What Is the Gut?

Article At A Glance:

• The “gut” includes all organs from the mouth to the large intestine and is the epicenter of disease and dysfunction
• Good and bad bacteria make up the gut microbiome
• Children with autism usually suffer from poor gut health

As we constantly talk about the need for good gut health to help children with autism reach their full potential, it’s easy to get a little lost in the language. So let’s back up and define our terms:

The “gut” is all the organs from the mouth to the large intestines. I often use the analogy that the body is the car while the gut is the engine. Scientifically, medically, and culturally, we’re beginning to understand how much the gut affects our overall health. The Greek physician Hippocrates once said that “all disease begins in the gut,” and centuries later, we learn he was right!

So what are some of the specific functions of the gut? It digests food and regulates our immune system. The gut also helps control our mood, as the feel-good chemical serotonin is produced in the intestinal tract. It eliminates toxins and waste from our bodies. It is not an exaggeration to say that the gut affects everything in our systems.

Microbiome of Bacteria 

When most people hear the word “bacteria,” they think of germs and dirt we should eliminate with purell hand sanitizer. And while we should still wipe our counters and toilet bowls, the truth is that gut bacteria is very good. Hundreds of species play different roles; the whole ecosystem is our microbiome. How well the microbiome functions affect our set weight point, sociability, brain development, and mood.

The Gut & Autism 

This topic is particularly important for families of children with autism because research shows that they often have poor gut health. Abnormal colonies of bacteria, less gut diversity, and even leaky gut can wreak havoc on their systems and contribute to poor social and emotional functioning.

Aspire Nutrition educates families and individuals on how the gut affects our bodies, brains, and behavior. It equips them to achieve good gut health through quality, toxin-free foods and proper supplementation.