12 Ways You Can Look After Your Digestive System in 2020

We are inundated with advice on eating healthy, watching what we drink and exercising regularly, and yes although these are all aspects that contribute to good digestive health, there are some other factors that should also be given some consideration! In this blog entry we take a look at those factors that haven’t quite been given the awareness that they should have done, so here are our 12 less known ways you can look after your digestive health.Looking after your digestive system is imperative to your overall health and wellbeing.

Blood Transfusions Before 1991

If you had a blood transfusion before 1991 (or later in other countries), or have ever injected drugs (even once), you are at some risk of carrying Hepatitis C. This can be asymptomatic for many years but can eventually cause serious liver disease. There is now simple and highly effective treatment for this illness. So, if you think there is even a small risk that you could be a carrier, ask your GP, or a sexual health clinic, to arrange a blood test for Hepatitis C.

Hepatitis B Vaccination

There is now a national programme for vaccinating young children against Hepatitis B, but it will take a long time for the whole population to be immune. While the carriage rate of Hepatitis B in the UK is low, it is highly infectious via sexual intercourse without condoms. Therefore, if you want to be completely protected, ask your GP, or a sexual health clinic to be vaccinated. This particularly applies to those ‘starting out’ on their sexual journey, if you have many partners, if you are a man who has sex with men, or if you are thinking of having ‘holiday sex’ abroad.

Weight Watching

Watch your weight. It is now clear that a prolonged period of being overweight not only increases the risk of Diabetes, but also of various cancers, and of Fatty Liver Disease which is an increasing cause of Cirrosis, liver failure and liver cancer.

Screen for Bowel Cancer

If you get an invitation to take part in the Bowel Cancer screening programme, then take part. This will either be a single lower bowel examination aged 55, or regular stool testing kits from aged 60. You should take part in both. Bowel cancer is very curable if diagnosed early, particularly before symptoms start, and the screening may show up polyps, which are not actually cancers, and by removing them you are preventing them from changing into cancer.

Monitor Indigestion

General indigestion is common. However, if it is new for you, persistent, and if there is vomiting or difficulty swallowing, see your GP. This could be the earliest sign of gullet or stomach cancer

Poo Health

‘Blood in poo’ is common. Haemorrhoids (piles) are the commonest cause. However, if the bleeding is persistent, darker red, or mixed with the stool, tell your GP who will make an urgent referral for Colonoscopy. Bowel cancers can present this way, and early diagnose confers major benefits.

Change in Toilet pattern

Similarly, if there is a change in your bowel/toilet pattern, on the looser side, lasting for more than three weeks, tell your GP who will make an urgent referral for a Colonoscopy. Bowel cancers can present this way, and early diagnose confers major benefits.

Increase Dietary Fibre

Solid scientific data that increased dietary fibre is good for us is lacking, but it is certainly not harmful, and most Westerners eat much less than those in developing countries. Make a conscious effort to increase your daily intake of dietary fibre.

Stay Hydrated

There is no set amount of water that we should drink. However, you should avoid long periods of thirst, or feeling weak and light headed due to some degree of dehydration. Your urine should be reasonably plentiful and not too yellow. It is reasonable to aim at between 1.5 and 2 litres of fluid daily.

Drink mindfully

England’s Chief Medical Officer has set a ‘safe drinking limit’ of 14 units per week for men and women. There are many on-line and App sources to calculate and keep track of your weekly intake. Many people find these useful, because, when asked, most people under-estimate their consumption. Even if you feel that 14 units is too restrictive for you, it is good to know what is your regular amount.

Up Your Vitamins

For most healthy people, vitamin and mineral supplements probably do not confer much benefit. However, many of us are short of vitamin D, particularly in winter (less sunlight to manufacture vitamin D in the skin) and people with darker skin. Women contemplating pregnancy or actively trying to get pregnant should take an extra 400mcg Folate daily to reduce the risk of spinal defects in the baby. There is some evidence that extra B vitamins in the over 50’s reduces the Dementia risk and extra Lutein reduces the risk of macular degeneration in the eyes.

Aneurysm Screening

In the UK, there is a screening programme in men, at the age of 65, to see if they have an Aortic Aneurysm (a potentially dangerous swelling in the main abdominal artery). It involves a simple, painless and harmless ultrasound scan, done by an operator skilled in Aneurysm screening. If you have not been called for this, look on-line and make contact with your local center (the Aneurysm risk is much lower in women which is why they are not screened).

If you are concerned or need help with anything mentioned in this blog entry, do not ignore it and get in touch with your local GP or seek the help of a Gastroenterologist like myself.