Gut Health and why it’s important for healing your wounds

Coming into surgery with power to heal from within is imperative. You can give yourself an excellent start with a well-established healthy gut microbiome!

What is gut microbiome?

We have more bacteria that live in our gut than cells in your body. Microbiome refers to the group of microbes, or 1,000 bacterial species, that live in your body. This bacterium helps with digestion, destroys harmful bacteria and helps control your immune system—enhancing yes!

Here are some tips to increasing your gut healing powers from within and how to support good gut health for wound healing: 

• Diet rich in probiotics - Consuming foods like fermented vegetables, yogurt, sauerkraut, and kimchi that contain beneficial bacteria. 

• Prebiotic diet- Eating foods such as onions, asparagus, garlic, and bananas surprisingly increase the growth of beneficial gut bacteria. 

• Fiber intake- Including high fiber to support microbiome diversity. 

• Limit processed foods- Reducing intake of processed foods and added sugars which can disrupt gut bacteria balance. 

How does this benefit wound healing?

• Immune regulation- Beneficial gut bacteria produce molecules that influence the immune response. This allows for a balanced inflammatory reaction at the wound site, which is necessary for efficient healing. 

• T cell production-The gut microbiome is involved in the generation of regulatory T cells which play a huge role in suppressing inflammation and increasing tissue repair. 

• Angiogenesis- There are studies that suggest that gut bacteria may promote angiogenesis (new blood vessel formation), which is essential for delivering nutrients and oxygen to the healing wound. 

• Microbe-to-tissue communication- Recent research indicates that gut bacteria can communicate with distant tissues like skin wounds via signaling molecules, influencing the healing process. 

If you spent lots of time finding a surgeon and preparing for surgery don’t leave out the billions of little healthy bacteria in your gut that need nourishing. They will help you heal!