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“You can change your gut microbiome within about a week just by altering your diet,” award-winning microbiome expert, author of Food for Life: The New Science of Eating Well, and co-founder of ZOE, Tim Spector, M.D., shares on this episode of the mindbodygreen podcast. There are trillions of bacteria residing in your gut, which are constantly evolving based on your inputs. Feed them what they crave, and the community will thrive—quickly.
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In my childhood home, an often-repeated phrase was “All disease begins in the gut.” My dad, a health nut, used this mantra to justify his insistence that our family eat rice-heavy meals, at the exact same time every day, to promote regularity and thus overall health. I would roll my eyes, dubious that his enthusiasm for this practice was anything more than fussiness.
Now, to my chagrin, his obsession has become mainstream. Social-media testimonials claim that improving your “gut health” not only helps with stomach issues such as bloating and pain but also leads to benefits beyond the gastrointestinal system (easing problems including, but not limited to, itching, puffy face, slow-growing hair, low energy, acne, weight gain, and anxiety). You can now find a staggering range of products claiming to support digestive health: Joining traditionally gut-friendly fermented foods such as yogurt and sauerkraut are “probiotic” or “prebiotic” teas, cookies, gummies, supplements, powders, and even sodas.
The reality is less straightforward. Maintaining the health of the gastrointestinal tract, like the health of any body part, is always a good idea. But expecting certain foods and products to overhaul gut health is unrealistic, as is believing that they will guarantee greater overall well-being. Those claims are “a little bit premature,” Karen Corbin, an investigator at the Translational Research Institute of Metabolism and Diabetes, told me. Obsessing over it just isn’t worth the trouble, and can even do more harm than good. “Gut health” cookies, after all, are still cookies.
In my dad’s defense, your gut does matter for your health. A massive microbial civilization lives mostly along the large intestine, helping the body get the most out of food. Broadly, a healthy gut is one where the different segments of this population—numerous species of bacteria, fungi, and viruses—live in harmony. An unhealthy one implies a disturbance of the peace: One group may grow too powerful, or an invading microbe may throw things off-balance, leading to problems including gastroenteritis and a compromised immune system.
Diet in particular has a profound impact on the gut—and how it subsequently makes you feel. “Food can have effects on the microbiome, which can then secondarily affect the host,” Purna Kashyap, a gastroenterologist at the Mayo Clinic, told me. The effects of food on a person and their microbes, he added, are generally congruent; fast food, for example, is “bad for both of us.” Neglect to feed your microbiome and the balance of microbes could tip into disarray, resulting in an imbalanced gut and corresponding bloating, stomach pain, and problems with bowel movements.
Fermented foods such as yogurt and kimchi, long considered good for digestive health, are known as “probiotics” because they contain live bacteria that take up residence in your gut. Other foods are considered “prebiotic” because they feed the microbes already in your gut—mostly fiber, because it isn’t digested in the stomach. Getting more fiber improves regularity and supports a more normal GI system, Corbin said.
But the fundamental problem with the gut-health obsession is that “there’s no clear definition of a healthy gut microbiome,” Corbin said. The makeup and balance of people’s microbiomes vary based on numerous factors, including genes, diet, environment, and even pets. This means that a treatment that works to rebalance one gut might not work for another. It also means that a product promoting a healthy gut doesn’t mean anything concrete. The idea that achieving gut health, however it’s defined, can solve stomach-related issues is misguided; many diseases can cause abdominal distress.
Less certain is how much gut health is responsible for benefits beyond the gastrointestinal tract. No doubt the microbiome is connected to other parts of the body; recent research has suggested that it has a role in weight gain, depression, and even cancer, supporting the idea that having a healthy gut could lead to other benefits. But the mechanisms underpinning them are largely unknown. Which microbes are involved? What are they doing? There are “a lot of tall claims based on animal studies that the microbiome influences diabetes or obesity or whatever,” and the translatability of those studies to humans is “really unlikely,” Daniel Freedberg, a gastroenterologist at Columbia University, told me. Until scientists can show definitively that microbe X leads to outcome Y, Corbin said, any relationships between the gut and overall health are “just correlations.”
None of this is to say that paying more attention to your digestive health is a bad idea. Especially for people diagnosed with gastrointestinal problems like IBS or Crohn’s disease, it can be essential. For everyone else, pursuing a healthy gut with food and supplements can be a nonspecific process with poorly defined goals. The food industry has capitalized on interest in probiotics and prebiotics—as well as lesser-known postbiotics and synbiotics—making products such as “insanely probiotic” yogurt, probiotic-fortified chocolate and spaghetti, and prebiotic sodas. Particularly with probiotics, the specifics are lacking. Which bacteria, and how many of them, actually make it past the stomach into the colon isn’t well understood. “A lot of probiotics are unlikely to contain viable bacteria, and probably very few of them are really making it through to the colon,” Freedberg said.
