Keeping Your Gut Healthy

WHETHER IT'S MANAGING YOUR IMMUNITY, MAINTAINING YOUR METABOLISM OR KEEPING YOUR DIGESTION IN TUNE. YOUR GUT HEALTH IS CRITICALLY IMPORTANT TO YOUR OVERALL HEALTH. ROUGHLY 70% OF THE HUMAN IMMUNE SYSTEM RESIDES IN THE GOT. AND AS THE CENTRAL FOR FIGHTING INFECTION AND REDUCING INFLAMMATION. BUT FOR MILLIONS OF AMERICANS DIGESTIVE HEALTH IS A MAJOR CONCERNED WGCU’S JENNIFER CRAWFORD HAS MORE ON THE IMPACT IN AN UNHEALTHY DIGESTIVE SYSTEM CAN HAVE ON THE HUMAN BODY AND HOW YOU CAN KEEP YOURS IN TIP-TOP SHAPE. >> GUT HEALTH IS NOT SOMETHING MOST PEOPLE ARE COMFORTABLE TALKING ABOUT. BUT DISORDERS OF THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM IMPACT AT LEAST 50 TO 60 MILLION AMERICANS EVERY YEAR GASTROENTEROLOGIST. DOCTOR SAHIL KIAHNNA JOINS US NOW FROM THE MAYO CLINIC. DR. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE MOST COMMON SIGNS OF DIGESTIVE DISEASES? >> THE HUMAN GOT IS IN MY HUMBLE OPINION, ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT ORGAN SYSTEMS. IT CONNECTS THE INSIDES OF HER BODY TO THE OUTSIDES AND GIVES US THE ATTRITION. AND WHEN IT'S NOT WORKING WELL, PEOPLE CAN GET ALL SORTS OF SYMPTOMS. GOING FROM TOP TO BOTTOM. SOME PEOPLE CAN HAVE TROUBLE SWALLOWING. SOME CAN HAVE FOOD STUCK IN THERE, FOOT PIPE AND THEY'RE TRYING TO SWALLOW THE MOST COMMON THINGS THAT WE SEE THAT PEOPLE GET HIS ABDOMINAL DISCOMFORT FEET OF BLOATED AFTER THE EATING BAN AFTER EATING OR BEING OTHERWISE IN THEIR BELLY. AND THEN THE NORTH HAS SYMPTOMS THAT COMMONLY AFFECT OUR PATIENTS INCLUDE CONSTIPATION, DIARRHEA, AND THINGS THAT ARE ON THE U.S. SIGNIFICANCE ARE THINGS THAT AND SICK SIGNIFIED BAD THINGS HAPPENING COULD BE BLOOD IN THE STOOL. NOT FEELING WELL HAVING BLACK STOOLS, SOME TO GET NAUSEA, VOMITING SAYS YOU CAN SEE THERE'S A MULTITUDE OF SYMPTOMS THAT IMPACT PEOPLE WHO HAVE G I DISORDERS. >> WHAT ARE SOME OF THE MORE COMMON DISEASES THAT YOU TREAT? WE TREAT ALL SORTS OF DISEASES WITHIN GASTROENTEROLOGY PEOPLE WITH INDIGESTION, PEOPLE WITH BLOATING, PEOPLE WITH DIARRHEA, PEOPLE WITH CONSTIPATION. THAT'S THE MOST COMMON PHENOTYPE THAT WE SEE AND THEN WE ALSO SEE PEOPLE WHO HAVE ULCER DISEASE EOSINOPHILIC OR ALLERGIC DISEASE OF THE GUT INFLAMMATORY DISEASES SUCH AS ULCERATIVE COLITIS OR CROHN'S DISEASE. SOME INFECTIONS OF THE GUT LIKE C-DIFFICILE INFECTION AND AT TIMES PEOPLE WHO HAVE DEVELOPED COLORECTAL CANCER ARE ALSO SEEN WITHIN GASTROENTEROLOGY >> NOW, WHY IS IT TOUGH TO DIAGNOSE THESE DISORDERS LIKE CELIAC DISEASE? IT'S ESTIMATED AT LEAST 80% OF PEOPLE MIGHT HAVE THIS AUTOIMMUNE DISORDER, WHICH IS TRIGGERED BY GLUTEN IN FOODS AND PRODUCTS. BUT PEOPLE CAN SUFFER FOR YEARS UNTIL ITS FINALLY