Stress and gut function
There is a strong correlation between stress and gut health. I know this from personal experience as well as what I see in my clients.
For me personally, I believe stress was the key driver in my now managed Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS.) The periods where my IBS was the worst was when I was most stressed. IBS can definitely be stressful in and of itself. For me, stress triggered my IBS. (I know for others, IBS then creates stress so it can go either way, and often does.) Stress has the most impact on my gut health than any of the other three factors (food, gut structure and gut function) of gut health.
Every client I work with, I am constantly assessing their stress levels. The main reason for this ongoing surveillance is that stress can completely override treatment progress. I have seen people worsen during treatment as the treatment was too stressful or there was minimal recognition of stress levels, and therefore management of said levels. I often will work to build up or boost a client’s stress resilience before we start treatment in an attempt to minimise the impacts of treatment stress on their body. Finally, I will challenge my clients to commence treatment at the best time, a time when they will succeed.
So how does stress actually affect our gut health? I see the impact in two key areas:
1) Many of the nutrients we need to manage stress, we also utilise in our digestive processes. And the body will divert nutrients away from digestion to handle acute stress. So if the gut is not getting the nutrients it needs, what does this mean for the function of our gut? We have poor gut function which manifests in these ways:
a. We lack the digestive fire to breakdown our foods. Digestive fire is the enzymes and acids needed to break down food. To make digestive enzymes, stomach acid and bile, we need nutrients such as zinc, chloride, amino acids. If food is not being broken down well, this can lead to nutrient malabsorption.
b. If the food is not being broken down in a timely manner, then this slows the entire digestive process. There are biochemical triggers that allow the food to progress through the digestive system. In the early stages, these triggers are being driven by the components of digestive fire and their actions. So low digestive fire, translates to slow moving digestion. Slow moving food can lead to bloating, constipation and flatulence.
c. We also need more nutrients to handle stress, especially zinc, Vitamin C, B vitamins, etc.; which leaves us with a poor functioning gut and nutrient depletion. I believe this one the main reasons I see that the body still can manifest the stress of a given situation long after the stress has been resolved.
2) In the large intestine, there is a mucous layer in which the gut microbes live. In simple terms, I see this layer as similar to soil in which we plant seeds. High stress, and the corresponding hormonal cascade, depletes this mucous layer. This depleted layer then inhibits the growth, viability and resilience of the gut microbiome. Considering that our gut microbiome affects our mood, energy, cognition, metabolic function and weight, a healthy strong microbiome is important. And we are only just beginning to understand this importance- an exciting area of medical research.
When working with a client to improve their gut health, stress is a primary factor. Whether it be that stress caused the lack of digestive fire, slow digestive processes, nutrient depletion and/or a inadequate mucous layer, the management of stress is a critical aspect of gut healing. In some cases, the gut can’t heal without better stress resilience practices. So please do consider how stress affects your gut health and get help to become more stress resilient to have a healthier gut.