Prebiotics are generally more important, although the source matters. Prebiotic fiber is “one of the most important things that determines what bacteria are there,” Freedberg told me, but getting small amounts from fiber-fortified products isn’t going to make a huge difference. The soda brands Poppi and Olipop largely contain inulin, a type of fiber that’s common in food manufacturing for its slightly sweet taste, Freedberg explained, though it probably doesn’t contain a lot, otherwise it would become “sludgy.” Olipop contains about nine grams of fiber per can, roughly the same amount as one cup of cooked lima beans.
Of course, any product that is inherently unhealthy won’t magically become good for you the moment fiber or live bacteria are added to it. With desserts and salty snacks, no amount of fiber “is going to overcome the issue” that they are full of sugar or salt, Corbin said. Concerns about medium aside, though, gut-health products elicited a shrug from her: Buying foods containing additional prebiotic fiber is a “reasonable approach,” so long as they’re healthy to begin with. If probiotics make a patient feel “fantastic,” Freedberg said, “I’m not going to rock the boat.” Prebiotic and probiotic products may help to a degree, but don’t expect them to overhaul an unhealthy gut one soda at a time. All of the experts I spoke with said that people concerned about their gut health should eat a lot of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes, and cut out junk that won’t feed their microbiome. In other words, a basic healthy diet is more than enough to achieve good gut health.
My dad’s gut-health mantra was apparently borrowed from Hippocrates, suggesting that people have been obsessing over the digestive system for thousands of years with the belief that it is the key to overall health. The draw of this idea is its simplicity: Proposing that the body’s many ills can be collapsed into a single mega-ailment makes treatment seem refreshingly uncomplicated compared with the medical interventions needed to address individual problems. That the proposed treatments are easy and self-administrable—sipping fibrous soda, popping bacteria-packed pills—adds to the appeal.
But perhaps what is most compelling about the idea is that there is some truth to it. Lately, research on the microbiome has seen some promising advances. A large study published in 2022 showed significantly elevated levels of certain bacteria in people with depressive symptoms. Another study, co-authored by Corbin in 2023, was one of the first to show, in a human clinical trial, that a high-fiber diet shifts the microbiome in a way that could promote weight loss. This moment is especially confusing because we are finally beginning to understand the gut’s connections to the rest of the body, and how eating certain foods can soothe it. Much more is known about the gut than in the days of Hippocrates, but still far less than the gut influencers on social media would have you believe.
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Yasmin Tayag
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My healing journey wasn’t quick or simple, but I’m more in tune with my body than ever.
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One of the hallmarks of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is its unpredictability. Flares come and go, often with little rhyme or reason. Especially for people with moderate-to-severe IBD, most conventional forms of treatment—namely prescription drugs—are not enough to prevent flares or symptoms entirely.
In an effort to better control their IBD, many people with the condition turn to complementary and alternative treatments, also known as “CAM.” Definitions of CAM vary, but it usually includes herbal medicines or supplements, mind-body techniques like meditation, and Eastern medicine practices such as acupuncture. By some estimates, up to 60% of IBD patients have attempted to treat their condition with one or more of these CAM approaches. A broader definition of CAM could also include lifestyle adjustments revolving around sleep, stress, diet, or exercise—many of which have been embraced by gastroenterologists and other IBD clinicians.
While there was a time when most doctors would have discouraged CAM approaches to IBD, experts say that’s no longer the case. “People don’t necessarily tell their doctor because they feel it may not be welcome news, but I think many doctors are more open to it than people would think,” says Dr. Joshua Korzenik, an IBD specialist and gastroenterologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. He says IBD care providers understand their patients’ need to explore CAM treatments, and he doesn’t discourage them. “As much as the medicines we have are amazing, they have their risks and side-effects,” he says. “We all want to find something in the alternative realm that is effective with very little toxicity.”
Despite the huge interest in CAM treatments for IBD—among both patients and their care providers—a lot of these approaches have not been thoroughly studied. “For many of these alternative treatments, the data just aren’t there for or against them,” says Dr. Joseph Feuerstein, an IBD researcher and associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. “This is why a lot of doctors don’t bring these up with their patients,” he adds. “They’re not going to recommend something without sufficient evidence.” However, some CAM approaches are supported by solid research. Others appear to be at the very least safe, and may be worth a shot. “It’s important to bring these up with your doctor,” Feuerstein says. Many IBD specialists will have some familiarity with the latest CAM research, and they can help patients identify safe and evidence-supported options while avoiding those that may be risky—or just a waste of time and money.
