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Health insurance - Gut facts

Fun facts about your gut

Think you know your gut inside and out? These facts may surprise you

16 Dec 2024
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Fun facts about your gut

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Fact #1: Good vs Bad

Fact #1: Good vs Bad

Trillions of bacteria live in your gut. To curb infection, the good bacteria need to crowd out the bad ones.
Fact #2: Small but mighty

Fact #2: Small but mighty

Opened wide, the small intestine can cover a standard tennis court or up to 2,700 square feet of space.
Fact #3: Immunity Hub

Fact #3: Immunity Hub

70% of your immune cells are housed in the gut and interact regularly with the microbes in it.
Fact #4: Gut-healthy diet

Fact #4: Gut-healthy diet

Consume a diet rich in fibre, fermented food and probiotics to build a diverse microbiome in your gut.
Fact #5: The second brain

Fact #5: The second brain

Embedded in the gut, the enteric nervous system can influence your mental state, causing anxiety or depression.
  1. Despite its moniker, the small intestine is anything but small. Running from your stomach to your large intestine, this multi-tasking organ measures between 10 feet and 16 feet long6.

    Your small intestine can process up to six to twelve litres of food that has been broken up into liquid by your stomach2. This process is aided by cholecystokinin, a hormone that helps break down nutrients in your digestive system7.

  2. The small intestine has three sections that work together as a team. The duodenum receives the food from your stomach and produces the digestive juices and enzymes. The journey continues to a middle section called jejunum. Peristalsis, the involuntary muscle movement that keeps the food moving in your digestive tract, happens here. The last and longest section is ileum, where the remaining nutrients are absorbed8.

  3. The large intestine is the "end point" of your digestive system. This is where food waste is turned into solid waste or stool that will be disposed from your body through the anus. If you routinely suffer from stool-related issues like diarrhoea and constipation, your large intestine might not be in good health9. Annual screenings will help ensure that any issue with your large intestine can be identified early.

  4. If you frequently suffer from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), it’s time to take another look at your daily meals. Certain types of food are prone to irritate the gut. This includes dishes with high saturated fat content, alcoholic and caffeinated beverages, dairy products, fructose-rich fruit juices, and corn syrup10. Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a gut and intestinal disorder affecting 1 in 10 people in Singapore. Symptoms range from mild to painful, including cramping, bloating, and diarrhoea. Fortunately, you can avoid triggering these symptoms by avoiding foods that irritate the gut, including high-saturated fat content, alcoholic and caffeinated beverages, dairy, fructose-rich fruit juices, and corn syrup.

  5. Your gut and your brain are communicating constantly through the enteric nervous system in the gut. Called the gut-brain axis, this close connection allows them to send messages to each other when trouble is brewing11. A digestion problem in your intestine might leave you feeling dizzy or suffering from a migraine. Likewise, you might feel a pang of nausea in your stomach when your mind is stressed or anxious.

Interested to learn more about gut health? Check out our gut series on Lifepedia.
Do you know that the likelihood of gastrointestinal illnesses increases with age? To protect yourself against critical gastrointestinal illnesses, consider the
GREAT Critical Cover series. This comprehensive plan that provides 100% lump sum coverage against up to 53 critical illnesses, including colorectal cancer – one of the most common cancers in Singapore.

Sources:

  1. https://www.activesgcircle.gov.sg/activehealth/read/eatbetter/a-healthy-gut-for-a-healthier-you
  2. https://www.chp.edu/our-services/transplant/intestine/education/about-small-large-intestines
  3. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/advertorial/happy-gut-and-body-enhanced-immunity-2105146
  4. https://www.healthline.com/health/types-of-probiotics#benefits
  5. https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/urban-survival/202106/8-surprising-facts-about-your-gut-microbiome
  6. https://www.healthline.com/health/digestive-health/how-long-are-your-intestines
  7. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/23110-cholecystokinin
  8. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/22135-small-intestine#function
  9. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/22134-colon-large-intestine
  10. https://www.healthxchange.sg/syndication/Pages/bloated-after-meals-toss-these-foods.aspx
  11. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/the-gut-brain-connection
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