Inflammation and Gut Health: Is There a Connection?
You’ve probably heard about “inflammation,” but have you ever thought about how inflammation affects your gut health? There are trillions of microbes, including bacteria, fungi, viruses, and their genes, that live inside your gut. Together all these microbes make up your gut microbiome.
The friendly microbes help you digest foods, make vitamins, and protect you from the not-so-friendly microbes. There are more microbes inside your gut than all of your human cells. That’s right, you are more than half microbe, so let’s see how inflammation impacts this invisible army called your gut microbiome.
In this article, I will define acute vs. chronic inflammation. We will then look at how gut inflammation can manifest. Finally, I will highlight strategies that reduce chronic inflammation and ultimately improve your gut health.
Acute vs. Chronic Inflammation
Inflammation is your body’s way of protecting and healing itself. There are two types of inflammation: acute and chronic.
Acute inflammation is short-lived. You may recall having a cut, sprain, or sore throat. The area feels painful and hot and looks red and swollen. These are classic signs of acute inflammation. Inflammation is a natural and essential process that your body uses to defend itself from infections and heal injured cells and tissues. This is a good thing!
Sometimes it’s possible to have too much of a good thing. When inflammation hangs around for weeks, months, or even years, it becomes a problem. Chronic inflammation is a slow-burning fire. This type of inflammation can exist throughout your whole body at low levels, which means that the symptoms aren’t localized to one specific area like a cut, sprain, or sore throat. Instead, symptoms can appear gradually and can last much longer. This is the “bad” kind of inflammation and it’s linked to a variety of diseases, including autoimmune and digestive disorders.
What is Gut Inflammation?
Gut inflammation and the loss of microbial diversity are often a result of our daily habits and environment. One of the worst offenders is eating a S.A.D. or standard American diet that is low in fiber and high in sugar and chemical additives (1). A low-quality diet also hurts your gut microbiome. Other risk factors include a sedentary lifestyle, lack of sleep, excess stress, and excess alcohol.
Gut inflammation can manifest in a variety of ways. Below I have highlighted some of the more common signs of gut inflammation. Some of these conditions target the digestive tract directly, while others may not even seem connected to digestive health.
Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)
IBD is an umbrella term used to describe chronic inflammation of the digestive tract (2). The two most common forms of IBD are Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. IBD causes destructive inflammation and can cause permanent damage to the intestines. Based on the nature of the disease, IBD is often associated with nutrient deficiencies. Analysis of fecal samples from IBD patients compared to healthy subjects showed reduced bacterial diversity and altered bacterial species abundance (3). While there is no agreed-upon diet for treating IBD, a nutrient-dense diet that is anti-inflammatory is a good starting point.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
Nutrition and Lifestyle Strategies for Reducing Gut Inflammation
Did you know that a healthy diet along with positive lifestyle behaviors – getting enough sleep, being physically active, managing stress, not smoking, and limiting alcohol – are linked to lower levels of inflammation and may reduce the damaging effect inflammation has on the body?
Let’s take a deep dive into these simple ways to support a healthy microbiome and reduce your risk of gut inflammation.
Enjoy an Anti-inflammatory Diet (8, 9)
- Increase your intake of fruits and vegetables, whole grains (brown rice, oats, bran), nuts (almonds), seeds, fish, poultry, legumes (beans, lentils), and healthy oils (olive oil)
- Pay particular attention to foods high in antioxidant polyphenols, including colorful plants such as berries, cherries, plums, red grapes, avocados, onions, carrots, beets, turmeric, green tea, and dark green leafy vegetables like spinach and kale
- Omega-3 fats can help to reduce pain and clear up inflammation and are found in salmon, trout, mackerel, soy, walnuts, and flax
- High fiber foods (whole grains, vegetables, fruits, legumes) encourage friendly gut microbes to help reduce inflammation
- Limit inflammatory foods such as red and processed meats (lunch meats, hot dogs, hamburgers), fried foods (fries), unhealthy fats (shortening, lard), sugary foods and drinks (sodas, candy, sports drinks), refined carbohydrates (white bread, cookies, pie), and ultra-processed foods (microwaveable dinners, dehydrated soups)
Get Enough Restful Sleep (12, 13)
- Disrupted sleep has recently been linked to increased inflammation and atherosclerosis (the buildup of plaque in the vessels that’s linked with heart disease), so aim for 7-9 hours of restful sleep every night to help the body heal and repair
- Tips for better sleep: try to maintain a regular sleep-wake schedule every day, get exposure to natural daylight earlier in the day, avoid caffeine later in the day, cut out screens an hour before bedtime, and create a relaxing nighttime routine
- Regular exercise reduces inflammation over the long-term, so try to get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise (brisk walking) per week; about 20-30 minutes per day
- To this add two or more strength training sessions (using weights or resistance bands) each week
Manage your stress (15, 16)
- Engage in relaxing stress-reducing activities such as mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), deep breathing, meditation, yoga, or tai chi
Final Thoughts
Gut inflammation can manifest in a variety of ways. Some of these conditions target the digestive tract, while other conditions may not even seem connected to digestive health. The first approach to preventing gut inflammation is through food and lifestyle changes. Start by focusing on adding colorful fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and fish to your diet. Then layer in lifestyle upgrades like restful sleep, physical activity, and stress management.
For inspiration, try recipes from my Anti-inflammatory Meal Plan. This meal plan is 75% plant-based and promotes healthy digestion and reduces inflammation.
To learn more about optimizing your digestive health, book a free discovery call with a gut health nutritionist.