Here, you’ll find a breakdown of the most popular or promising CAM treatments. From acupuncture to yoga, here’s what the latest science has to say.
Humans have used botanical medicines for thousands of years, and experts say there are multiple herbs and botanicals that have shown promise for the treatment of IBD. “Probably the best studied with the most good data is curcumin, which is found in turmeric root,” Korzenik says. Research has found that curcumin has potent anti-inflammatory effects, and that it can significantly reduce disease activity among people with IBD, particularly those with ulcerative colitis. “I’ve had a lot of patients use it and have success,” Korzenik says. Chamomile, Indian frankincense, and wheatgrass juice are some other botanical treatments that research has found to be safe and possibly beneficial among people with IBD. Exploring these (with a care provider’s supervision) may be worthwhile.
Cannabis is another plant that has undergone a lot of scientific scrutiny for the treatment of IBD. “Marijuana comes up a lot,” Feuerstein says. “Crohn’s is one of the conditions that can qualify a person for a medical cannabis card, though long-term safety and efficacy studies are lacking.” Some research comparing marijuana cigarettes containing THC (the psychoactive substance in cannabis) to a THC-free placebo found that smoking marijuana with THC led to significantly more symptom improvements. “Trials show improvement in symptoms and subjective disease severity, and anecdotally I can say patients tell me they feel better,” he says. “That said, the studies have shown consistently there is no improvement in healing or underlying inflammation.” In other words, cannabis seems to help manage IBD symptoms in some people, but it is not treating the underlying disease. (Due to the lack of safety data, Feuerstein says he does not specifically recommend this treatment to his patients.)
Probiotics and prebiotics are another hot area of interest, both among researchers and IBD patients. These are substances that may support the growth or spread of healthy gut bacteria. Probiotics are themselves packed with “good” bacteria, while prebiotics are foods or supplements that provide sustenance for healthy bacteria. “I think that, conceptually, probiotics and prebiotics make sense,” Feuerstein says. “The problem is that it’s not one-size-fits-all.” Each type of probiotic or prebiotic is different, and so each may act differently in a given person.
There’s now a mountain of research showing that the community of microorganisms that live in the human gut—often referred to as the gut microbiome—is critical to the health and functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. These microorganisms also help regulate inflammation and other aspects of immune functioning. However, experts today have only a very hazy grasp of what a healthy microbiome looks like, and using probiotics or prebiotics to alter the microbiome in ways that can treat IBD appears to be a highly individualized process—meaning what works for one person may not work for another.
Feuerstein also says that supplement quality control and consistency is a major issue. “You could buy a type of bacteria that studies have linked to benefits, but depending on the manufacturer, two products could be completely different,” he says. “These products aren’t regulated by the [U.S. Food and Drug Administration.]” It’s also not clear whether benefits people derive from these products are durable or curative. On the other hand, research suggests probiotics and prebiotics are relatively safe. “What I tell people is if you’re going to try something like this, talk with your doctor first and try it for at least three months,” Feuerstein says. He also recommends sticking with one product to improve the odds that what you’re giving your gut is consistent. “Changing your microbiome takes a commitment, so you have to give it time to work,” he adds.
Read More: 6 Myths About IBD, Debunked
Not long ago, Western medicine tended to treat the mind and body as separate. Diseases of the gut were thought to have little to do with the state or health of a person’s mind. But thanks in part to work on the connection between psychological stress and physical illness, medical science now has a greater appreciation of the interrelationship between mental and physical health. There’s good evidence that psychotherapy and other forms of mental health treatment can help people with IBD. Likewise, many clinicians now recommend therapeutic mind-body practices for these conditions.
“Stress seems to play a huge role in IBD,” Feuerstein says. Stress can contribute to inflammation and microbiome disturbance, research shows, and periods of high stress can trigger IBD flares. “We encourage approaches that can help people control stress.”
Research has found that many popular mind-body techniques for stress reduction—namely mindfulness practices (including mindfulness-based stress reduction), yoga, tai chi, and breath work—are all associated with quality-of-life improvements among people with IBD. “One yoga class of 90 minutes per week has a significant impact on the course of the disease, as well as on symptoms,” says Dr. Jost Langhorst, professor and chair of integrative gastroenterology at the University of Duisburg-Essen in Germany.
