Your gut is the main line of defence to the outside world. Maybe take some time to think about that one... Good? It's how most stuff gets in you, isn't it...
Go gut! How do we make its job easier? Nope, swallowing a bottle of antibacterial soap isn’t going to do it, Susan, and I don’t like your attitude either… not constructive at all.
Sleep is good. Fasting is good too. Diverse foods also help. “But how?” I hear you loudly decry. “And why?” you follow with. Well, here goes.
I’ve spoken about sleep a bit lately, and some of it is about how good it is for your brain. But part of it is about what sleep lets the rest of your body do when its awake. I’m sorry already if that’s convoluted.
When you are sleep deprived, your body goes into survival mode. Last week I mentioned that not sleeping adequately causing some issues regarding energy and alertness levels, and that most people try to fix this with caffeine and sugar. Which can quickly turn into a vicious cycle. This stuff has its own ramifications for the gut, but I’m trying to stay on topic here.
When you’re in this survival mode, you pour out the adrenaline and cortisol into the system waaay more than usual. To counter this perceived threat of energy and sluggishness, your brain down shifts a few gears and then drags a few things with it. First port of call is your guts reactions to the outside world.
The short version is this. Your backup generator systems would rather you get energy in any way it can than keep you from getting sick.
Literally, you supress your gut immune function by a solid 50 to 70%. Last week I talked about being tired? Do you get sick more when you don’t sleep properly? Well, this is why. Everything but the skeleton crew takes a sick day, and just doesn’t turn the electric fences on at the border. So, you get sick too. Well, if there’s anything floating around you do.
There’s some research to suggest that if you do this consistently enough, you switch off integral elements of your immune system called Killer cells (yeah, I’d have done my best to come up with a fancier name too. But its pretty accurate, so there it is). These things are your best natural protection from cell mutations turning into cancer. Yep, the big C… Natural killer cells target potential cancers and stomp them good before they form gangs. Ever hear someone say that stress is the cause of all disease? This is one of the ways it happens.
Stress limits sleep. Sleep deprivation impairs immune function. Crap function leaves holes in the security net. So, get some sleep and reduce stress. Easy…
Until I say something ridiculous like “now we want to increase your stress!”… Calm down, I’m going to explain. Save your spit balls till the end.
Fasting was mentioned before. Now, there’s a few interpretations of what fasting is, but lets go with a generic version of time restricted eating. Basically, you limit the period of in which time you’re eating on a particular day (there is, as always, much more detail to it than that, but you can hold your breath for those details to come next week). Now, this is a stress. BUT, it’s a nice stress. An acute stress, rather than those jerky chronic stresses like sleep deprivation.
Basically, when you aren’t busy eating and digesting, your body does all sorts of stuff. Like get tougher and more efficient.
When your gut isn’t stuffed, it has a chance to calm down and do some maintenance. Like sure up the holes in that immune fence. And double down on quality personnel. Fasting is an acute stress that forces your systems to react, the coolest one being autophagy, but the main one right now is replenishing and rejuvenating the stocks of fighting fit bacteria that keep the invaders out. What’s more, they kick out the scrubs who are making the tough ones look bad. They didn’t survive the bootcamp toughening stress and made a “willing” sacrifice for their gut country…
You know when you were a kid and ate dirt? Acute stress to toughen the gut.
When the surgeons say no eating before your op? Acute stress to make the body switch on defence mode.
When you eat something dodgy and it receives the “emergency exit” treatment? Acute stress forcing an immediate evacuation.
The more you test the troops out in a temporary and survivable way, the better they react to threats. The more you prioritise other bodily functions, like energy conservation and effective thinking because you refuse to turn off the tv at a reasonable hour… the less resources you have to support the troops.
One last thing. Did you know that you can addict your gut to sugar? That you can have obese microbiomes, that keep you obese if you’re trying to lose weight? Tests done with mice sow that put git bacteria from a fat mouse into a thing one will actually cause the thin one to gain weight, with the reverse being true too. Depending on your goals, something worth thinking about.
When you incline yourself to a certain type of diet, your gut comes along for the ride. How effective do you think obese, diabetically inclined gut bacteria will be in defending you from that dreaded Runny Nosed Child At the Day-care Center? There’s a theory that sugar addicted bacteria actually let more viruses and stuff in because they suck at fighting that stuff anyway, but also because you go looking for quicker and easier forms of energy when you’re sick. Those dodgy little jerks create their own perpetual cycle of fresh sugar…
That said, there is some speculation that it could very well be that sugar addiction happens the other way around. Gut is the second brain indeed and cracks the shits when it doesn’t get what it wants. Ever come off sugar and gotten withdrawal headaches? That might actually be your gut biome whinging…
Do you want a fighting fit border defence force? Or a mutiny…
Be kind, be smart, be your best you. No bar fights.
“If you don't like bacteria, you're on the wrong planet.” Stewart Brand
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