Why keeping healthy is all about GUT INSTINCT
We cAnnoT alter the genes we are born with — but that definitely doesn’t mean we are irrevocably set on a path we can’t change when it comes to whether or not we go on to develop cancer.
As a consultant oncologist, I have studied the causes and consequences of cancer for most of my professional life — and I am now convinced that the way we choose to live our lives, day in, day out, can make a much bigger difference to our health and wellbeing than the genes we inherited.
The more research I undertake and the more patients I see whose health has been immeasurably improved by changing their diet and lifestyle, the stronger my conviction becomes.
That’s why I wrote my new book, how To Live, in the hope of sharing the experiences and advice based on my lifetime’s work.
And it’s not just one individual factor that counts, as I explained in Saturday’s paper, but the sum of all the little choices that we make every day over the years. The food we eat (and how we prepare it) plays a very significant part in our health.
More and more studies are now linking poor gut bacteria with the risk of several cancers — both in and outside the gut — which is why, as we continue our exclusive series this week, today I’ve chosen to focus on our digestive systems.
What’s more, poor gut health doesn’t just cause problems in your digestive organs — it’s the cornerstone for many other serious diseases in the rest of the body, including diabetes, obesity, Parkinson’s disease and arthritis.
(And that’s not to mention bloating and indigestion, problems with bowel movements, low mood, sleep disorder and even depression, which can also be rooted in poor gut health)
Based on the latest research, I’ll explain just why your gut health matters and show you practical ways to build a thriving community of good gut bacteria that can help you reduce your risk of cancer and other serious diseases.
DON’T FORGET TO BRUSH YOUR TEETH
The process of digestion starts in the mouth, home to hundreds of species of bacteria. The bacteria in and on our bodies — and particularly in our digestive systems (or microbiome) — can roughly be divided into ‘bad’ (those that cause infections such as food poisoning or cholera and typhoid) and ‘good’ (bacteria which prevent the growth and spread of disease, improve overall immunity and help to reduce chronic inflammation, which occurs when our bodies mistakenly react as if they are permanently under threat from disease).
Good bacteria are generally referred to as probiotic bacteria and include the lactobacillus and
Bacteroidetes groups, linked with numerous health benefits. (I’ll look later at ways you can boost your good bacteria.)
however, poor dental hygiene — caused by not brushing your teeth or not flossing correctly — can upset the balance between the two, leading to a build-up of harmful bacteria, causing gum disease and tooth decay.
chronic inflammation of the gums (or gingivitis) is linked to a higher risk of chronic diseases elsewhere in the body, particularly dementia, diabetes, heart disease and emphysema.
In terms of cancer, we saw on Saturday how two studies analysing more than 100 samples of healthy and cancerous bowel tissue found that DnA from bacteria commonly found in dental cavities was also present in bowel cancer tissue — but not in normal, healthy cells.
This led researchers to conclude that bacterial DnA from the mouth had travelled through the body, interacting with and being absorbed into gut cells, causing them to become cancerous and leading to bowel cancer.
BOOST YOUR ‘GOOD’ BACTERIA
TheSe days we read a lot about why we need strong, healthy colonies of good bacteria.
And rightly so — I cannot stress enough how important it is to cherish and feed your good bacteria because they have a vital role to play in keeping your immune system in mint condition.
This is key to helping our bodies detect and destroy early cancer cells more efficiently as well as any carcinogens in our food and environment, as I explained in Saturday’s paper.
It’s also well established that poor gut health contributes to numerous digestive problems including bloating, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), diarrhoea, food allergies and intolerances.
Research now shows that a depleted colony of good bacteria leads to damage or thinning in your gut walls, weakening the barriers that normally prevent toxins (including carcinogens) from getting into the blood stream.
As a result, these toxins and bacteria can cause inflammation all over your body. This is commonly known as ‘leaky gut syndrome’. But it doesn’t end there.
An inflamed gut wall also makes