This is how gut bacteria helps to boost immunity, improve longevity and overall health

We spoke to Dr Roy Patankar, a leading Gastroenterologist know how gut bacteria help us to stay healthy and boost immunity.

When you eat (any junk that you call food) you probably don t give much of a thought to it that how is your stomach going to do justice to all that crappy food you are devouring with pleasure. But your stomach is more tolerant than you think. It helps you to digest, disseminate and extract whatever nutrition it gets for your benefit. Probably, this is why we don t think too much about our gut and stomach before subjecting it to all kinds of abuse. But there is a limit to everything and there comes a time when your stomach has had enough and cannot put up with all the crap you are sending its way and finally reacts to the long endearing abuse. Here are 10 healthy ways to control your appetite.

This abuse inflicted by our gut isn t a direct one it manifests in more than one way allergies, change in body temperature or untimely fever, lower immunity. The most damaging thing that can happen due to our own ignorance is lowering of immunity due to an imbalance in good and bad bacteria in the gut. The culprit: bad eating habits, loading on junk food, high-calorie foods all which makes the gut overwork and throw the bacteria balance off track. Did you know alterations in your gut bacteria could also lead to a heart attack?

We spoke to Dr Roy Patankar, a leading Gastroenterologist and Director of Zen Hospital, Mumbai to know how gut bacteria help us to stay healthy and boost immunity. He says, The gut plays an important role in maintaining the overall health of the body. It helps other organs to stay healthy as the good bacteria in the stomach help in digestion by breaking down carbohydrates into small chain fatty acids that promote its absorption.

So, what happens when the count of good bacteria keeps dwindling (with an increase in bad bacteria count) with all the maltreatment the gut is subjected too? Dr Patankar says, In the absence of good bacteria, carbohydrate breakdown stops, which can lead to diarrhoea. This is one of the first signs of indigestion which makes way for many other illness and conditions. This is why it is necessary to ensure that you consciously make an attempt to consume a balanced diet which includes enough fruits, vegetables, curds and fermented foods. This helps the gut to maintain the balance of good gut bacteria and keep you healthy, says Dr Patankar.

But for one who has been ignorant about his/her health for too long and a balanced diet seems to be a term read and forgotten in science class might have to pay dearly. The problems of the gut when the count of good bacteria decreases doesn t settle on its own, it requires effort. The plan of action should be: maintaining a balanced diet all the time. As antibiotics cannot be used to treat the scourge of bad bacteria in the gut, antibiotics are not able to figure the appropriate bacteria to kill, it ends up harming some of the good bacteria as well. This has a huge impact on the gut bacteria and affects the overall immunity of a person, says Dr Pantankar. Here are the food combinations that you should avoid if you have indigestion.

In certain countries in the western world, faecal transplantation has been introduced to balance out the bacteria in the gut. Though the idea sounds gross this has been getting a good response in other countries, however within few years it will hopefully be introduced within India as well expects Dr Patankar.

But if you don t want to receive an ultimate treatment like that then taking preventive measures is your best bet. Start with correcting your diet habits: homemade yoghurt is the best remedy to generate probiotics; it has protective bacteria that help improve a battered gut. There are no food items that can help the bacteria to foster but maintaining a good gut environment can help them do their job and flourish. Remember, oral antibiotics, surgeries or chemotherapy can lead to reduced number of good bacteria in the stomach or gut.

Our digestive health is directly impacted by the foods we eat and the lifestyle we live. By taking steps to improve your digestive health, we can help our digestive system to function more efficiently, improving our overall health and sense of well-being. Regular consumption of balanced diet helps to maintain the flora in the gut which helps in maintaining good health, concludes Dr Patankar.

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