Although nutrition and gut health fads appear year round, they’re often more aggressively promoted around the start of a new year, as this is when many people are looking into health and lifestyle changes.
Research in the field of gut health and the gut microbiota is still relatively new and exciting new research is emerging all the time, however there are quite a few trends and products out there that just don’t have enough evidence to back them up at this stage. Until we do have enough good evidence to show that these are actually beneficial (and most importantly, not harmful!), then it might be worth passing on these for now, and instead spend your money on something that we do know has a positive effect on health and the gut microbiota – such as plenty of plants, and fermented foods.
Here are a few popular gut health trends and fads to look out for (some of these have been around a while, but jkeep coming back each year!):
Detox products These are often based on laxatives or sometimes diuretics, which do “clean you out”, but not in the way suggested by the marketing. There’s no evidence to suggest that these work for detoxification, and in some cases they could even be harmful (for you, and your gut microbiota). Your body has its own detoxification system which includes your liver, so as long as you’re looking after your body by eating a nutritious diet of mainly minimally-processed foods and plenty of plant foods, then your body should be able to take care of this process for you (unless you have a medical condition that impacts this process).
Cleansing protocols and plans These often involve very restrictive diets with little science behind the benefits. When it comes to gut health, generally inclusion rather than exclusion is most beneficial (in other words, including more plants, fibre-rich foods, and fermented foods) - unless you have an allergy or intolerance. Although we don’t yet have an exact “blueprint” for a healthy gut microbiota (and this is likely somewhat individual anyway), general consensus is that gut microbiota diversity is important. As different bacteria thrive on different types of foods and nutrients, then by cutting out foods you may actually end up with a less diverse microbiota.
Probiotic supplements and fortified foods There’s currently no evidence that probiotic supplements (or probiotics added to foods) are beneficial for otherwise healthy individuals. If you want to keep your gut happy and healthy, you’re better off spending your money on fermented and fibre-rich foods. There is however, evidence that probiotic supplements may have positive effects for certain conditions (particularly those affecting the gut). If this is relevant for you, it’s important that you choose a probiotic with the right bacteria strain and amount, and use the supplement for the amount of time that has shown beneficial effects for your particular condition in research. If you’re unsure how to find this out yourself, check with a qualified health professional (doctor, dietitian or nutritionist) with expertise in this area.
Gut microbiome testing Consumer gut microbiome testing is still relatively new, however as we don’t yet have an exact idea of what the “ideal” gut microbiota looks like, these types of tests can be interesting, but they’re only useful if we know what to do with the information we receive from the test. They’re also currently quite costly! There are certain types of bacteria which are associated with ‘unhealthy’ diets, so if your test results show high levels of these then it can indicate that you need to adjust your diet, but you likely don’t an expensive test to tell you this: you’ll probably already know if your diet is based upon mainly minimally-processed foods or not, and whether there’s perhaps room for improvements.
Intolerance testing
Again these are expensive, and there’s currently not enough quality research to suggest they’re reliable in detecting intolerances. IgG intolerance tests actually reflect what foods you’ve been exposed to (in other words, what foods you’ve eaten, especially those you eat in larger quantities). This might sometimes coincidentally correspond with foods you’re intolerant to, but again, there are other less expensive and equally (in)accurate ways of determining this, such as elimination and reintroduction diets.
❗️If you suspect you may have an intolerance (or allergy), please see a qualified health professional for guidance on elimination and reintroduction diets. This is to help with interpretation of symptoms, but also to ensure you’re not following a very restrictive diet unnecessarily over a long period of time which may lead to nutrient deficiencies. A qualified health professional can also provide advice on how to cover your nutrient requirements if you do have an intolerance and need to reduce or eliminate certain foods.
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