What exactly is gut health?

By The Gut Health Doctor Team

Dr Megan Rossi in a lab looking through a microscope

By now, we’ve all heard looking after our gut is important for our health – but what do we actually mean when we talk about gut health?

Gut health relates to the functioning of your entire gastrointestinal tract (the tube that delivers your food from entry to exit).

This involves digestion and absorption of food, as well as a whole host of other functions that happen without you even knowing.

It is only in the last decade or so, when scientists discovered the community of trillions of bacteria living in your gut, that we have been able to understand how to not only better manage gut-related conditions, but also improve overall health.

In fact, this community of bacteria, known as your gut microbiota, can impact many other conditions like depression, diabetes and autoimmune diseases.

Oh and your 9-metre long digestive tract also houses 70% of your immune cells- just another reason why looking after your gut health is so key!

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