Acupuncture also has a fair amount of research supporting both its safety and efficacy among people with IBD. “It’s something we use, and we know it’s something we can add on top of conventional medicine to help people improve their quality of life and control their symptoms,” Langhorst says.
At Langhorst’s clinic, he and his colleagues prioritize a “multimodal” approach to IBD care. That means they attempt to treat IBD with a range of therapies that target not just the gut, but also the patient’s overall health and well-being. “These are conditions that can be influenced by a lot of lifestyle factors,” he says. “We know that strengthening a person’s overall health makes a big difference.”
To that end, he says that improving a patient’s diet and exercise habits is something he and his team often prioritize. “Diet is of enormous importance,” he says. “We know things like ultra-processed foods or high portions of red meat, sugar, or alcohol contribute to a higher burden of disease.” However, offering very precise dietary advice can be tricky. Most dietary guidelines for people with IBD recommend “limiting” the items Langhorst mentioned, but they stop short of offering more specific recommendations because the truth is this is going to vary from person to person. “We tell everyone to avoid artificial sweeteners as they can cause diarrhea, but in general it’s hard for us to identify diets or food that are triggering a person’s flares,” says Harvard’s Feuerstein. “Until we know more, it’s probably best to eat a healthy balanced diet versus any specific fad diet.”
Exercise comes in for many of the same hedges and caveats. Every expert recognizes its benefits, but offering very specific recommendations is tough based on the existing research. A 2019 research review in the journal BMC Gastroenterology summed up the state of the science quite well: “Exercise interventions in IBD patients can be assumed to be safe and beneficial for the patients‘ overall-health, and IBD specific physical and psychosocial symptoms. But there is still a high demand for more thoroughly conducted studies.”
Read More: IBD Patients on the Most Effective Ways Doctors Can Treat Their Condition
There are many treatment options that fall into the CAM bucket. While all of the remedies mentioned above are supported by research, there are plenty more that could ultimately prove to be beneficial—or bogus. How is a person with IBD supposed to navigate this space? Experts say that asking for your care provider’s help is the best approach. Not only can your care team help you identify safe and potentially helpful complementary treatments, but they can also steer you away from things that may be dangerous.
“Everyone in my field is getting away from this picture of IBD where you come in, you take your medications, and that’s it,” Korzenik says. “We’re all looking at the broader context of the disease and the effects of reducing stress, getting more sleep, getting more exercise, etcetera.”
Finally, experts stress that if you’re going to attempt complementary treatments, they should truly be complementary. In other words, don’t abandon the medications or other treatments your IBD care team has prescribed. “For people who want to do something more for themselves, in addition to the standard medical therapies, I think conceptually a lot of CAM make sense and are worth exploring,” Feuerstein says. “Just be sure to bring them up with your doctor.”
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Markham Heid
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As much as us coffee lovers may not want to accept it, the rumors are true: That midday cup can affect your hormone balance. This is why some experts recommend subbing the caffeine for other blood-sugar-balancing foods. But let’s be real—not everyone can cut out afternoon caffeine right away. That’s why we’ve offered the perfect middle ground to help you limit your caffeine intake, if that’s of interest to you; plus, it adds a healthy glow to your skin and promotes gut health, while you’re at it.*
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It is currently buzzing in the wellness community, but gut health isn’t just a trending topic but an important aspect of health. “It impacts everything from obesity to cancer rates, says Dr. Aditya Sreenivasan, a gastroenterologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York.
Cannabis has been proven to have medical benefits for a variety of things including cancer treatment, nausea, inflammation and more, but what about marijuana and gut health?
RELATED: Treating Multiple Sclerosis With Marijuana
Gut health refers to the well-being of the digestive system, which is responsible for breaking down food, absorbing nutrients and eliminating waste from the body. It is home to trillions of microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses and fungi, collectively known as the gut microbiome.
The short answer is, there is not enough research to determine there are benefits regarding marijuana gut health.
A review of 20 studies published in the Journal of Clinical Gastroenteroloy in. 2021 concluded that while the use of cannabinoids in people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) was not effective at inducing remission, it was associated with patient-reported symptom improvement, including decreased abdominal pain, diarrhea, and nausea.
It is key not to overdue any thing such as cannabis or alcohol for your gut health. Key ways to be preventative include
These four things can go a long way on how your body (and stomach) function. The importance of our digestive system to overall health is a topic of increasing research in the medical community. Research is showing us gut microbiome affects must organs in our body.
RELATED: 8 Ways to Enjoy Marijuana Without Smoking It
There isn’t enough research around marijuana and gut with several hurdles exist on studying the effects of cannabis on the gut. An example, cannabis can come in so many different formulations and strains. When patients are using cannabis, one patient may be using a different strain from the patient next door.