DIAGNOSED IF IT EVER IS WHY? WHY ARE THESE HARD TO DIAGNOSE? >> LET'S TALK ABOUT CELIAC DISEASE. IT'S ESTIMATED ANYWHERE BETWEEN ONE AND 2% OF THE POPULATION PROBABLY HAS AN UNDERLYING DELIAC DISEASE TROUBLE THAT'S ELECT AND SOME OF THE OTHER DISORDERS IS THAT SYMPTOMS CAN BE OVERLAPPING. SOME PEOPLE PRESENT WITH CELIAC DISEASE WHEN THEY HAVE SYMPTOMS OFF DIARRHEA LOSING WEIGHT. BUT OTHERS CAN JUST PRESENT AS CONSTIPATION. ALL ARE HAVING ABDOMINAL DISCOMFORT IN NOT FEELING WELL WHEN THEY CONSUME GLUTEN. SO THERE'S A WHOLE RANGE OF SYMPTOMS THAT A LOT OF DIFFERENT DISEASES CAN PRESENT. AND THAT'S WHERE SITTING DOWN WITH THE PATIENTS TAKING AN ADEQUATE HISTORY, SEEING HOW THEIR SYMPTOMS HAVE PROGRESSED OVER THE YEARS. HOW THEY HAVE REACTED TO SOME OF THE COUNTER TREATMENTS THAT THEY HAVE DONE OVER THE YEARS. IS REALLY, REALLY HELPFUL. AS THE FIRST STEP DURING THE PHYSICAL EXAM, A DETAILED PHYSICAL EXAM IS THE SECOND STEP. AND THEN COMES TESTING THAT WE DO WITHIN GASTROENTEROLOGY TO HELP OUR PATIENTS OUT. >> WHAT BLOOD TESTS ARE THERE AT COULD BECAUSE I KNOW THERE ARE SOME EFFECTIVE ONES FOR DIAGNOSING CERTAIN DISORDERS, LIKE CELIAC? >> CELIAC DISEASE. THERE IS A BLOOD TEST THAT YOU CAN MEASURE THE ANTIBODIES AGAINST GLUETN, IN THE BLOOD THAT. BLOOD TEST IS UPWARDS OF 90% ACCURATE WHEN SOMEBODY DOES HAVE CELIAC DISEASE, THERE'S ALSO A GENETIC TEST THAT CAN BE DONE TO SEE IF PEOPLE HAVE CELIAC DISEASE OR NOT. YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER THAT THE TESTS ARE ONLY ACCURATE THE BLOOD TESTS AND EVEN THE BIOPSY TESTS THAT YOU DO FOR CELIAC DISEASE IS ONLY ACCURATE WHEN SOMEBODY IS CONSUMING GLUETN. SO IF I HAVE BEEN ON A GLUTEN-FREE DIET FOR X, Y OR Z REASON MYSELF AND I DO A CELIAC DISEASE BLOOD TEST DOESN'T IMPACT THE GENETIC TEST, BUT IT WILL IMPACT THE CYTOLOGY OR THE ANTIBODY TEST TO CELIAC DISEASE AND WE CAN BE RELIABLE. >> BUT WHAT ARE SOME OF THE POTENTIAL CAUSES FOR INCREASING CASES THAT WE'RE SEEING NATIONWIDE? >> FOR CELIAC DISEASE WE THINK THE CAUSE IS MOSTLY GENETIC AND THEN. ONE IN 4 PEOPLE HAVE GENETIC DISPOSITION TO GETTING CELIAC DISEASE AND JUST LIKE ANY OTHER AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE. WE ARE SEEING INCREASING PREVALENCE OFF CELIAC DISEASE OVER THE YEARS. PART OF WHAT WE THINK IS ENVIRONMENTAL HOW OUR FOOOD HAS BEEN ENGINEERED DIFFERENTLY. PART OF IT IS WHAT CONTAMINANTS ARE WE EXPOSED TO? AND THAT'S THAT'S NOT JUST FOR CELIAC DISEASE. THAT'S WHERE ALMOST EVERY OTHER G I DISEASE, THAT'S ALL THAT. AND WE'RE SEEING INCREASED PREVALENCE. WE'RE SEEING AN INCREASED AMOUNT OF DEADLY G I DISEASES SUCH AS COLON CANCER IN YOUNGER INDIVIDUALS. IF YOU PREVIOUSLY LOOKED AT WHEN DO WE START DOING