Keep your stomach healthy whilst trying to lose weight
As the summer approaches many people are embarking upon weight loss diets, but they could in fact leave you feeling worse; as new research reveals the effect they have on our digestive health.
This survey among 2,000 men and women shows that a significant number of us have tried lots of different diets with 80% of women admitting to trying some diet versus 56% of men. The Atkins diet and the Cabbage Soup diet are the most popular among a quarter and a fifth of us respectively.
Notably however is that almost half of us, 45%, complain that diets have caused digestive woes. This appears to be a particular issue for those aged 25-34 with 55% stating it has caused them digestive issues.
What’s more, almost half of us think our digestive health affects our weight, with one in five of us tending to gain weight and one in ten of us retaining fluid.
Dr Chris Etheridge from the Henry Potter Advisory Committee, an expert health panel for Potter's Herbals, says: “It is so important to be aware that our digestive health can affect our weight, with so many of us apparently unable to maintain our weight at a healthy level. Addressing our digestive health is an important part of looking after ourselves, alongside diet and physical activity for reaching a healthy BMI. Research shows how the gastrointestinal tract contributes several peptides that act as signals in metabolic pathways influencing energy balance and hence body weight. Keeping our digestive health in tip-top condition is vital for weight management as well as our overall health."
"Herbs such as senna, psyllium, dandelion, peppermint, fennel and buckthorn have been used for centuries to help digestive health.”
Most of us are no strangers to stress and the effect stress can have on our digestive health. Bloating, gurgling tummy and stomach pain can affect any of us when we feel stressed. Research by Potter's Herbals found that a massive 92% of us suffer from stress at least some of the time. It will come as no surprise that work is the biggest source of stress with more than a third saying that either too much work or too much pressure at work is causing stress. Commuting to and from work is a source of stress for more than one in five of us, while children also caused stress among a similar proportion of respondents. All in all it’s almost impossible to avoid stress and though some stress is likely good for us, too much can cause our digestive health to suffer.
The research by Potter's Herbals shows that stress causes poor digestive health in more than half of us with the most frequent troublesome symptoms listed as:
- Diarrhoea 29%
- Stomach cramps 18%
- Bloating 16%
- Wind 15%
- Constipation 12%
- Heartburn 11%
- Painful stomach 10%
Both men and women are equally affected across all ages. Although men suffer from less bloating than women (13% vs 18%), men suffer from more wind (16%) than women (13%).
Tagged in Diet