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Sarah Johns
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For those who gravitate toward sweet breakfasts, finding a fiber- and veggie-filled option isn’t easy. But this smoothie does it all.
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“Ultra-processed foods are also nutrient-poor, meaning they lack essential vitamins, minerals, and other beneficial compounds,” Harvard-trained, board-certified internal medicine physician Anant Vinjamoori, M.D., chief medical officer at Modern Age, tells mindbodygreen about the food category. “Consistently consuming these foods can lead to nutritional deficiencies and inflammation, which can shorten one’s life span and lead to obesity and a variety of diseases.” And, for the purposes of this article, compromise skin health.
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Bloating—we’ve all been there, but with Pardee’s tips, we don’t have to succumb to the discomfort. By being intentional with your meals, sipping on water throughout the day as opposed to chugging while you eat, and skipping sparkling water (for now), you’ll find your digestion in a much better place. Get yourself a stellar probiotic while you’re at it, and you should be all set!
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Psychiatrist and Nutritional Expert
Dr. Uma Naidoo is a Harvard-trained nutritional psychiatrist, nutritional biologist, professional chef, and author of the upcoming title, “Calm Your Mind With Food,” which is now available for preorder, as well as the international bestseller, “This Is Your Brain on Food (An Indispensible Guide to the Surprising Foods that Fight Depression, Anxiety, PTSD, OCD, ADHD, and More).” She is currently the Founder and Director of Nutritional and Lifestyle Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), the first US clinic of its kind where she consults on nutritional interventions for the psychiatrically and medically ill.
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Michelle Pickens’ symptoms escalated in college. At the time, she was throwing up at least once a day, and experiencing frequent nausea, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and constipation. Juggling classes with work at a design studio became an extreme exercise in perseverance. She knew in her gut that something was wrong.
Yet three different doctors “wrote it off as stress,” says Pickens, now 32, who lives in Annapolis, Md. Lab work and procedures to see inside her gastrointestinal tract showed nothing abnormal. “No one wanted to dig deeper,” she recalls. In a final act of desperation, Pickens saw yet another doctor, and this one gave her a different kind of test: a pill-sized camera to swallow. It revealed an angry area of inflammation deep within her bowel—a “blind spot” that the colonoscopy and endoscopy hadn’t reached. It was Crohn’s disease.
Crohn’s is one of two types of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), a chronic condition that causes the intestinal tract to become swollen and sometimes painful. Crohn’s affects the entire digestive channel from mouth to anus, while ulcerative colitis (UC) impacts the colon, sometimes creating sores along the lining of the large intestine.
“The underlying reasons for IBD are still under investigation,” says Dr. Florian Rieder, vice chair of the department of gastroenterology, hepatology, and nutrition, and co-director of the inflammatory bowel disease section at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. It’s clear that certain people are more vulnerable to IBD, due to some combination of genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors. Whatever the catalyst, IBD arises when the immune system uses its trademark weapon—inflammation—to attack healthy gut tissue as if responding to infection or injury.
Approximately 1 in every 100 Americans is living with the disease, according to recent prevalence data published in the journal Gastroenterology. Diagnosing IBD and treating it promptly is critically important, as it can have serious, potentially life-threatening health complications, says Dr. Jordan Axelrad, director of research for the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center at NYU Langone Health in New York City.
But as Pickens knows all too well, IBD can fly under the radar. Clouding the picture are abundant myths and misconceptions, which at best create confusion—and at worst, cause harm. Here are six that doctors and patients would like everyone to digest.
Fact: While their acronyms are nearly identical and their symptoms can overlap, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel disease are hardly carbon-copy conditions.
Understanding which one is at play is essential. That’s true not just for peace of mind, but because the treatments—and potential health consequences—are different.
Over time, IBD’s hallmark trait of inflammation can damage the body, even setting the stage for certain cancers, particularly of the colon, experts say.
IBS, meanwhile, doesn’t cause inflammation or raise the risk of cancer. Unlike IBD, it is not a disease but a constellation of symptoms that can absolutely be debilitating but without causing bodily harm.
In short: “IBD causes tissue damage. IBS does not,” Rieder says.
And how’s this for a gut punch? People can have both conditions at the same time—some 30% to 50% of IBD patients may also develop IBS, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Fact: It can impact the joints, bones, kidneys, liver, eyes, and skin (picture: ulcers or red nodules), for example. These beyond-the-gut issues happen in about one-third to half of patients with IBD, Rieder says.
