Gut health
A state of good functioning of the digestive tract, combining effective digestion, an intact gut barrier and a diverse microbiome, with effects beyond digestion alone.
Gut health covers three dimensions that are best kept distinct: digestive function (breaking down and absorbing nutrients), the integrity of the gut barrier, and the balance of the microbiome. A problem can affect one without the others.
The gut is also a major immune organ: a large share of the body’s immune cells live in its wall. It also houses a dense network of neurons, which explains the documented links between digestive state, stress and mood, the gut-brain axis.
Fibre matters more than probiotics. This is a useful reversal of the usual hierarchy: probiotics bring strains that often settle only temporarily, whereas fibre durably feeds the bacteria already present and promotes the production of butyrate, the fuel of colon cells. The diversity of plant foods eaten is the strongest predictor of a diverse microbiome.
Finally, be careful with vocabulary: terms such as « leaky gut » or « gut detox » circulate well beyond what the data allow us to claim, and are often used as a sales pitch. Persistent digestive symptoms call for medical advice, not a protocol found online.