Understand how modern habits are harming your gut health

The hectic pace of cities has completely transformed the way people eat, sleep and manage their bodies. Between short deadlines, excessive screen time and hastily prepared meals, the intestine has become one of the organs that suffers the most from the effects of contemporary life.

The consequences are manifested by symptoms such as bloating, abdominal pain, constipation, diarrhea and a feeling of slow digestion. The intestine is considered the “second brain” of the body and therefore reacts to external stimuli with great sensitivity.

Fast food and ultra-processed foods

The menu based on fast food, industrialized seasonings and ultra-processed products reduced the variety of nutrients ingested. These foods contain a low amount of fiber and a high concentration of additives, which alters intestinal pH and depletes the diversity of beneficial microorganisms.

Without enough fiber, beneficial bacteria stop producing substances that keep the colon healthy, while artificial compounds inflame the lining and make the intestinal barrier more open than ideal – a condition called increased intestinal permeability.

“Today we are witnessing a dietary model that combines speed, high calorie content and low nutritional quality. This combination depletes the intestinal flora and changes the way the intestine moves, because it must adapt to increasingly artificial stimuli,” explains gastroenterologist Alexandre Fontoura Bezerra, from the Selecta Vie clinic, in Brasilia.

Monotony has also become an important factor. Always eating the same options, often of poor quality, further reduces bacterial diversity. The result is a more sensitive gut, susceptible to gas, irregular bowel movements and discomfort after meals.

A diet based on fast food and ready-made products depletes the microbiota and makes the intestinal barrier more vulnerable

Continuous stress and excess screen time

The body responds to stress by activating areas of the brain linked to alertness and anxiety: these regions end up becoming hyperactive and interfering with the commands sent to the gut. This disorganization causes a change in the rhythm of the organ and can accelerate intestinal transit too much, favoring episodes of diarrhea or making it slower and prone to constipation.

In many people, the result is increased abdominal tenderness and signs consistent with irritable bowel syndrome. Lack of sleep is another aggravating factor: with short or fragmented nights, the body loses part of the coordination responsible for the digestive cycle. The intestine responds by becoming more stuck, distended and prone to pain.

“The intestine functions as a delicate ecosystem, which depends on its regularity. Every time the diet changes suddenly or meals are taken under stress, the good bacteria fail to establish themselves and the body begins to react in an unstable way,” explains nutritionist Thyago Nishino, from São Paulo.

Recurrent medication use

Another factor that worsens gut health is excessive and inappropriate use of medications. Frequent consumption of antibiotics reduces the diversity of the microbiota, weakens the natural protective barrier and creates conditions for unwanted organisms to multiply more easily.

Medications used to control acid production can also have significant effects. Without proper monitoring, they modify the pH and interfere with the bowel movement, promoting episodes of discomfort.

Simple antacids tend to have minor effects, but repeated use of any type of medication tends to affect the stability of the gut flora and the response of the digestive system as a whole.

Signs that the intestine is overloaded

Changes in stool usually appear before any other symptoms. A more intense smell than usual, the presence of mucus, fragmentation or oscillation between diarrhea and constipation are signs that the intestine has started to react to the rapid rhythm of routine.

These changes also include excess gas, recurring abdominal pain and a persistent feeling of bloating. This set of symptoms indicates that the digestive system is struggling to maintain its balance and is already feeling the impacts of modern habits.

Follow the Health and Science editor on Instagram and stay up to date with everything on the subject!