Sometimes, they’re “the first clue” of an impending IBD diagnosis, according to a Harvard Medical School publication. In existing patients, they may signal “the need for treatment review and adjustment” to better control the disease and its health complications.
“When I first tell people I have Crohn’s, they say, ‘Oh, it’s the poop disease,’” Pickens says. “Yeah, it involves the digestive system, but it’s so much more than that.”
Read More: IBD Patients on the Most Effective Ways Doctors Can Treat Their Condition
Fact: “This is a huge misconception,” Axelrad says. “I hear this very often—if not from patients, then from their family members.”
The internet is full of claims that special diets are the antidote to IBD, he says. “This has been studied and unfortunately, no specific diet has been shown to cure IBD, and very few dietary interventions have been shown to reduce inflammation in IBD.” Similarly, there is no definitive proof that specific foods cause IBD and its inflammatory response, adds Axelrad, who is also a spokesperson for the American Gastroenterological Association.
Of course, everyone knows that eating certain foods can trigger GI symptoms. “If we eat a giant kale salad, we might feel bloated after,” he points out. “But it’s not because we’ve made our gut more inflamed.”
For people with IBD, reaching for those foods may worsen symptoms. That’s why Axelrad often recommends trying IBS-friendly eating patterns designed to ease gas, bloating, abdominal pain, and other GI issues. “That can just make patients feel a lot better, even if it’s doing nothing to reduce their underlying inflammation.”
Fact: People are most often diagnosed between ages 15 to 40, but the disease can affect anyone, Rieder explains. “There are thousands of children around the world with inflammatory bowel disease.”
Take it from Sneha Dave. The 25-year-old from Indianapolis was 6 when she developed ulcerative colitis. “I’ve lived with it my whole life,” says Dave, founder of Generation Patient, an advocacy organization for young adults living with chronic conditions. As part of this work, she runs a fellowship for young people with IBD in the U.S. and all over the globe, including in countries like India and Ethiopia.
“I had very early onset IBD, which tends to be a lot more aggressive and severe,” she says. Extremely ill for much of her childhood, she was in and out of the hospital. By high school, she weighed just 60 pounds, prompting surgery to remove her diseased colon and rectum.
She now lives with a J-pouch—essentially a makeshift bowel surgeons created using her small intestine, restoring continence and bowel function. She still requires medication to manage her underlying disease and flare-ups, which is an excellent segue to the next point of confusion.
Fact: For certain patients with IBD, surgery is an essential and sometimes lifesaving treatment. It may curb debilitating symptoms when medications don’t work or lose their edge. Make living manageable. Prevent death. (Over time, IBD-related inflammation can create medical emergencies—a swollen-shut intestine, say, or hole in the colon wall.)
But the story doesn’t end when damaged organs are removed. “Some patients may feel that cutting it out cures you,” Rieder says. “That’s certainly not the case.”
After surgery, Crohn’s “invariably comes back,” and more than half of people with ulcerative colitis will see their inflammation return, at least temporarily, despite having a new bowel fashioned from healthy tissue, Rieder explains.
Because of this, Crohn’s patients who undergo surgery are typically put on preventive medications to keep IBD at bay, while people with ulcerative colitis generally start medication when their symptoms return post-operatively.
To learn that drug therapy may be a lifelong reality after surgery? “It’s disappointing,” Dave says, especially because many of these medications are no cakewalk. “Surgery is an amazing option for many patients, but it’s important to know the full story early on.”
A major goal of IBD treatment is to achieve remission. That means “healing up the gut”—i.e., getting the affected areas to look as normal and uninflamed as possible on tests—and helping patients feel better, Axelrad says.
Treatments for IBD typically range from medication to surgery, often in combination. Both paths are used to help quell symptoms and curb internal damage.
One big medication category includes biologics, usually in the form of monoclonal antibodies, which are lab-made immune system proteins designed to target and tamp down that erroneous attack on healthy tissue. These are usually given via in-the-vein infusions or injections, Rieder says.
The other large category includes small molecules, “chemical structures” taken in pill form to control the immune system, Rieder says. There are other drug options, too, from antibiotics to steroids, depending on a patient’s disease type, risk factors, and needs.
As with any medication, these drugs aren’t without side effects. Some may create an opening for infections by dampening immunity. Some may raise cancer risk. Some come with nausea or skin rashes, for example.
This helps explain why many patients who need IBD surgery aren’t pleased to learn that IV infusions every few weeks or daily pills may remain fixtures in their lives, Rieder says: “It’s a fact that’s not easy to take.”
