Guard your gut health on holiday
WHEN you are away on holiday, the last thing that you need is a tummy upset. Yet diarrhoea is experienced by between 30 per cent and 70 per cent of travellers, depending on the destination and the time of year. Poor food hygiene in local restaurants is the main culprit of ‘Delhi belly’ as it is often known. Caused by bacterial intestinal pathogens or by viruses, it can strike at any time while travelling abroad. Antibiotics are the usual treatment, but as this type of medication is non-specific, it will kill the beneficial bacteria in the gut as well as the pathogenic type. This can upset the delicate ecosystem of the intestinal tract, which can result in further, antibiotic-associated diarrhoea and the risk of secondary infections. Probiotics can play an important role here, as taking them before you go away can add beneficial bacteria to your system, lessening the likelihood of succumbing to an intestinal pathogen. What’s more, if you are taking antibiotics, then probiotics can help to restore the gut’s normal balance of bacteria much more quickly, reducing the duration of a tummy upset.