Cristina Mutchler is a Peabody award-winning journalist, specializing in health and wellness content for over a decade. Gut health refers to how well your gastrointestinal GI tract functions. The health of your gut can influence your overall health. Research suggests that a balanced gut microbiomeβthe environment of bacteria in your GI systemβcan affect sleep, immunity, mental health, and more.
Changing your diet, lifestyle, and environment can often improve your gut microbiome and overall health. The trillions of microorganisms that make up your gut microbiome include a balanced mix of harmful and beneficial bacteria.
This balance is thrown off when there's an overgrowth of harmful bacteria, medically known as gut dysbiosis. Gut dysbiosis creates an inflammatory environmentβand an unhealthy gut. This can manifest as multiple symptoms that affect digestive and overall health. Bacteria and inflammatory substances in the gut can be absorbed from the GI tract into the bloodstream.
An unhealthy gut can trigger illness, full-body inflammation , and an increased risk of chronic conditions like diabetes, heart disease, irritable bowel syndrome IBS , asthma, depression, and anxiety.
Some common digestive-related signs of an unhealthy gut include:. Other symptoms, including headaches, mood changes, fatigue, and skin irritation, can also develop when there's an imbalance in your gut's bacterial environment.
