Sugar Can Impact Your Gut Health
Fall is finally upon us, and what a wonderful time it is! What’s not to love about pumpkin-spice drinks, corn mazes, fall fashion, and Halloween treats?
Speaking of treats, they can make this time of year a little difficult for those who are dedicated to living a healthy lifestyle. There’s always a chocolate goodie here or a fruit-flavored treat there, and it’s all so tempting.
As we get even further into the holiday season, these temptations only become more available and more difficult to refuse. After all, who isn’t tempted to indulge in a caramel-covered apple or piece of pumpkin pie when it’s offered.
No matter how yummy these treats are, it’s no secret that the sugar they contain is bad for your health. You already know that eating too much sugar can cause a plethora of health concerns like excessive weight gain, acne, and increased blood pressure. Not to mention the impact it can have on your dental health.
What you probably haven’t heard much about is the harmful effects sugar can have on your gut health. If you’ve been wondering whether sugar is harmful to your digestive system, the answer is a resounding yes. Let us explain.
How Sugar Impacts the Gut
You are probably familiar with the feeling of having an upset stomach after eating too much candy on Halloween or one too many pieces of pie during Thanksgiving dinner. What you may not know is that an upset stomach is only one of the many ways our gut reacts to excessive amounts of sugar.
Indulging in large amounts of sugar can cause your gut to become irritated, resulting in stomach pains, bloating, and even diarrhea. This is largely due to the way sugar changes the composition of your gut microbiome.
The term “gut microbiome” refers to the trillions of bacteria that live in your gut. Many of them are considered good and are known to help keep your digestive system running smoothly as well as aid other body systems such as the immune system. Ideally, these good bacteria will always outnumber harmful bacteria. When that is no longer the case, it is said that the gut is in dysbiosis. Ultimately, this can have negative repercussions not only for the gut but also for the rest of the body.
Consuming excessive amounts of sugar can cause dysbiosis in the gut. This is due to the fact that the bacteria in the gut microbiome are sensitive to changes to their environment in terms of things like temperature, acidity levels, and even sugar content.
Studies have shown that consuming too much sugar can actually change the composition of the gut microbiome. These studies have found that fructose and glucose block the production of key proteins that are involved in the colonization of good bacteria in the gut. This means that the more sugars you consume, the more likely it is that you will experience gut dysbiosis which can lead to things like fatigue, bloating, stomach discomfort, heartburn, and digestive problems.
Furthermore, since the gut microbiome impacts so many other systems in your body, dysbiosis from sugar intake can also have negative effects on other areas of your health. For example, the change in bacterial composition can impact how your immune system functions. It can also impact your mood and cognitive function thanks to the gut-brain axis.
Finding a Balance Between Indulgence and Gut Support
Clearly, sugar is not good for your gut health at all, especially when consumed in excess. However, that doesn’t mean that you have to live a life that is completely sugar-free. It’s possible to occasionally indulge in your favorite sugary treats without having to worry that you are permanently impacting your gut. That is, as long as you are properly supporting your gut otherwise.
What is the best way to support your gut if you’re going to enjoy a few sweet treats this holiday season? We’re glad you asked. It all comes down to knowing how to nourish your gut with whole foods and the right supplements.
First of all, the value of a healthy diet for digestive health cannot be overstated. The food you choose to eat is what ultimately provides the nutrition your gut, and the rest of your body needs to function. In fact, the foods you choose to eat can change the composition of your gut microbiome. Foods that are high in fiber, like whole grains and fresh fruits and vegetables, have been found to promote the growth of certain strains of beneficial bacteria.
Additionally, seedings your gut with beneficial bacteria through probiotics is a great way to keep your gut healthy, even if you don’t plan to eat any sugar. Of course, if you really want to promote the growth of good bacteria, you’ll want to make sure that those probiotics are served their favorite snack – prebiotics. Both prebiotics and probiotics can be found in a number of different foods, but you can also get them in supplement form, which is a convenient and surefire way to ensure you’re gut is getting all the probiotics and prebiotics it needs.
Try Essentials for a Happier and Healthier Gut
In a nutshell, overconsumption of sugar can cause a number of problems when it comes to your gut health. But the good news is that you don’t have to give up sugar completely as long as you make sure to nourish your gut with lots of whole foods and daily prebiotic and probiotic supplements like the ones found in Essentials.
Essentials is a convenient daily pack that contains a combination of five supplements, chosen specifically to help keep your gut as healthy as possible. Each pack of Essentials includes prebiotics and probiotics to support the growth of healthy bacteria colonies as well as a capsule of digestive enzymes to help your body break down food more efficiently. Last, but not least, Essentials includes plenty of organic Wild Microalgae®, the rare nutrient-packed superfood, to nourish your whole body with the micronutrients it needs to function optimally.
And the best part? You can put it to the test risk-free with our 90-day money-back guarantee.
At New Earth we are on a mission to positively impact the health of every body and soul we come in contact with. We specialize in producing third-party certified, organic whole food supplements including a variety of probiotics, and digestive support. Our supplements feature a rare, yet highly, nutritious superfood, Aphanizomenon flos-aquae (AFA). Also known as organic Wild Microalgae®, AFA is a unique type of blue-green algae that is available in many forms including algae tablets, algae pills, and algae powders all designed to help you on your journey to holistic wellness. The best part? We offer a 90-day money-back risk-free guarantee on all of our products. Visit our website to learn more.
