to consuming the necessary amount of probiotics, a type of “good” bacteria that helps with digestion, as well as prebiotics, a type of carbohydrate that act as food for probiotics. “Your digestive system appreciates a healthy, well-balanced diet,” says Dr. Koch.
Your tummy troubles could be a thing of the past if you learn to control your stress and make sure you’re getting all the “good” bacteria you need.