Gut health
A gastroenterologist’s advice on limiting gut distress and improving your microbiome
Is exercise such as cycling good for the gut?
It is excellent for gut microbiome diversity. Regular exercise improves the good bacteria in the gut and reduces the bad bacteria, which is associated with better health outcomes. Exercise improves the motility of the gut, meaning you’ll feel less bloated. It also improves digestion and helps ensure regular bowel movements, as well as reducing the risk of liver and bowel cancer. e list goes on.
Can long bouts of high-intensity exercise cause gut problems?
Yes, strenuous exercise can cause gut symptoms such as acid reux and may upset the digestive system. is is because, during strenuous exercise, blood supply to the muscles is prioritised, taking blood away from the gut. As a result, the gut effectively goes to sleep and food takes much longer to digest. Cyclists are especially prone to reux and heartburn because of being in a leant-forward position.
How long before riding should a cyclist eat?
Ideally three to four hours, as that’s how long it takes to digest a meal. Obviously you may need to refuel during a ride by consuming low-volume, high-calorie foods. After exercise, you need a cooldown period of half an hour to an hour, to allow blood supply to the gut to normalise.
Are high-sugar energy products bad for the gut?
ere is no evidence of any serious harm to gut health from these products, provided their use is limited to during exercise. It is better for gut health to take on some food, rather than none, during prolonged exercise.
What are the key markers of poor gut health?
Symptoms such as persistent diarrhoea, blood in the stool, nausea, vomiting, food getting stuck when you eat or recurring stomach pains may indicate an underlying medical condition and should be investigated by a doctor. Milder symptoms such as heartburn, indigestion, bloating, inconsistent stool, etc, may indicate poor gut health rather than disease, and tests may be needed.
Is there any value in paying for a microbiome test?
At this stage, there is no practical value. I have not tested my own microbiome, and I’m a gut doctor. If someone has an unhealthy lifestyle, their microbiome is likely to be in a poor state, but the solution is to change their lifestyle.
Are probiotic products benecial?
In patients with symptoms, I recommend probiotics for three months to see if they help. In people with no symptoms and who have a healthy lifestyle, no, there is little evidence of any benet.
“Exercise improves the motility of the gut, meaning you’ll feel less bloated, less uncomfortably full”
What about fermented foods, are they worth the cash?
ere is evidence that the prebiotics in fermented foods may be benecial by improving microbiome diversity. Even better is a Mediterranean diet, which is excellent for the gut microbiome.
What are your top diet tips for good gut health?
Everyone needs a healthy source of protein every day, ideally from sh or plant sources. Minimise your intake
of red meat. Olive oil has many health bene ts. Include wholegrain, healthy carbs: wild rice, wholegrain bread, oats, etc. en you need your bre: plentiful fruit and veg, as well as nuts and seeds.
What is the gut-brain axis all about?
If you are stressed or nervous in your life, your body releases stress hormones and neurotransmitters that can make the gut more sensitive, such as in IBS, which is now referred to as a disorder or gut-brain interaction. e worry can exacerbate the symptoms and it becomes a vicious cycle. Meditation, yoga and CBT can help in these circumstances.