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Celebrating World Digestive Health Day

Bianca Jonischkeit, Registered Dietitian, April 2024 (Updated February 2025)

29th of May is World Digestive Health Day and what better way to celebrate our health by celebrating one of our most important systems in our body, the digestive tract!

Digestive health refers to maintaining a balanced ecosystem of microorganisms in the gut, known as the microbiome. This microbiome consists of trillions of microbes, outnumbering human cells in the body. A healthy gut is essential for overall well-being, impacting physical health, mental health, immunity, and more.

Serotonin, the 'feel good hormone' is a chemical that sends signals between nerve cells and is known as a neurotransmitter. Surprisingly, most serotonin is found in the gut. Serotonin helps with sleeping, eating and digesting. It is also a natural mood stabilizer and helps reduce depression and regulate anxiety. It is made from an amino acid known as tryptophan, that we get from our diet. Low levels of tryptophan may thus lead to low levels of serotonin1. Consuming carbohydrate-containing foods (ideally complex-carbohydrates like whole-grains, fruits and oats) results in an increase level of tryptophan in the blood, thus tryptophan has a greater chance of entering the brain and converting to serotonin2.

Research shows that a diet high in fat and animal protein can negatively impact gut microbiota, reducing beneficial bacteria and increasing harmful ones. Studies show that higher dietary fibre intake is linked to a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, and the gut plays a role in heart health3.4 A high fibre breakfast is a great way to consume a large portion of your fibre requirements per day.

Numerous studies show an inverse relationship between intake of dietary fibre and weight gain and obesity. More fibre, less food! The calories you consume (in the form of food and beverages) need to match the calories used (for body functions and physical activity). If you consume too many calories, it will result in weight gain. On the other hand, if you consume fewer calories than what is needed, it will result in weight loss. Consuming fibre leads to increased satiety (feeling fuller for longer), thus resulting in a decrease of energy intake. The overall decrease in energy intake can result in weight loss. Good bacteria in our digestive system plays a vital role in health and weight management. During the digestion of fibre, the good bacteria in your large intestine utilize the fibre as fuel5.

The gastrointestinal tract is the 'largest immune organ for humans'6. The gut immune system is dependent on dietary constituents, especially prebiotics to function optimally. Prebiotics stimulate the growth of 'good', health promoting bacteria in the colon7. Soluble fibre also plays a role in immune health. In simple, it acts as the army leader calling for peace. It changes the immune cells from being pro-inflammatory (promoting inflammation) to being anti-inflammatory7. Probiotics are extremely beneficial in restoring and maintaining this balance by repopulating the digestive tract with beneficial bacteria8.

We need to consume prebiotics (food for good bacteria), probiotics (live beneficial bacteria), and sufficient fibre. The American Heart Association recommends 25-30g of fibre for adults daily from both soluble (nuts, seeds, barley) and insoluble (whole grains, vegetables) sources.

Good health is extremely important, and it all starts in your gut, so it is only fitting that our digestive health has its own special day to be commemorated!