What do we really know about gut health?
The first consultation I ever had with a patient in the gastrointestinal surgery ward was for flare-up of crohn’s disease, a severe type of irritable bowel disease that resulted in surgery.
He was a few days post-op after a small bowel resection, a type of surgery that removes inflamed parts of the small intestine.
Our goal was to progress the patient to clear fluids, but his stomach remained bloated and had no signs of normal gut function (gas, bowel movements etc.). We were worried we would have to start nutrition support, or the infusion of artificial nutrients into the veins or digestive tract of the patient.
Eventually, the patient did show signs of normal gut function and he could eat again. Before the discharge, the patient asked me “what can I eat to improve my gut health?”
The rise of interest in “gut health”
For this patient, the answer was widely different compared to the answer I’d give to the general population that is looking to optimize and improve their gut health.
But, I believe both the general population and people living with chronic digestive diseases are looking to optimize their gut health because we are simply hearing about it so much more. Through both food industry and research.
