According to the survey published in Gastroenterology, 40% of adults in the world suffer from at least one gastrointestinal disorder and in most cases it is irritable bowel. People with these problems go to the doctor more often and use more drugs than the rest of the population. Stressful situations due to pandemic enforced closures have contributed to increased disturbances of this type. It must be understood that we are faced with functional pathologies of the digestive tract that explode when there is something wrong with the connection between the intestine, the brain and the functions of the microbiota.
The irritable bowel problem can start from the brain: in a situation of stress and tension, the signals from the main organ of the central nervous system to the intestine are changed. This change determines a permeability of the intestinal barrier: fragments of microbes of the intestinal flora are allowed to pass into the blood, which can trigger micro-inflammations. The inflammatory state is a protective response of the organism, but if the discomfort perceived by our brain continues, the inflammatory states are repeated until they lead to autoimmune diseases. It’s amazing how everything is connected to our brain and our emotions. There are conditions that must put us on alert: first of all heartburn that is not linked to clear causes such as a large meal. We must take action with the controls if there is a weight loss of 5% without a reason. Another alarm bell is the continued use of anti-inflammatories: in the long run they can trigger different types of problems. You should contact your doctor if along with the gastrointestinal disorders there is also malaise and fever that do not depend on the flu. Unusual gastrointestinal symptoms, which last for three months, should also put us on alert. Furthermore, you should never underestimate the dark or bloody stools. Another issue to keep in mind is that of familiarity: if there is already a case of stomach, colon, pancreas cancer in the family, it means that there may be a genetic predisposition and then prevention and screening become fundamental.
PREVENTION AND BALANCE OF THE MICROBIOTA
The watchword is balance in nutrition: by now we are all aware of it. We cannot expect to overeat and stay healthy. The first rule is not to overeat and not to drink too much. There are some organisms that do not tolerate too acidic foods: in these cases they must be avoided. With Professor Mauro Minelli we have repeatedly faced the problem of the intestinal microbiota, a real organ made up of a ‘microbial community’ whose imbalance can give rise to a whole series of pathologies. Improper nutrition, drug abuse and other problems by altering the microbiota create an organic imbalance that gives rise to a whole series of pathologies. We are not looking for useful remedies for everyone, there is no standard diet that can make anyone stay healthy: the only answer is to study the individual organism and adapt treatments and nutrition to that particular type of microbiota. To treat the irritable bowel, it is first necessary to understand what kind of imbalance has been created in the patient’s microbiota trying to remedy the imbalances, but let’s get out of our minds that there is a single cure for everyone. However, we can try to limit the damage with a healthy lifestyle and with the least possible number of stressful situations.
Gaetano Gorgoni
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