Can Gut health affect the vaginal health?
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Do you know how vital gut health is? Gut health is responsible for maintaining overall health. There are so many bacteria present in your body. You might be astonished to know that their number is more than the cells you have. But no need to worry; all bacteria are not harmful. Many of them are great for your health. The bacteria present in your gut help digest foods and are suitable for physical and mental health.
Your health starts with the gut and it impacts every part of you. One study says that gut health plays a vital role in vaginal health. Researchers also start uncovering the facts about it.
Gut microbes play vital roles like digestion, immune system functioning, skin health, and, yes, vaginal health also.
Do you want to know the connection between the gut and vaginal health and their importance? Well, We have prepared a guide on gut and vaginal health for you. Have a cup of coffee and get your answers here.
Why are gut health and vaginal health important?
Gut health and vagina health is essential. Let’s know why.
Gut Health
You should start loving your gut because a healthy gut means healthy you. It is accountable for the crucial functions of your body.
As you know, the gut is a happy place for more than a hundred trillion bacteria in your body. You can call it the gut microbiome also.
These gut bacteria help in maintaining a good metabolism as well as overall health. They perform various tasks like breakdown the dietary fiber into small pieces and help make vitamin B and K. The dietary fiber breakdown produces advantageous anti-inflammatory fatty acids. These fatty acids are essential energy sources for your body.
Along with the good, there are some harmful bacteria. If you think good bacteria are helping in digestion only, then you are mistaken. They also keep harmful bacteria in control. For this, you should thank your good bacteria. What do they do? They frequently multiply, and the unhealthy bacteria don’t have a space to grow.
When you have a balance of bacteria in your gut, it is called equilibrium. Also, it means your gut is healthy.
If you have a specific type of harmful bacteria in your gut microbiome, you can have various kinds of diseases. For instance, Crohn’s disease, Ulcerative colitis, etc.
Vaginal Health
You should never ignore your vaginal health. An unhealthy vagina is a home for the various infections that can make your life miserable.
The lactobacilli bacteria help to maintain a suitable environment for a healthy vagina. You can call it “good bacteria.” It fights against growing harmful microorganisms in the vagina. Also, maintain a healthy vaginal pH of 4.5 or less.
If the pH of the vagina is not balanced, it will give a chance to grow harmful microorganisms. And it can lead to various vaginal problems. There can be multiple factors like medications, nutrition, clothing, exercise, and prolonged stress that alter your vaginal health.
Vaginal problems can affect your sexual life, fertility, and ability to reach orgasm. If it goes on like that, it creates problems in your relationship also.
The link between Gut Health and Vaginal Health:
The vagina has countless bacteria that make up its natural flora. Just like the gut, lactobacilli are good bacteria in the vagina also. Lactobacilli protect the vagina from thrush and bacterial vaginosis (BV). Even the gut and vagina will have similar bacteria so that some species will overlap. But the entire makeup is distinct. The vagina is more particular as compared to the gut.
Lactobacilli perform various functions to keep the vagina healthy. They mainly produce lactic acid to decrease the vaginal pH. And help to keep it acidic (pH below 4.5).
Apart from playing a good bacteria role in vaginal health, lactobacilli also play a crucial role in gut health.
Along with making bacterial species in a healthy vagina, lactobacilli form some bacterial colonies in tubes that carry waste food away from your stomach (bowel). These lactobacilli populations maintain pH balance and inhibit excess growth of harmful bacteria.
Apart from sharing good bacteria, bowels and vaginas communicate in several ways. The gut and vagina may indirectly communicate via the ‘gut-vagina-axis.’ If your gut is healthy, it reduces entire body inflammation. Also, support a healthy vagina.
If the count of lactobacilli is low in your gut, there are chances of the growth of harmful bacteria. The harmful bacteria can enter the vaginal canal, and it leads to infection.
How to maintain your gut and vaginal health?
I guess the connection between the vaginal microbiome and our gut health is pretty clear now. Whatever we eat or drink will not only affect your gut but also impacts your vaginal health.
If you are concerned about keeping a balance between both, then leave your worries here. I have mentioned the top foods that help to balance both your gut and vaginal health.
- Fiber-rich food: You should include legumes, nuts, and seeds, fresh fruits, and vegetables in your diet. They provide fiber, required vitamins, and nutrients. Fiber-rich food keeps your digestion and elimination of waste material regular. Also, it helps our gut and vaginal microbiomes grow by feeding good bacteria. Good bacteria need to survive and crowd out harmful bacteria.
- Fermented Foods: Fermented foods include sauerkraut, kefir, kombucha, kimchi, tempeh, miso, and (low-sugar) yogurt. These foods contain good bacteria that support gut and vaginal health. Fermented foods keep the vaginal ph-balanced, i.e., in the ideal acidic range.
- Drink more water: Water not only keeps us hydrated but helps in the digestion and elimination of waste material. Water helps to flush out most of the bacteria that can cause gut or vaginal problems. It is essential to clean your system daily. A glass of warm water with squeezed lemon works excellent for it.
Along with a balanced diet and drinking a lot of water, you should maintain personal hygiene also.
4. Probiotics: Probiotic-rich foods contain propitious gut bacteria. Probiotics boost your gut and vaginal health by replenishing the good bacteria the little guys already in your gut require to flourish.
There is one issue with probiotic-rich foods. Some people can not handle the strong taste of probiotics. It becomes difficult for them to take enough portions to see any benefits. But we have a solution for this also. You can add probiotics in supplement form to your diet. Sounds fantastic, right?
If you are the one who cannot eat probiotic food, then we would recommend you “andMe Probiotic + Prebiotic Drink.” This super drink promotes the growth of good bacteria, balances vaginal pH levels, and decreases chances of bacterial infection. It has Amla as well as Ashoka. They help to prevent vaginal yeast infections. andMe Probiotic + Prebiotic Drink curated with the goodness of 2 billion CFUs active culture of bacillus coagulans. Don’t hesitate to try it once.
Proper nutrition is crucial to maintain the gut microbiome as well as the vaginal microbiome. Your body is just like a machine; every part is connected. The right fuel and proper maintenance will help the machine to run for a long time.
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