Healthwhenyouhaveanimbalance?These
signspointtoa dysbiosisthathas the
potentialtomakeyousick.
YOURSTOMACHDOESN’TFEEL
RIGHTDiarrhoea,constipation,
bloating,nauseaandheartburn
areclassicsymptomsofproblems
withguthealth.“Gastrointestinal
discomfort– especiallyaftereating
carbohydrate-richmeals– canbe
theresultofpoordigestionand
absorptionofcarbohydrates,”Dreher
says.Reflux,inflammatorybowel
disease,irritablebowelsyndrome
andcolitishaveallbeenlinkedtoan
imbalanceinthemicrobiome.
YOUCRAVESWEETTHINGS
Cravingfood,especiallysweets
andsugar,canmeanyouhavean
imbalanceofgutbacteria.Although
unproven,someexpertsbelievethat
if there’sanovergrowthofyeastinthe
system,whichmighthappenaftera
courseortwoofantibioticswhereyou
wipeoutallthegoodbacteria,then
thatovergrowthofyeastcanactually
causeyoutocravemoresugar.
THESCALEISGOINGUPOR
DOWNCertaintypesofgutbacteria
cancauseeitherweightlossorweight
gain,especiallywhentheycolonise
inthesmallintestine,a condition
calledSIBO(shortforsmallintestine
bacterialovergrowth).Toomany
microbesinthesmallintestinescan
mess with gut health by interfering
withabsorptionofvitamins,minerals
andfat.“Ifyou’renotabletodigest
andabsorbfatnormally,youcan
actuallyseesomeweightloss,”Dreher
says.Othertypesofbacteriahave
beenlinkedtoweightgain.YOU’REANXIOUSORFEELING
BLUERoughly 80 to 90 percentof
serotonin,a neurotransmitterthat
affectsmood,socialbehaviour,
sleep,appetite,memory,andeven
libido,isproducedinthegut.When
lessserotoninisproduced,it can
negativelyimpactmood.“Gut
imbalancesofthemicrobiomecan
triggerdepressivesymptoms,”says
DrToddLePine,whospecialises in
internalmedicine.YOU’RENOTSLEEPINGWELL
Nothavingenoughserotonincan
leadtoboutsofinsomniaordifficulty
gettingtosleep,accordingtoDreher.HOWTOBUILDAHEALTHIER
GUTEatingrightisthefirststepin
improvingguthealth.Infact,the
typesoffoodsweeatcanchange
ourmicrobiomeinaslittleas
24 hours,accordingtoProfessorAli
Keshavarzian,whospecialisesin
digestivediseasesandnutrition.
Tofeedyourgoodbacteriaswapout
processedfoods,breadandpasta
forplants,fruit,seedsandnuts.And
consideraddingyoghurtordrinks
containingprobiotics,or healthy
bacteria, to your diet.21