A dynamic duo for good gut health
Over 2000 years ago, Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, stated that “All disease begins in the gut.” While not 100% true, the bacteria in your gut and the integrity of its lining greatly affect your health. Good digestive health is essential for many reasons, including:
- nutrient absorption1
- immune function2
- detoxification3
- chemical and hormone production4,5
Bacterial diversity is important for gut health, and diet has a major impact on determining which microbes take up long-term residence in the gut. The Western diet, which is high in fat and refined sugar, and low in fibre, is thought to reduce microbial diversity.6
In one 2016 study, when mice were fed a low-fibre diet for 4 weeks, levels of 60% of microbial species significantly decreased. About half of those levels returned to normal when the mice resumed a high-fibre diet. However, even this brief interruption of an unhealthy diet left lasting effects, or “scars,” on microbial diversity. More importantly, the loss of diversity became permanently established over four generations when the mice continued to consume a low-fibre diet.7
A high-fibre diet promotes gut health and can also offer other health benefits, including helping to maintain a healthy weight and lowering your risk of diabetes and heart disease.8
Fibre is not absorbed in the large intestine but acts as food for probiotics. It is found in fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and grains. While it does not contain calories, vitamins or minerals, it is very important for health. Fibre not only feeds your good bacteria, but it also helps keep our digestive tract functioning optimally by promoting and maintaining regularity.9
When it’s difficult to get enough fibre and probiotics in your diet, Renew Life® can help.
Ultimate Flora™ Critical Care Probiotic is a multi-strain probiotic blend that provides 50 billion live bacterial cultures in a convenient once-daily capsule. It contains diverse strains of live bacteria to help support intestinal and gastrointestinal health. The blend comes in acid-resistant vegetarian capsules to help protect the live bacteria from harsh stomach acids. It is available in both refrigerated and shelf-stable formats.
FibreSMART® comes in capsules and powder. The powder is an easy-to-mix, flax-based dietary fibre supplement that can be added to water or juice to help support daily gut health. The product contains soluble and insoluble fibre and additional intestinal tract ingredients, including marshmallow root and slippery elm bark. It is free from nuts, gluten, dairy, and soy.