1:51pm Monday 23rd August 2010
By Richard Catton
TODAY is the first day of national Gut Week. What... you didn’t know?
OK, so it’s not the sexiest subject in the world when it comes to seven days of health related campaigning and raising awareness, but it’s definitely worth checking out if you have ever suffered a stomach upset and didn’t know why, what to do about it or how to stop it happening again – and who hasn’t?
Now in its 12th year, Gut Week has the backing of big names such as celebrity chef Antony Worrall Thompson, singer and television presenter Mark Rhodes and respected experts such as Dr Maxton Pitcher, consultant gastroenterologist at St Marks Hospital.
Love your guts is the message of the whole campaign, which is a good starting point, because according to those in the know, when you love your guts, you listen to them and they tell you how you can keep them happy. And when your guts are happy – your whole body is happy – but when they’re unhappy… well, I’m sure you don’t need me to spell it out.
So, to start you off on the path to a healthy and happy digestive system, we decided to put some questions to York Hospital’s consultant gastroenterologist, Dr Alastair Turnbull, and we started by asking what exactly makes up “the guts”?
“Strictly speaking it’s anything from your mouth to your bottom,” he said. “The gut absorbs and digests everything you eat. If it isn’t working then you don’t absorb the nutrients you eat and you become very ill very quickly.”
With an estimated two million people diagnosed with a digestive disorder last year – Dr Turnbull sees a huge range of intestinal complaints, and he said hospitals throughout the UK carry out millions of operations on the digestive system each year.
Illnesses are divided into two categories - benign and malignant.
Colon cancer, a malignant condition, will affect one in 20 people in the UK this year. Dr Turnbull said its prevalence had prompted the NHS to set up the national bowel cancer screening programme.
Despite colon cancer being relatively common, he said people should not be put off going through the screening programme.
“What it is testing for is not cancer but things called polyps, which are a precursor of cancer.
“From those tests, 98 per cent prove normal. Half of the remaining two per cent are normal.”
He said 40 per cent of those remaining would have a polyp and only one in ten of those would be cancerous.
One of the most common conditions he encounters is irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). “It affects people of all ages and we are beginning to get a much better understanding of it.
“It’s associated with diet and stress. At York we now have an IBS specialist nurse.”
Of course we all hope that such conditions never affect us, but what can we do to make sure we are doing all we can to keep them at bay. The answer will come as little surprise.
“In terms of lifestyle, there’s evidence that diet makes a difference,” said Dr Turnbull.
“A diet high in fruit and vegetables may offer some protection against bowel cancer. There’s also good evidence that regular exercise reduces the risk of bowel cancer. It’s also a cancer which is associated with smoking.”
So no surprises there – eat well, get some exercise and stop smoking. Those three things should not only help you cut the risk of major digestive system disorders but also everyday complaints such as constipation, wind, heartburn and acid reflux.
All of which can bring discomfort and embarrassment but all pretty much avoidable with a few simple tips and pointers. Love Your Gut, the organisation responsible for Gut Week, offers advice on its website on the signs to watch out for – and as you would expect they are all pretty obvious.
• Indigestion developing for the first time or in mid or later life.
• Nausea or vomiting.
• Continuing unexplained weight loss.
• Diarrhoea, constipation or any alteration in bowel habit.
• Feelings of fullness, bloating or flatulence.
• Bleeding or pain when visiting the toilet.
• Generally feeling tired, lethargic or unwell in association with any abdominal symptoms All of the above are definitely worth getting checked out by your doctor if they persist.
Dr Turnbull said: “Unlike heart disease or bowel cancer, there is a real taboo about people discussing their bowels because of embarrassment. That’s really sad because there are a lot of conditions which are really treatable if caught early.
“Don’t be embarrassed – we all get them. Breaking that taboo is really important.”
As part of Gut Week, which lasts from today until Sunday, Love Your Gut is handing out special downloadable packs offering help and advice on how to be good to your digestive system.
To get yours, visit www.loveyourgut.com and follow the links.
Get sleep – Lack of sleep can have negative effect on your bowel function, appetite and body weight. Adults need one hour asleep for every two hours awake so you need to aim for eight hours sleep a night.
De-stress – Stress causes adrenaline, which in turn speeds up your digestive system and can cause diarrhoea. Making time to relax can help you minimise the effects of stress and putting in simple leisure pursuits, such as going for a walk or swim, into your weekly schedule will help you achieve this.
Eat well – Make sure your diet has plenty of variety. You need to include foods rich in fibre such as fruit and vegetables, oats and beans, moderate amounts of lean meat, fish eggs and protein and milk and dairy foods.
Dairy products – Not only do dairy products provide a good source of calcium, they also provide vitamins A, D and B2. Aim to have two to three moderate servings a day, aiming for low fat versions where possible.
Watch the booze – You don’t need to be teetotal but consuming large quantities of alcohol can irritate the lining of the stomach. Women should drink no more than two to three units a day and men three to four units.
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