COLONOSCOPIES? FAR LOOKING FOR LOOKING FOR COLON POLYPS, IT WAS AGE 50. NOW WE SAY IT SHOULD BE DONE AT AGE 45 BECAUSE WE'VE SEEN A LOT OF COLON CANCER IN PEOPLE IN THEIR 40'S. SO A LOT OF G I DISEASES THAT WERE PREVIOUSLY AFFECTING OLDER PEOPLE ARE NOW IMPACTING YOUNGER INDIVIDUALS. >> NOW THERE ARE A LOT OF THESE DISORDERS THAT ARE LIFELONG CONDITIONS. SO WHAT CAN WE DO TO REALLY REDUCE OUR RISK OF GETTING THEM? >> MOST IMPORTANTLY, ONE SHOULD TRY TO FOLLOW, A HEALTHY BALANCED DIET AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE ONE SHOULD, TRY NOT TO GO INTO FAD DIETS AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE UNLESS YOU DISCUSSED WITH YOUR PHYSICIAN. MOST IMPORTANT, G I DISORDER AND I IN MY MIND IS WHAT WE CALL AS METABOLIC, LIVER DISEASE AND ALSO G I DISORDERS THAT CAN BE TIED DIET RELATED THING. ONE IN 3 PEOPLE IN THE UNITED STATES HAS THAT. THAT'S A PREVENTABLE. AND UNLESS, OR IF SOMEBODY HAS THAT ILLNESS THAT'S A TREATABLE ILLNESS. AND IN TODAY'S WORD, THE SECOND MOST IMPORTANT PART IS IF SOMEBODY HAS G I SYMPTOMS, IT'S IMPORTANT TO GO SEE A PRIMARY DOCTOR. AND EVENTUALLY A GASTROENTEROLOGIST JUST SO YOU CAN GET EARLY ASSESSMENT AND PERHAPS EARLY CONTROL OVER A G I DISEASE THAT’S ABOUT TO BUBBLE UP >> AND FINALLY, ARE THERE ANY SPECIFIC FOODS THAT YOU WOULD ADVISE THAT YOU SHOULD ADD TO THE DIET TO REALLY HELP IMPROVE AND HEAL YOUR GUT HEALTH. >> IN MOST PEOPLE BARRING CERTAIN EXCEPTIONS EATING FOODS THAT ARE RICH IN FIBER. RICH IN ANTIOXIDANTS ARE EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. THE AVERAGE AMERICAN DIET UNFORTUNATELY, IT IS LOW IN FIBER FOR MOST PEOPLE. WE’D RECOMMEND A HIGH-FIBER DIET OR IF YOU WERE TO BUY ONE SUPPLEMENT FOR YOUR HEALTH, I WOULD THINK ADDING A FIBER REGULAR, GOOD OLD FIBER SUPPLEMENT WOULD BE HELPFUL >> ALL RIGHT. ANYTHING ELSE YOU'D LIKE TO SHARE WITH US TODAY? >> THERE'S A LOT OF BUZZ ABOUT THIS GUT MICROBIOME THAT'S OUT THERE. IF YOU GOON THE INTERNET AND LOOK FOR USEFUL GUT BACTERIA. THERE IS SO MUCH INFORMATION OUT THERE. THERE'S TESTS OUT THERE THAT ACTUALLY HELP YOU FIGURE OUT WHAT KIND OF MICROBES ARE LIVING IN YOUR BODY OR INTESTINES AT THIS TIME, WE DON'T RECOMMEND ANYBODY AND EVERYBODY SHOULD GO AND GET A GUT MICROBIOME TEST BECAUSE THE INFORMATION IS NOT ACTIONABLE. PEOPLE ASK ME A LOT OF TIMES. WHAT CAN I DO TO KEEP MY MICROBIOME HEALTHY AND THE ANSWER IS VERY SIMPLE. EXERCISE WELL, EAT WELL. EAT LOTS OF FIBER, DRINK A LOT OF WATER. AVOID SMOKING DON’T DRINK TOO MUCH ALCOHOL AND THAT HELPS KEEP YOUR MICROBIOME HEALTHY. >> ALL RIGHT. GREAT TIPS. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US TODAY, DR. KHANNA >> YOU'RE MOST WELCOME, PLEASURES ALL MINE