At the most inconvenient moments, your stomach suddenly starts rumbling—but when you actually sit on the toilet, nothing happens. Few things are as frustrating as this. Irregular bowel urges often stem from an unhealthy gut environment, and when the gut fails to function properly, it can negatively affect metabolism and circulation throughout the body. We spoke with Dr. Tae-gyun Kim, a family medicine specialist from HiDoc, about how to address these common “gut troubles” that disrupt daily life.

Q. People often say, “A healthy gut means a healthy body.” What exactly does the gut do?

A. The gut plays a crucial role in our body. It acts like a sponge, absorbing nutrients from the food we eat. In particular, it’s important to note that it absorbs glucose and cholesterol.

You may have heard of “blood sugar.” When foods like rice or bread are digested, they are broken down into glucose, which is then absorbed in the gut. This glucose enters the bloodstream and becomes what we call blood sugar—the body’s primary source of energy.

The gut also absorbs cholesterol. When cholesterol levels become excessive, blood vessels can narrow, increasing the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

This is why we say that a healthy gut leads to a healthy body. A well-functioning gut supports energy production and helps prevent cardiovascular diseases.

Q. How can we improve gut health?

A. To understand gut health, we first need to look at the bacteria living in the gut. There are about 100 trillion microorganisms in our intestines. Of these, about 85% are beneficial bacteria that support gut health, while 15% are harmful bacteria that can cause issues.

A healthy gut maintains a balance where beneficial bacteria dominate. When this balance is disrupted—due to stress or other factors—harmful bacteria can increase, leading to various symptoms and health problems. This imbalance can also interfere with glucose absorption and cholesterol regulation.

The key to gut health is maintaining beneficial bacteria. To do this, we need to provide them with proper “food,” known as prebiotics. Regular intake of prebiotics helps create an environment where beneficial bacteria can thrive.

In fact, studies show that a single beneficial bacterium can multiply to as many as 250 billion within just one day when prebiotics are consumed. Prebiotics are commonly found in plant-based foods such as walnuts, onions, oatmeal, lentils, corn, chives, and apples.

Q. What should we look for when choosing prebiotics?

A. It’s best to choose plant-based prebiotics that do not contain harmful additives. Since there are many products on the market, comparing options can be helpful.

Recently, products made from partially hydrolyzed guar gum (derived from guar beans) have been gaining attention. Guar beans are primarily grown in the arid regions of northern India. Because they grow in harsh desert environments, they have excellent moisture-retaining properties and are rich in nutrients.

Partially hydrolyzed guar gum is made by processing the nutrient-rich endosperm of guar beans. It not only serves as a prebiotic that promotes the growth of beneficial gut bacteria, but also functions as a dietary fiber that supports bowel movements. Additionally, it has been shown to help reduce blood sugar and cholesterol levels.

For example, one study found that after one week of consuming this ingredient, the proportion of beneficial gut bacteria increased from 14.7% to 31.7%. Another study showed that after two weeks, both blood sugar and cholesterol levels decreased significantly.

When selecting prebiotics, it’s important to consider not only gut health benefits but also their broader impact on overall health.

Q. It’s interesting that it also helps with blood sugar and cholesterol. How does it work in the body?

A. The mechanism is actually reflected in its name. The “gum” in guar gum refers to its sticky nature. When consumed, partially hydrolyzed guar gum turns into a gel-like substance in the stomach and binds with glucose and cholesterol.

This reduces the amount of glucose and cholesterol absorbed in the small intestine, helping prevent sharp spikes in blood sugar after meals and suppressing increases in LDL (bad) cholesterol levels.

These effects have been confirmed in multiple human studies. In one study, taking this ingredient for three months reduced post-meal blood sugar by about 13%. Another study showed that after 12 months, post-meal blood sugar decreased by about 25%, HDL (good) cholesterol increased by 24%, and LDL cholesterol decreased.

Its growing popularity is not only due to its health benefits but also its convenience. It comes in a tasteless powder form, making it easy to add to rice, smoothies, or other foods.

Source: 하이닥 (https://news.hidoc.co.kr/)