Gut Health Supplements & Maintaining A Healthy Gut

Feb 19, 2023

A healthy gut is typically a good indicator of your overall health. But what do people mean by ‘gut’ health? What does it entail, and how can you maintain good gut health? Your gut refers to the digestive tract—your intestine and stomach—but is also often a reference to your belly or abdomen area. This is where food is broken down, and nutrients are absorbed. Inside your gut are good bacteria that are vital to digestion.

Some people use gut health supplements to maintain a healthy digestive system. These supplements can help your body process food and absorb nutrients better. If you want to help fortify your gut and improve your digestion, continue reading to find the best gut health supplements.

What Is the Gut Microbiome?

There are roughly 40 trillion microorganisms living in your intestinal tract and other parts of your body. These microorganisms are bacteria, fungi, viruses, and more that collectively make up your gut microbiome. Some of them are good for your body, helping you digest food and absorb nutrients. Others can harm you and lead to disease.

Although everyone has trillions of microorganisms living in their gut, not every gut microbiome is made up of the same type. Some people may have a certain type or different amount of bacteria. That means each person has a unique gut microbiome.

The Role of Gut Microbiome in Overall Health

There are over a thousand different types of microorganisms in your gut that all play an important role in your overall health. They assist in breaking down the food so nutrients can be absorbed easily. But they can also aid your metabolism, help control body weight, and immune regulation. They can even affect your brain function and mood.

Body Weight

Some people may have an imbalance of bad microbes in their gut microbiome, which can lead to disease or weight gain, known as gut dysbiosis. Studies have shown how microbiome dysbiosis contributes to weight gain by examining a set of identical twins. One was overweight, the other lean, which shows how the microbiome is not genetic and can differ greatly among individuals, despite being genetically similar.

Heart Health

Studies have shown that the gut microbiome can affect your heart health. One study conducted on 1,5000 participants found that the gut microbiome helped promote ‘good’ HDL cholesterol and triglycerides. However, unhealthy microbes in the gut microbiome can produce trimethylamine N-oxide, which puts you at risk for heart disease.

Gut Health

Have you felt bloated, cramping, or other forms of discomfort coming from your gut? There's a good chance you’re experiencing gut dysbiosis. This will cause the microbes living in your gut to produce an abundance of gasses and other chemicals that cause discomfort. However, your gut also contains good microbes that help improve your health. Microbes like Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli can help prevent these symptoms by sealing the gap between intestinal cells.

Factors That Can Negatively Impact Gut Microbiome

Diet

Do you only eat some foods and skip out on a lot of others? A diet that lacks food diversity—especially whole foods—will negatively impact the gut microbiome. The microbes living in your gut need a diverse set of nutrients to grow and flourish.

Medication

Some medications—particularly antibiotics—can cause a decline in healthy gut microbes like Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli and increase unhealthy microbes like Clostridium. Antibiotics can have long-term effects on your gut microbiome as well. After finishing a round of antibiotics, it can take several weeks for microbes to return. When they do, they’re not typically at the same amount as before.

Lack of Exercise

Yes, your physical fitness is linked to your gut health. As you know, staying physically fit can help with weight loss and stress and reduce disease risk. But regular exercise can also improve your gut health. One study showed that professional rugby players had a more diverse set of gut microbes and double the number of bacterial families compared to a control group that matched their body size, age, and gender.

Types of Gut Health Supplements

Probiotics

Have you seen probiotics on food or supplement labels but don’t know what it means? Probiotics consist of good live bacteria and yeast. If your body has too many bad bacteria from an infection, then your system won’t be balanced. A probiotic can help eliminate the bad bacteria and balance things out.

Not all probiotics are the same, nor do they serve the same purpose. Some strains can support your immune system, while others may promote a healthy hormone balance. The type of strain you should take will depend on what health benefit you want. That’s why you need to check supplement labels for information like genus, species, and stain to maximize the benefits for you.

Types of Probiotic

Bifidobacteria—Found in some dairy products, this probiotic can help ease symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome and other conditions.
Lactobacillus—Found in yogurts and some fermented foods, this probiotic can help prevent diarrhea and help people who have trouble digesting lactose.
Saccharomyces boulardii—This is a yeast found in probiotics that may help fight digestive issues.

Prebiotics

Prebiotics are compounds derived from nondigestible carbohydrates that act as a fuel source for microbes in your gut. Microorganisms break down and ferment the prebiotics to survive. The process produces several beneficial byproducts for your gut health.

The breakdown of prebiotics creates various short-chain fatty acids, which can provide your colon cells with energy, aid in mucus production, and help with inflammation and immunity. Prebiotics can also help produce good bacteria and reduce the number of harmful bacteria in your body.

Types of Prebiotics

Fructans—this type of prebiotic includes inulin and fructooligosaccharides, and it can help promote several species of bacteria.
Galacto-oligosaccharides—this type of prebiotic significantly stimulates bifidobacteria and lactobacilli, and Enterobacteria. It can also have some impact on bacteroidetes and firmicutes.
Hemicellulose-derived oligosaccharides—this type derives from hemicellulosic macromolecules like arabinoxylans, which have been shown to produce a strong prebiotic activity.
Starch and glucose-derived oligosaccharides—This type can stimulate the production of butyrate, a short-chain fatty acid.

Digestive Enzymes

Digestive enzymes are created in your stomach, small intestine, and pancreas. They are proteins that your body produces naturally to break down food and support digestion. The saliva in your mouth contains enzymes that start breaking down food as soon as you start chewing.

Digestive enzymes help your body break down carbs, fats, and proteins so that your body can absorb their nutrients. Without enzymes, your vital nutrients would go to waste.

Types of Digestive Enzymes

Amylase—these are made in your mouth and pancreas, and they break down complex carbs.
Lipase—these are made in the pancreas and break down fats.
Protease—these are made in the pancreas and break down proteins.
Lactase–these are made in the small intestine and break down lactose.
Sucrase—these are made in the small intestine and break down sucrose.

How to Choose the Right Gut Health Supplement

Just like with buying any supplement, there are several factors to consider when trying to improve your gut health. You need to look at the quality and purity of the supplement before ingesting it. Some supplements do not use the best ingredients, nor are they made as pure as possible. Fillers can affect the effectiveness of a supplement and not give you the desired effects.

Dosage

You’ll also need to pay attention to dosage. Let’s say you are looking for a probiotic. On the label, there should be a place that indicates the product’s colony–forming units (CFU). This denotes the number of bacterial cells you’ll ingest per dose. A good CFU is at least 1 billion, and it should contain the genus Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Bacillus, or Saccharomyces boulardii.

Your Specific Needs

Do you have specific goals for improving your gut health? This could mean having improved digestion, reducing inflammation, or supporting your overall health. Not every gut supplement will do the same thing for your body. You must consider what you want to improve to know which type of gut health supplement to choose.

Improve Your Gut Health With Supplements from Nutrition Faktory

A healthy you starts with a healthy gut. When your digestive system contains enough good bacteria, you’ll experience several health benefits ranging from elevated mood to reduction in inflammation and curbing the risk of heart disease. Good gut health can help you feel more energized and ready to tackle the day. But keeping your gut healthy can be a challenge. That’s why some people rely on digestive supplements to keep a healthy balance of good bacteria. Supplements can help your body break down food and absorb the nutrients it needs to stay in good shape.

Want to stay proactive about your gut health? Don’t bother shopping around. Trust your gut—get supplements from a reputable source like Nutrition Faktory. We have an extensive selection of gut health supplements, including:

Didn’t see the one you’re looking for? Check our extensive selection of gut health supplements.

Matt Berger