Gut Health Supplements: Your Guide to Better Digestion

The gut, otherwise known as the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, is responsible for countless functions throughout the body, including digestion, hormone balance, and mental outlook. A bad gut can quite literally unbalance everything. Yet, 86% of UK adults reported digestion problems at some stage during the past year. 

Modern life simply isn’t good for our guts. Stagnant office lifestyles and fast food cultures can wreak havoc on everything from digestion to nutrition absorption. This can lead to various escalating issues body-wide, and it’s something you need to stay on top of to get your health in check. 

Well-selected gut health supplements make this goal easier to achieve by bringing better digestion and bodily function within reach. In this guide, we’ll consider the best gut health supplements, and how each of them can help you enjoy a healthier life. 

Top Picks for Gut Health Supplements

Supplements for gut health aim to restore balance in the body by addressing GI imbalances, such as an excess of bad microflora. There are now a variety of different gut health supplements and, while they all aim to achieve the same overall goal, they each do so in a slightly different way. 

The best supplements for gut health will ultimately depend on your situation. Probiotics are an especially popular choice right now and restore balance by adding healthy bacteria to your gut. There’s also such a thing as prebiotics, which feed your positive microbiome, and post-biotics, which make it more likely you’ll see positive results from that great probiotic bacteria. Many gut health supplements will combine these functions and can be a huge help in boosting everything from digestive health to bone health, and beyond. 

Digestive enzymes are another popular type of gut health supplement which, unlike probiotics that introduce new microflora, aim to mimic our natural digestive enzymes. These enzymes aid in the breakdown of food and the digestion of nutrients. Ensuring you have enough digestive enzymes is vital for the avoidance of problems like malnutrition and constipation. 

There are also a variety of natural gut health supplements which contain beneficial ingredients like aloe vera, which has proven effective in treating IBS, and apple cider vinegar, which can help to raise stomach acid levels, and has its own prebiotic properties. 

How Supplements Enhance Gut Health

Even the best supplements for gut health and bloating won’t be a huge help if you don’t take a holistic view by also altering things like your diet. However, supplements for gut health can have a huge impact when used right. For instance, probiotics can increase the diversity of beneficial bacteria in your gut microbiome thanks to the fermentation of ingredients like lactose. This can increase your immune system, aid your digestion, and even restore GI balances that could be caused by antibiotic use.

Digestive enzyme supplements to help gut health can also prove transformative. By ensuring that your body is better able to absorb nutrients, these supplements can enhance the benefit of a healthy diet. Digestive enzymes could also potentially help with issues including acid reflux and gas or bloating. 

Using natural supplements to improve your gut health can lead to a range of benefits. For instance, aloe vera can help to ensure regular bowel movements, while turmeric helps with digestion by aiding bile production. 

Natural Choices for Gut Support

Many of the best gut health supplements include natural ingredients which work to balance or restore healthy digestion in some way. Natural supplements for gut health are beneficial because they use pure, quality ingredients that we could all benefit from including in our diets anyway. 

There are now a lot of different natural supplements to improve gut health. Ingredients that are often worthwhile for gut support include popular choices like rosehip, which contains beneficial fibre and pectin for improved digestion. Turmeric can also have a huge impact thanks to its active ingredient curcumin, which can be useful for treating irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). 

Some good supplements for gut health with natural ingredients also include additions like vitamin C. Vitamin C can help with gut health by improving the gut barrier function and altering the composition of gut microbiota. 

Addressing Bloating With Supplements

4 out of 10 people experience some level of bloating. This can happen after meals and is most often a sign of excess intestinal gas, or underlying issues like IBS. Gut and digestive health supplements aim to address that issue and can reduce the symptoms of bloating, even straight after you’ve eaten. But what’s the best supplement for gut health if you’re experiencing bloating symptoms like abdominal pain or gas? 

