Inflammation? Time To Probe Your Gut Health

Have you ever felt that your body is overreacting over a small cut or a minor infection by ringing all the warning bells? Well, that’s just the body’s way of defending you from anything harmful. Inflammation is one such arsenal in the defence armory, through which our body sends out signals to recruit the soldiers (our immune system!) to fight off any potential intruder and initiate the healing process. Inflammation is characterised by 5 cardinal signs:

• Rubor (redness)
• Tumor (swelling)
• Calor (heat)
• Dolor (pain)
• Functio laesa (loss of function)

However, important as it is, this defence mechanism can sometimes get derailed. For instance, in case of chronic inflammation, the immune system is activated without any threat and thus ends up attacking the host’s cells, creating havoc throughout the body. But you must be wondering, how is this related to the gut? As it so happens, our immune system and homeostasis are closely regulated by our gut microbiome. This balanced ecosystem of microbes is constantly at work, maintaining all aspects of our health. When this fine balance gets disrupted (known as dysbiosis), it can have life-altering implications. 

When pathogenic bacteria colonise the gut, they can feed on the intestinal lining, break down cellular barriers, and cross into the bloodstream. This internal damage is detected by the immune system, which alerts the rest of the army via, guess what? Inflammation! Harmful metabolites and endo/exotoxins produced by certain species of gut bacteria can also trigger inflammation, which can prove fatal without intervention. 

Now that we have successfully scared you (hopefully not), let us see how you can prevent this Halloween situation from happening in your body. Firstly, since everything eventually comes back to the gut, we should take utmost care to not disturb the microbial imbalance. How can we do that? By feeding them the right kind of food - healthy, balanced, unprocessed, free from nasty additives, fibre rich… you know what we mean. Additionally, maintaining an active lifestyle, managing stress, avoiding antibiotics, and taking pre, pro, and post-biotics can all contribute significantly to maintaining a healthy gut microbiome. 

And remember, a healthy gut = a healthy you!