“Overall, the medications that we use are safe,” he adds. “They have been extensively tested, and the effect of the drugs outweighs the risk for side effects.”
As Axelrad puts it, “These medications are there to give patients back their lives.”
Read More: How to Maintain Your Social Life When You Have IBD
Fact: The notion that IBD is a one-way ticket to lifelong suffering from which there is no relief comes up a lot, Axelrad says. His response is simple: “There are really a lot of options from a therapeutic standpoint to improve patients’ quality of life, reduce inflammation, and reduce complications,” he says. And he should know, not only as a physician in the field but as someone who also lives with Crohn’s.
Today, Dave describes living a very normal life. “I’ve gotten to climb mountains,” she says. She frequently travels around the country and world as part of her Generation Patient advocacy work.
Pickens, who now has two young kids, is also content with her journey. So far, she hasn’t needed surgery. Trial and error with several medications finally led her to a biologic that she says is working. Although she isn’t symptom-free and needs IV infusions every six to eight weeks—a two-and-a-half-hour process each time—she says it’s worth it. “I finally got a clear colonoscopy, which is really exciting.”
Pickens is “sharing the realness” of her IBD journey on social media and other platforms under the moniker Crohnically Blonde. A patient influencer with the American Gastroenterological Association, she says being someone others can “vent back and forth with” and making people feel less alone gives her purpose.
She isn’t shy about describing the time she barfed in secret on a first date with her now-husband, a nurse who didn’t make her feel judged or “like it was gross or embarrassing” when she was in the hospital “going through all these bowel movement things,” early in their relationship. Therapy helps her cope with the emotional toll of the disease. “There are a lot of negative ways that IBD has impacted my life,” Pickens says. “But it has impacted me positively, too.”
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Lindsay Lyon
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If you’re seeking better digestion, abdominal comfort, and regularity—look no further than a probiotic. But not all probiotics are created equal—you’ll want one with meaningful levels of clinically studied probiotic strains and limited extra ingredients. That’s where mindbodygreen’s own probiotic+ comes in.
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Researchers at UCL have discovered that hunger hormones produced in the gut can directly influence the decision-making areas of the brain, thus affecting an animal’s behavior. This study, conducted on mice and published in Neuron, is groundbreaking in demonstrating the direct impact of gut hormones on the brain’s hippocampus, a region crucial for decision-making.
A recent study from University College London (UCL) has unveiled a fascinating insight into how our gut directly communicates with our brain, especially when it comes to food-related decisions.
During the study, scientists observed the behavior of mice in an environment with food, analyzing their actions when hungry and full. They focused on the neural activity in the ventral hippocampus, a part of the brain associated with decision-making and memory. What they found was remarkable: activity in this brain region increased as animals approached food, but this was only the case when they were full. The activity inhibited them from eating.
Conversely, in hungry mice, there was less activity in this area, allowing the hippocampus to stop inhibiting eating behavior. This change in brain activity correlated with elevated levels of the hunger hormone ghrelin in the bloodstream. The researchers further manipulated this process by either activating these ventral hippocampal neurons or removing ghrelin receptors from them, resulting in altered eating behaviors in the mice.
The study sheds light on the role of ghrelin receptors in the brain, demonstrating how the hunger hormone can cross the blood-brain barrier and influence brain activity. This discovery is significant as it shows that ghrelin directly impacts the brain to control a circuit that inhibits overeating. This mechanism, which likely exists in humans as well, ensures that the body maintains a balance in food intake.
Continuing their research, the UCL team is now exploring whether hunger can affect learning or memory. This line of investigation could reveal if mice perform tasks differently based on their hunger levels. Such research could have broad implications, potentially illuminating mechanisms involved in eating disorders or the relationship between diet and mental health risks.
This groundbreaking discovery opens new avenues for research into eating disorders and the prevention and treatment of such conditions. By understanding how the gut’s signals are translated into decisions in the brain, scientists might uncover new strategies to address imbalances in these mechanisms. The study’s lead author, Dr. Ryan Wee, emphasized the importance of decision-making based on hunger levels, highlighting the serious health problems that can arise when this process is disrupted.
The UCL study highlights the complex interplay between the gut and the brain, underscoring how our bodies’ internal signals can profoundly influence our behavior and decisions. As research in this field continues to evolve, it could lead to significant advancements in understanding and treating various health conditions linked to our eating behaviors and mental health.
Source: “Hunger hormones impact decision-making brain area to drive behavior” — ScienceDaily
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WTF
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Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a common gastrointestinal disorder that affects the small and large intestines, causing a variety of uncomfortable symptoms such as abdominal pain, bloating, and irregular bowel habits. While there is no definitive cure for IBS, several natural approaches can help prevent its onset or minimize the severity of symptoms.
