How stress impacts the gut and what we can do to help

One of the biggest areas of growth in knowledge and research when it comes to wellbeing, is nutrition, and in particular gut health. In general, the importance of the gut in our overall wellbeing is rising to the fore, looking at the role and impact of gut bacteria and the microbiome. This comes at the same time as we increase our awareness, knowledge, and understanding of stress management as well, and helpfully, the two can be heavily intertwined.

Microbial cells and their role in our wellbeing

It turns out that microbes play a big part in how our bodies function. BBC Science Focus writes:

"In any human body there are around 30 trillion human cells, but our microbiome is an estimated 39 trillion microbial cells including bacteria, viruses and fungi that live on and in us. Due to their small size, these organisms make up only about 1-3 per cent of our body mass, but this belies the microbiome's tremendous power and potential."

In terms of what those all-important microbial cells do - well, that would be a lengthy essay in its own right, but the National Institutes of Health gives a pretty succinct insight into the gut microbiome by writing:

“Microbes in the gut break down many of the proteins, lipids and carbohydrates in our diet into nutrients that we can then absorb. Moreover, the microbes produce beneficial compounds, like vitamins and anti-inflammatories that our genome cannot produce.”

Through a complex system of microbiota and how they interact, these small and seemingly silent parts of our bodily ecosystem help with a variety of functions, from digesting and absorbing nutrients to supporting the immune system, producing vitamins, brain function, and more.

Stress and our gut health

All these microbial cells communicate with one another and serve a purpose for our wellbeing, but when we're stressed they can't work properly, impacting inflammation and our immune response.

Stress isn't something we can avoid, and indeed we're not supposed to, but as beings we're designed to deal with it in short, sharp bursts - the kind that makes us flee from danger through strong hormonal responses. Through those responses, the body stops thinking about healing and recovery, and focuses solely on survival - otherwise known as 'fight or flight'.

In modern life, however, we are constantly inundated with smaller challenges that cause stress responses. Light pollution upsetting our sleep patterns, loud noises, pinging phones, and so forth; they all put us in an ongoing state of stress. As a result, the body doesn't have as much time to go into a 'rest and digest' mode. Cleveland Clinic writes:

"Your parasympathetic nervous system is a network of nerves that relaxes your body after periods of stress or danger. It also helps run life-sustaining processes, like digestion, during times when you feel safe and relaxed. The informal descriptions for this system include the rhymes “rest and digest” or “feed and breed.”"

The impact of ongoing stress on the gut can then be felt in lots of ways, from the obvious and immediate to the longer-term. It's therefore increasingly linked with long-term health issues, and as a result nutrition is becoming a more integrated part of holistic healthcare.

Food for thought

There's no one way to reduce stress in our lives or its impact on our wellbeing, but experts advise that there are ways in which what we eat can help support healthy gut bacteria, and in turn help us to manage stress and mitigate its impact on our wellbeing.

For example, when we interviewed Clinical Nutritionist, Stephanie Moore, she recommended a three-pronged approach as part of a generally healthy lifestyle. That included featuring the 'three Fs' in our diets:

• Fibre: the main fuel for gut microbes and typically found in fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds, beans and legumes like lentils.
• Fermented food: to top up our microbes as they are impacted by modern life. This includes things like sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir, basic live yoghurt (unflavoured), good soy sauce and nattō.
• Fasting: this means having about 12 hours between your last meal on one day and your first the next day to give microbes a chance to reboot.

In an article for the charity, The Standards Authority for Touch in Cancer Care (SATCC), she also advised including Vitamin C, B vitamins, Vitamin D, and Omega 3 fatty acids in your diet, whilst minimising or avoiding processed foods including lots of refined sugar.