An imbalance in gut microbiota known as ‘dysbiosis’ can be responsible for bloating in some instances. Probiotics that provide bacterial balance can be useful in addressing this issue, and can also have bloating benefits that include improved digestion and reduced gas. Digestive enzyme supplements can also prove beneficial, by breaking down food to aid digestion. Some digestive enzymes can also help with bloating that happens due to issues like lactose intolerance. 

Many good gut health supplements also contain natural ingredients like ginger, which can relieve digestive distress such as nausea and bloating by aiding faster digestion and reducing abdominal distension. Other natural ingredients you might find in the best supplements for gut health and bloating include peppermint oil, which suppresses muscle spasms in the intestines, and vitamin D, which can address inflammation. 

The Role of Diet in Gut Health

Even the best supplement for gut health won’t have a huge impact if you don’t also make improvements in other areas of your life. Diet is especially important for gut health. High-fat diets or diets that are high in processed goods can prove problematic, causing issues including digestive problems, deficiencies, and even food intolerances. Eating the wrong foods can also lead to a problem known as a ‘leaky gut’, which happens as a result of the dysbiosis imbalance we discussed earlier. This can lead to unpleasant symptoms like ulceration and indigestion when toxins leak from your gut into the rest of your body. 

To achieve optimum gut health, you should take the best gut supplement alongside dietary changes. A gut-healthy diet should incorporate healthy balance, and provide you with what you need from each food group. 

To eat well for your gut, you need to focus on getting at least 30 grams of fibre each day, as well as eating plenty of whole foods like fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds. Experts also recommend trying to eat at least 30 different plant foods each week. 

Fermented foods like kimchi and live yoghurt also act as natural probiotics and can make a huge difference in restoring gut balance as part of your regular diet. These are loaded with microorganisms like live bacteria and yeast. However, it is important to take care when adding these foods to your diet, as eating too many fermented foods can worsen symptoms like bloating, as well as increase the risk of health complaints like migraines and intolerance. Fermented foods can also become contaminated by bad bacteria like Escherichia coli. Always buy fermented products locally, and eat them as soon as possible. 

Understanding Digestive Supplements

Developing your understanding of supplements to help with gut health can increase the chances that you’ll experience notable improvements. We’ve discussed the best types of digestive supplements for gut health, and how those can improve your health overall. But is there anything else you need to know about what supplements are good for gut health?

Different digestive supplements can be more beneficial than others, and not all digestive supplements are healthy to take. For instance, individuals with compromised immune systems should generally avoid probiotics, while Aloe latex, which can be used in some natural supplements, is best avoided by pregnant women. Taking digestive enzymes if you don’t need to can also increase your risk of issues like bloating and diarrhoea. 

To understand what’s the best supplement for gut health in your situation, it’s always best to speak with a doctor. 

Choosing the Right Gut Supplement

Just because you understand what gut supplements help with gut health doesn’t mean you’ll automatically know which supplements to take. There’s now a huge market for gut supplements and a lot of different products to choose from. Mainly, it’s worth bearing in mind that gut supplements are available as either tablets or gummies. Gummies can be great for people who are reluctant to swallow large supplement tablets because they typically contain natural flavouring that makes them pleasurable to take. You’ll need to take the majority of tablets and gummies twice a day to feel their benefits. 

When choosing probiotics, it’s worth considering something known as colony-forming units (CFU), which refer to the number of live bacteria. Generally speaking, a quality probiotic should contain at least one billion CFU, though this can be lower for soil-based probiotics. 

It’s also vital to make sure that any supplement you choose comes from a reliable, trustworthy supplier. In the UK, the best gut supplement should be manufactured according to strict GMP standards. 

It’s Time to Get Gut Health In Check

Our gut impacts everything from our digestion to our mental wellbeing. For this reason, we should all do everything possible to achieve the best gut health. Diet plays a huge part in this, as does simply living a more active lifestyle. Gut supplements can also help a great deal when chosen carefully with the advice of your doctor. Make sure you’re selecting the best gut supplement to suit your lifestyle and diet by stocking your supplements from a trusted provider like Supplement Wise.