It’s worth calling out that IBS seems to be more prevalent in women. The fluctuation of hormonal levels, especially during menstruation, menopause, and pregnancy, can significantly impact IBS symptoms. So, one of the first things I recommend to women looking to manage their IBS symptoms is to track how they change throughout the menstrual cycle. Some women experience worse symptoms during their periods—so managing stress, maintaining a balanced diet, and staying hydrated (especially before and during menses) can help alleviate symptoms during this time. Your digestive capacity may also become more limited or variable during your period, so it’s important to focus on eating nutrient-dense, easily digestible foods.
Women may also experience changes in their digestive health and gut microbiome once they reach menopause. Consuming phytoestrogen-rich foods like soy, flaxseeds, and legumes can help mitigate these hormone-related symptoms.
Beyond monitoring gut health during these times of hormonal fluctuation, here are other ways I recommend preventing and managing IBS through dietary changes, lifestyle modifications, and stress management.
Research has shown that individuals with IBS often have an altered gut microbiota composition, with an imbalance in the ratio of beneficial and harmful bacteria. This dysbiosis can lead to gut inflammation, increased gut permeability, and heightened sensitivity in the intestines—all of which are associated with IBS symptoms.
Probiotics work by restoring the balance of the gut microbiota and creating a favorable environment for the growth of beneficial bacteria. Eating probiotic-rich foods like yogurt, kefir, and fermented vegetables can help you maintain a healthy gut microbiome, potentially reducing your risk of IBS development.
For those already experiencing IBS symptoms, probiotics can also be an essential part of a comprehensive treatment plan. However, it’s important to consult with a healthcare professional to determine the most suitable probiotic product and species for your specific symptoms and needs.
Here are some specific probiotic species that have demonstrated promise in IBS prevention and treatment:
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Christine Tara Peterson, PhD, RYT
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It is becoming the rage to learn more about our gut health. The breaks down the foods you eat and absorbs nutrients which support your body’s functions. The medical community is starting to recongize its imporanta ce and increase research. Data indicates the gut microbiome can affect every organ in the body.
From probiotics to diets specifically for health issues, more attention is being paid to the stomach (and its contents) than ever before. And CBD is starting to get attention for its benefits in gut health.
Dr. Aimée Gould Shunney, a naturopathic physician believes in the power of a good gut bacteria and thinks CBD offers benefits not yet completely understood. During a recent interview she shared, “CBD is an immune modulator and a potent anti-inflammatory agent. In addition, it helps to balance the ECS (endo-cannabinoid system), and therefore has tremendous potential to positively impact a variety of digestive complaints.”
RELATED: Cannabis And Gut Health: Does It Boost Your Gut Bacteria?
Taking it one step further, Dr. Shunney demonstrated the link between stress, anxiety and the body’s digestive system, citing, “stress exacerbates our gut, and managing stress is crucial to keeping symptoms at bay. CBD has been shown to promote stress resilience and decrease anxiety, adding to its powerful role in gut function.”
Studies back up Dr. Shunney’s claims, including 2017 research by the U.S. National Library of Medicine looking into the often misunderstood condition of inflammatory bowel disease and the potential of cannabinoids. The study found cannabinoids held promise in fighting bowel diseases (such as IBS and Crohn’s,) and more research is needed.
Another study from the Netherlands reported tdrugs once marked safe could pose a risk to the microbiomes in the gut, eliminating good bacterial and posing the potential to allow for infections and obesity to occur.
Lead researcher Arnau Vich Vila shared, “We already know the efficiency and the toxicity of certain drugs are influenced by the bacterial composition of the gastrointestinal tract, and tgut microbiota has been related to multiple health conditions.” Vich Vila continued, “Our work highlights the importance of considering the role of the gut microbiota when designing treatments and also points to new hypotheses which could explain certain side effects associated with medication use.”
RELATED: How Effective Is Marijuana In Treating IBS?
In fact, the study published in October and presented at UGE Week in Spain, found over half of commonly-used drugs affected the gut and posed a risk. The list of drugs posing the greatest risk included:
(See a full list of the study’s results here.)
With gut health often dictating the wellness of the human body as a whole, there’s an interesting discussion to be had if cannabis or CBD oil could help the body from the effects of other medicines. While more research is needed to understand the role of cannabinoids on the body and its effects on specific medicines, it’s something to certainly talk to your care team about.
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Kate-Madonna Hindes
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