From anxiety management to healthy digestion to increased energy, gut health is cited by some influencers and nutrition experts as a key factor in overall health. If you take care of your gut health, the rest will follow.
It’s tempting to assign responsibility for our overall well-being to one factor: if only our gut health were to get under control, then our acne and anxiety would disappear. But by overinvesting in trendy experiences and influencer-backed supplements, you may be ignoring the most straightforward and most impactful advice: simply eat well.
The State of The Stomach
Your gastrointestinal tract (GI) is filled with trillions of microorganisms, as is your large intestine. Microbiomes differ widely between people and can be influenced by diet, lifestyle, and other factors. They also influence our health right back: from our appetites to weight to mood.
Diet has a significant influence on the gut microbiome, with diets high in animal fat and protein but low in fiber linked to increased production of cancer-causing compounds and inflammation, and diets high in fiber and low in red meat linked to anti-inflammatory effects and improved immune function.
Dr. Marion Nestle, Paulette Goddard Professor of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health, Emerita, at New York University, explained to Worth that “the diet that is best for overall health is also best for gut health, and is so simple that Michael Pollan can summarize it in seven words: ‘Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.’”
She continued, “Food in this context means unprocessed or minimally processed.”
Prebiotics and probiotics have also been spotlighted in the zeitgeist for their impact on gut health, with both used in treatments for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, inflammatory bowel diseases. Still, the BBC reports that more research is needed before we can determine which strains and dosages are effective. Unlike prescription drugs, supplements are not subject to FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approval before hitting shelves, which can complicate the regulation of supplement-based prebiotics and probiotics. But prebiotics and probiotics can also be found in your diet.
Breaking Down ‘Biotics’
There are a few key terms to know when talking about gut health. Three commonly-confused but distinct terms are: probiotics, prebiotics, and postbiotics. Each plays a different role in your digestive cycle.
Probiotics: live microorganisms that are thought to restore your gut’s natural bacterial balance. Examples of foods containing probiotics: yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, miso, tempeh
Prebiotics: ingredients of food that your intestines can’t fully digest but might be used as nutrition by microorganisms such as probiotics. Examples of prebiotics: garlic, onions, soybeans, bananas
Postbiotics: the waste left behind after your body digests probiotics and prebiotics. Examples of healthy postbiotics: vitamin B, vitamin K, amino acids
The combination of these three components is what leads to a healthy digestive process. They form a cycle that nourishes and supports the gut microbiome, the collection of microorganisms and genetic material that live in your digestive system. The gut microbiome is unique to each person—research has shown that even identical twins have distinct microbiomes. One study, conducted by nutrition science startup Zoe, found that twins share just 34% of the same gut microbes.
Should You Trust Your Trendy “Gut Feeling”?
According to Google Trends, “gut health” has seen steady upward growth as a search query, with popularity first rising in late 2023. Some of the terms listed as related searches include queries about Emma and Rheal, two gut-health-targeted supplement brands.
TikTok yields similar results. Mentions of apple cider vinegar, lemon, turmeric, aloe vera, sauerkraut, raw vegetables, fiber, smoothies, green powder, vitamin powder, kombucha, protein, castor oil packs, lymphatic drainage massages, workouts, saunas, sleep times, and cooked vegetables are all included. There are descriptions of apps that can decode your gut health symptoms and supplements that will debloat your stomach.
In one video series, a popular nutrition creator described her experience at a five-day anti-inflammatory wellness retreat in Spain. Her schedule began at 6 a.m., and included the following: red light therapy; creatine powder, matcha, and almond milk; breakfast of vegetable frittata, avocado, and beet ginger juice; 10k hike; ph cellular hydration electrolytes, cold plunge swims; digest and debloat bitters; hot yoga; dandelion tea; raw almond butter cups; magnesium and GI fix supplements; and probiotics. She emphasized that the retreat focused not only on “detoxing” from external stress but also from internal stress to improve your health.
The travel site BookRetreats.com boasts over 2,000 detox retreats, hosted everywhere from Bali to Glastonbury. The sheer number of experiences makes it easy to doomscroll through searches like “gut health” or “wellness retreat”. However, the aesthetics of these experiences may primarily serve to attract customers rather than create lasting health effects. After all, it’s unsustainable for most people to commit to expensive wellness retreats—and much easier to build lasting healthy habits and consistent diets.
Younger Generations Spend on Wellness
Despite simple wellness advice from experts, the wellness market will continue to grow. According to McKinsey, the global wellness market is worth $2 trillion—and it is becoming increasingly important to consumers. The same McKinsey report estimates that the wellness space is growing at 4-5% each year and remains resilient despite macroeconomic volatility.
Younger generations, especially, seem to value wellness, with almost 30% of Gen Z and millennials reporting they prioritize it “a lot more” than they did the previous year. In comparison, just 23% of older generations claimed the same. But younger generations also report higher levels of burnout and worse overall health than older groups. Yes, they’re exposed to attractive wellness short-form content that aims to sell them something, but they may also have more room to genuinely improve their overall health.
Digesting the Scientific Truth
One recent study by MIT researchers found that the amino acid cysteine can help repair and regenerate the small intestine, leading to better digestive health. Cysteine occurs naturally in protein-rich foods like meat, dairy, legumes, and nuts. While the body can also produce cysteine, when it comes from your diet, cysteine is explicitly concentrated in your intestine. Another large-scale microbiome research project, The Microsetta Initiative, is drawing comparisons to decoding the Rosetta Stone.
As Dr. Nestle noted, “Microbiome research is still in its infancy, and not easy to study.” She explained that the microbiome contains “trillions of bacteria of a great many species in competition.”
Despite the enigma of the gut microbiome, based on what’s known, we can say this for sure: rather than paying for fancy fads and detox retreats, it might be more impactful for your health to eat more plants.
