10 Signs of an Unhealthy Gut
A challenge between imbalances and illness is that the symptoms can be similar and overlap. That’s why doctors and dieticians can easily misdiagnose a patient. Here are ten common signs of an unhealthy gut. The more symptoms you have, the higher the likelihood that you probably have some gut healing to do. If you’re looking for more comprehensive support in discovering if you’re suffering from a compromised gut, take our symptom burden assessment.
1. Food sensitivities: If you’re experiencing any symptoms after eating certain foods such as a histamine response or any stomach disturbances, this can signify a food sensitivity. Food sensitivities refer to IgG responses in testing but are different than a full IgE response. We don’t recommend food sensitivity testing since there is a lack of evidence supporting their findings. If you eliminate a particular type of food before the test, it will be difficult for the test to measure any sensitivities to it. While many people develop food sensitivities and have an immune response due to compromised gut health, there are certain people that are born with food allergies (IgE reaction) and intolerances to food such as nuts.
2. Bloating after every meal: While bloating might be common, it isn’t normal, especially after every meal. Bloating after every meal may be a sign of chronic indigestion or dyspepsia. If you experience bloating as soon as you eat, this may be more upper GI-related, for instance, an issue with the stomach. If you experience bloating an hour or two after you eat, this may be related to issues in the small or large intestine.
3. Inconsistent stools and excess gas: If your bowel movements aren’t consistent with brown, solid stools that sink to the bottom of the toilet, you have inconsistent stools. Experiencing loose stools one day and constipation the next can also be a signifier of an unhealthy gut. Excess gas can be related to underlying digestive health issues such as indigestion or IBS.
4. Feeling better when not eating: If eating causes cramping, abdominal pain, or any other discomfort, you may need some gut healing. However, if you experience worse energy after a meal, this may be a blood sugar imbalance issue. Blood sugar imbalance can have a role in exacerbating an imbalanced gut but generally speaking, the symptomology that’s pertinent for this is related more to physical pain after eating.
5. Skin imbalances: The skin microbiome has just as many trillions of bacteria, fungi, viruses, and small microbes as the gut. Referred to as the gut-skin axis, the gut and skin biomes have a bidirectional relationship and are both responsible for critical immune and neuro-endocrine roles. They’re also both uniquely related in purpose and function. If you struggle with acne, eczema, psoriasis, and other skin flares, you probably need gut healing support. Skin imbalances may also signify impacted gut function such as poor nutrient absorption.
6. Sleep disturbances: There can be a variety of driving factors that cause long-term sleep disturbances. If you’ve ruled out blood sugar imbalances and struggle to sleep through the night on most days, you may have an unhealthy gut or a deeper root cause issue such as CIRS. Proper sleep is needed for the balance of leptin and ghrelin, two very important hormones that regulate hunger and satiety. One study reported that just one night of sleep deprivation can increase ghrelin levels, the hunger cue hormone, and feelings of hunger in healthy, normal-weight men. Another reason our gut can disturb our sleep is due to the fact that approximately 95% of our total body’s serotonin is produced in our gut. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that helps balance mood, cognition, learning, memory, and many other processes. Sufficient serotonin levels are required for producing melatonin, the hormone responsible for regulating sleep. With gut imbalances, we won’t produce enough serotonin or melatonin, which is another reason why mental health is always impacted by our gut health.
7. Chronic fatigue and imbalanced adrenal sufficiency: One of the essential functions of the gut is to absorb nutrients for energy. If gut function is impaired and incapable of proper nutrient absorption on top of being chronically inflamed from gut imbalances, low doses of cortisol will be pushed out in order to support the gut. Eventually, this can lead to constant fatigue and poor endocrine health (the system your adrenals are a part of). Constant fatigue can be a sign of small intestinal bacteria overgrowth (SIBO). Having more harmful gut bugs than good creates imbalances that can cause symptoms of chronic fatigue and imbalanced adrenal sufficiency.
8. Mental health imbalances: The gut-brain axis explores the influence of gut microbiota on the central nervous system and mood. Imbalances in the gut flora can directly impact your mood. Mental health can also suffer from impaired gut function due to a lack of nutrient absorption required for creating neurotransmitters. Experiencing chronic gut issues can also exacerbate mental health imbalances. Additionally, consistent gut pain or feeling chronically ill can impact overall mood and mental health.
9. Weakened immune system: Approximately 70% to 80% of the immune system is in the small intestine. If the small intestine experiences damage resulting in holes and gaps (this condition is called leaky gut syndrome), this creates the inability to absorb nutrients and fight off invaders. These small food particles and possible toxins find their way to our bloodstream and lead to a higher risk of autoimmune illness and additional food sensitivities.
10. Low stomach acid: Stomach acid is responsible for breaking down food, absorbing nutrients, and defending against pathogens. Low stomach acid can be caused by vitamin deficiency, stress, medications, alcohol consumption, older age, and other factors. Having low stomach acid leads to impaired digestion, increased susceptibility to infection, and reduced nutrient absorption. Symptoms present as bloating, burping, upset stomach, heartburn, diarrhea, GI infections, undigested food in stool, gas, and more.
