GUT HEALTH - IS IT HOLDING YOU BACK.

Many clients will tell me that they drink, Just a glass or two,  but that doesn’t mean you should be blind to what too much can do to your gut.

WHAT IS ALCOHOL DOING TO YOUR DIGESTIVE SYSTEM?

When you drink alcohol - it does more than make you relaxed. You can tell me all the reasons, Why's ( I ve heard them all ) but when are you going to listen to your intuition, telling you to stop. This is the elephant in the room. I noticed when I stopped drinking, everyone Struggled to let go for me. ( I didn't need any one to like my choice, but boy it didn't sit well with them. )

It can actually have a huge impact on how your whole digestive system works even when you aren’t having a drink. 

Before the alcohol you drink even enters your liver it is absorbed by your upper intestinal tract

Whilst the liver does most of the work if you are just a social drinker (2 standard drinks), if you are drinking larger quantities, or drinking more often, the bacteria in your gut actually helps you metabolise the alcohol too.

Too much alcohol can also inhibit the production of digestive enzymes which means that it can have a real impact on your ability to breakdown food – this can leave you with that bloated feeling, not being able to absorb all of your nutrients well and symptoms such as reflux and indigestion.

CHANGES TO THE ENVIRONMENT

Alcohol changes the composition of your gut bacteria, how your gut functions as well as increasing it’s intestinal permeability (leaky gut). So what does this all mean?

• More inflammation in your gut and the rest of your body

• Impaired immune system (70-80% of your immune cells are in your gut)

• An impact on your mood through the Gut-Brain Axis (90% of serotonin if produced in your gut)

There is now also discussion around something called the Gut-Liver Axis. When you are drinking in excess this inflammation in our gut can then increase the inflammation and damage in our liver. looking after both goes hand in hand.

HOW TO PROTECT YOUR GUT WHEN DRINKING

The reality is you are going to enjoy a drink every now and then, so what can you to help look after your gut? Here are a few tips for you:

• Have some Zinobiotic powder ( prebiotic ) before hand and or before bed – this will help protect your gut lining. Add 1 scoop to a cup or glass, add a bit of water to make a drink (you dont get those floaties like psyllium husk and slippery elm powders!), this completely mixes into a drink. 

• Don’t use alcohol to quench your thirst, make sure you’ve had enough water before you have an alcoholic drink, enjoy it and drink responsibly

• Alternate between a glass of water and an alcoholic drink

• I have read people say to enjoy kombucha in between but from anecdotal evidence it has seemed to increase the absorption of the alcohol in some people (hence getting you drunk faster) so please be careful with this

• Make sure you aren’t drinking on an empty stomach, have a balanced meal beforehand

• Be mindful of your food choices “the day after the night before”, this can be tricky when all you might be craving is something greasy, however do your best to get some easy to digest nourishing foods into your body

• Have some roasted dandelion tea to help support your digestive system and liver the day after, you get this just from the supermarket

• Bone broth is also something you can sip on to help soothe and settle your tummy

• Up your antioxidant rich foods such as blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, goji berries, dark chocolate, kale, cabbage, beans and beetroot. Really just think about lots of colour on your plate!

It really is about being aware of what we are putting into our bodies. I am not saying to not enjoy that drink with friends however, if we give both our gut and what we put in it the respect that they deserve (our gut health for how it impacts the rest of our body, and alcohol for how destructive it can be) it helps us make the best decisions to support our overall health and wellbeing all the time.

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Disclaimer : This information is only to help improve your current lifestyle. Consult your GP before adding to Medication.

 All content and media on the relax4health website are created and published online for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice and should not be relied on as health or personal advice.
Always seek the guidance of your doctor or other qualified health professional with any questions you may have regarding your health or a medical condition.

REFERENCE

Bishehsari, F., Magno, E., Swanson, G., Desai, V., Voigt, R. M., Forsyth, C. B., & Keshavarzian, A. (2017). Alcohol and Gut-Derived Inflammation. Alcohol research : current reviews, 38(2), 163–171.

Konturek, P. C., Harsch, I. A., Konturek, K., Schink, M., Konturek, T., Neurath, M. F., & Zopf, Y. (2018). Gut?Liver Axis: How Do Gut Bacteria Influence the Liver?. Medical sciences (Basel, Switzerland), 6(3), 79. https://doi.org/10.3390/medsci6030079

Meroni, M., Longo, M., & Dongiovanni, P. (2019). Alcohol or Gut Microbiota: Who Is the Guilty?. International journal of molecular sciences, 20(18), 4568. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms20184568

Zakhari S. (2006). Overview: how is alcohol metabolized by the body?. Alcohol research & health : the journal of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 29(4), 245–254