9 Gut Healing Supplements
Gut health is extremely important for hormone function, digestion, detoxing pathogens, and absorbing nutrients. The gut refers to the intestines in the digestive tract where absorption of nutrients occurs. A large indicator of gut health is intestinal permeability. The intestine or gut is where we absorb nutrients, and everything left behind will pass through the colon and exit the body as stool. The intestine is lined with a single cell wall called the lumen, which separates the inside of the intestine from the bloodstream. This cell wall is thin so that it is easy to absorb nutrients, and the cells are tightly packed, called tight junctions, to keep out anything that is not a nutrient. If the junctions loosen up, then the cell wall can become permeable and larger substances like toxins and undigested food can pass through into the bloodstream and cause damage. Luckily, there are many gut-healing supplements that promote tight junctions, improve the gut microbiome, and satisfy digestion.
Here are 10 Gut Healing Supplements:
1. L-glutamine
L-glutamine is a conditionally essential amino acid and is one of the gut-healing supplements. Conditionally essential means that the body can produce enough of it on its own, but in times of stress or some other dysfunctional state, it needs to be consumed through food. Lots of data support that L-glutamine can protect the gut against atrophy and injury induced by external stress, especially in athletes. The amino acid was found to increase the lifespan of enterocytes which are the cells that line the inner wall of the small intestine. Increasing the lifespan and health of these cells is important for protecting against intestinal permeability, which is when toxins are able to ‘slide’ through the intestinal wall and cause damage to the rest of the body.
Source: 24965526, 9834329, 2354410
2. Gelatin & Collagen
Gelatin and collagen are sourced from animal connective tissue which is high in amino acids and L-glutamine mentioned prior. These amino acids are building blocks for many reactions in the body. Their function in gut healing supplements like gelatin and collagen is to help tighten the junctions in the intestines, and to protect against atrophy and injury in the gut.
Source: 631645
3. Omega 3s
Omega 3s are another one of the gut-healing supplements because of their anti-inflammatory properties. Polyunsaturated fats are fatty acids that contain at least 2 double bonds in the structure. Two types of polyunsaturated fats are omega 3 and omega 6. Most western diets consume a ratio of 1:20 of omega 3 to omega 6 when it should be 1:3. This evidence is correlated with inflammation, showing that omega 6’s are pro-inflammatory and promote poor gut health while omega 3’s have protective effects. Inflammation is a common symptom with gut issues because if there is intestinal permeability then inflammation occurs to try and eliminate the toxin that slipped through. Omega 3s have been shown to have beneficial impacts on this by eliminating the inflammatory particles.
Source: 20808513
4. Turmeric
Curcumin is the bioactive part of turmeric and has so many known benefits for hormones and gut health, making turmeric one of the gut healing supplements. Curcumin has anti-inflammatory properties that aid in intestinal health and tight junctions. It also regulates gut bacteria creating the right balance to optimize absorption. Combining turmeric with black pepper or looking for curcumin supplement formation with black pepper or piperine can enhance the absorption of curcumin. Piperine is the bioactive compound found in black pepper that has been shown to increase the absorption of curcumin
FREE 5-DAY HAPPY HORMONE MEAL PLAN:
5. Ginger
Due to its anti-inflammatory properties, ginger is one of the gut healing supplements. It has been found that ginger can support women with nausea and reduce symptoms of vomiting and nausea in pregnancy showing its positive effects on the digestive tract. This is important because nausea and vomiting in pregnancy are typically caused by a rise in estrogen that your body is not used to, and we know that high estrogen is a symptom of gut issues. Stomach emptying is another gut issue that can occur because if the stomach takes a long time to release its contents to the small intestine, this can be a sign that the stomach is not functioning right. A study found that ginger can shorten the stomach emptying time by 4 minutes when it is consumed after a bowl of soup.
6. Lauric Acid
Lauric acid is another one of the gut healing supplements. Lauric acid is a medium chain fatty acid in coconut which has antioxidant properties. Lauric acid has been shown to have antibacterial effects against pathogens which explains that lauric acid is beneficial for intestinal health. The lauric acid was found to have low antimicrobial activity towards lactic acid bacteria which is a positive result because lactic acid bacteria are probiotics in things like yogurt and cheese. These probiotics improve gut health, so it is good that lauric acid doesn’t eliminate them. Additionally, in a study between coconut oil, soybean oil, and olive oil, coconut oil was shown to have the greatest impact on the absorption of caffeic acid, a component found in all plants and is used to increase athletic performance and exercise-related fatigue.
7. Allicin
Garlic and onions are both high in allicin which has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits. As garlic is broken down, cut, or ground alliinase is released which eventually catalyzes into sulfenic acid. Eventually, the sulfenic acid will self condensate and make allicin. The allicin gets decomposed and turns into many other organic sulfur compounds and is responsible for many of the benefits of garlic as a whole. The allicin is found to have antibacterial functions. In a study that compares a high fat diet to a normal diet, mice were given garlic to see the effects on metabolism and gut microbiota. They found garlic to have protective effects for reducing high fat diet induced metabolic disorders, it has protective effects on mucosal damage and ulcer development, and overall promotes nonpathogenic bacteria in the intestines.
Source: 24664286, 31146458, 19682402
8. Bromelain
Bromelain is another one of the gut healing supplements. This enzyme can heal the gut because of its inhibiting effects on diarrhea. It does this by counteracting common pathogens in the intestinal tract by modulating the receptors on the inner intestinal wall. It has many other antibacterial methods which help aid the digestive system from pathogens. Bromelain is also anti-inflammatory so it inhibits inflammatory mediators.
9. Probiotic
Probiotics are another one of the gut healing supplements. These probiotics contain good bacteria that benefit our digestive tract and gut microbiome. The bacteria from the probiotics line the digestive tract and act as a defense against pathogens from passing through. Probiotics can help to reduce bloating, gas, and diarrhea by improving the bacteria balance in the intestines. This is why foods like sauerkraut and kimchi are gut healing foods.
