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00:00:00 Hi and welcome. My name is Katrine and in this video I will take you through the digestive system. We will talk about what is a healthy gut and what is an unhealthy gut and also how the gut is related to your fertility. First of all I will give just a short presentation of myself so that you know who I am. My name is Katrine, I have a PhD in Biomedicine and I have done a lot of research about the gut and what happens during different gut imbalances and diseases. My name is Katrine, I have a PhD in Biomedicine and I have done a lot of research about the gut and what happens during different gut imbalances and diseases. I have studied the digestive system, the gut and diseases for many years where I have been doing research at the university for 6 years in total. So in this video I will start by giving an introduction to the digestive system, So in this video I will start by giving an introduction to the digestive system,
00:01:02 why it is important for our general health and well-being and also how it is connected to your hormones and fertility. So our digestion is fundamental to our general health and even just because of that it's very important for fertility in both women and men. But there are also other reasons which I will explain during this video. I'm not going to dive deep into the digestive system and explain to you what happens step by I'm not going to dive deep into the digestive system and explain to you what happens step by step all the way through the digestive tract. But what I want with this picture is to give you an idea of how extensive the digestive process actually is and how much of our body and organs
00:01:52 that are involved in the process. So I would like to explain some of the important roles that our digestive system has. So it is responsible for digestion of the food that we eat. It makes sure digestive system has. So it is responsible for digestion of the food that we eat. It makes sure that we absorb nutrients from our food. It is involved in elimination of waste products. Then it maintains. It attracts good guests in our gut, but it also acts as a barrier where it Then it maintains. It attracts good guests in our gut, but it also acts as a barrier where it manages and refuses bad guests that we do not want in our digestive system. Then it works as a sensory mechanism. It gives input to the immune system, nervous system and
00:02:46 regulates hormones and other neurotransmitters and then it modulates inflammation. When we look at this list there are several things that are inflammation. When we look at this list there are several things that are related to and affects the reproductive system. This is for instance absorption of micronutrients. For instance, nutrients important for fertility that could be folate, omega-3, zinc, selenium, different antioxidants. But in order to absorb and utilize these nutrients efficiently from our diet or from the supplements we maybe take, then our digestion needs to efficiently from our diet or from the supplements we maybe take, then our digestion needs to
00:03:33 function well and this is one of the reasons why the digestion is super important when we talk fertility. Another important thing that I want to mention is that the digestion has a direct effect on regulation of our hormones and I often see clients with digestive problems who also have some hormonal imbalances. The good thing about this is that when we fix their digestion many some hormonal imbalances. The good thing about this is that when we fix their digestion many times we also get control over and balance in their hormones again and this is something I have seen many times. Then there is this thing about waste products. So it can be something that enters our body through the food that we eat and that we do not want in our body.
00:04:24 enters our body through the food that we eat and that we do not want in our body. But another thing is that our gut and our gut microbiota also plays an important role in our estrogen metabolism and the removal of excess estrogen. So for women, estrogen increases before ovulation and peaks at ovulation and then it decreases again and the gut and the gut microbiota play an important role in this removal of all the extra estrogen again i see many women with play an important role in this removal of all the extra estrogen again i see many women with estrogen dominance who do not get rid of all this excessive estrogen when i ask them about their digestion then they tell me that it's not very good and they often have constipations and days
00:05:25 without going to the toilet at all but after we do some simple steps then we can actually improve without going to the toilet at all but after we do some simple steps then we can actually improve that digestion very much and simultaneously improve their estrogen metabolism finally i will talk about how the digestive system helps modulating inflammation in the body. Because a bad digestion and certain unhealthy microbes in the gut can increase the level of inflammation a bad digestion and certain unhealthy microbes in the gut can increase the level of inflammation in the body. And if you have chronically low grade of inflammation in your body, then it It can have an impact on fertility by among other things affecting the implantation of
00:06:15 the egg and for men affect the quality of the sperm. So a healthy digestion is not only necessary to make sure that you get all the nutrients that you need but also for your body to work in general. that you need but also for your body to work in general. If there is an imbalance, something is not as it is supposed to be and this will not only cause problems locally in the gut, but can affect the whole body, also the reproductive system. And this is simply because the gut is connected to most of the body.
00:06:54 Of course, we also need to clarify what is a healthy digestion. after that it will also be easier for us to talk about what an unhealthy gut and an unhealthy after that it will also be easier for us to talk about what an unhealthy gut and an unhealthy digestion is. I see a lot of people that actually do not know if they have a good or a bad digestion or someone that thinks that they have a normal digestion but then I hear about their symptoms and how their digestion works and then I can tell them that this is not normal. My experience is This is because many people think that what is common is also normal. But this is not the case.
00:07:38 This means that many people have digestive problems today, but they are not aware of it because they know many other people that also have the same problems and therefore they think that their symptoms are completely normal. One example is that I often hear people saying that it's completely normal to be bloated after eating. One example is that I often hear people saying that it's completely normal to be bloated after eating. And yes, food filling up the stomach and a mild gas production can lead to a less flat stomach later in the day compared to the flat stomach that you had when you was waking up. But it's not normal at all to look like a pregnant woman every evening. To talk about a healthy digestion, we need to talk about your stool as well.
00:08:25 To talk about a healthy digestion, we need to talk about your stool as well. Because it's actually a very good idea to take a look at what goes into the toilet. Because this can actually give very important information about your digestion and your gut. There is this Bristol scale which shows all the different forms that a stool can come out as. It goes from type 1 to type 7 and that is from hard separately balls to completely watery stool. It goes from type 1 to type 7 and that is from hard separately balls to completely watery stool. A healthy stool is most of the time at type 4. So that is a long unbroken and soft form.
00:09:16 which are easy to pass. Are you often experiencing some of the other types? That could be constipation where you need to really press everything out or it could be loose stool that come out in many where you need to really press everything out or it could be loose stool that come out in many pieces. But it can also be stool that constantly changes between different consistency. This is also not normal. Preferably you should have bowl movements on a daily basis one to two times, of course depending on how much you eat. Then we should also talk about color. Your stool should be brown and of course there are many brown colors, but your stool can also Your stool should be brown and of course there are many brown colors, but your stool can also
00:10:05 be colored by things that you eat. So did you for instance eat a lot of beetroot? Then your stool can become more reddish in color and this is completely normal and should not be confused with blood in the stool. Then it can also have a green color if you have eaten a lot of leafy greens like spinach or kale for instance. But a green or yellow color can also indicate that your food is moving spinach or kale for instance. But a green or yellow color can also indicate that your food is moving too fast through your digestive tract or maybe problems with the gallbladder. If your stool is gray or bright, it can also be due to problems with the liver. And if your stool is black, it might be blood in your stool, which originates from earlier
00:10:57 in the digestive tract. And you can also experience fresh blood in the stool if the bleeding originates from the end of the digestive tract. And you can also experience fresh blood in the stool if the bleeding originates from the end of the digestive tract. Blood is really something that you should react on and go to your doctor with. But also be aware that if you take iron supplements, this can make your stool darker and more to the black side. Besides the color, you should also be aware of if there is any mucus in your stool. Besides the color, you should also be aware of if there is any mucus in your stool. Mucus is typically a sign of an irritated and inflamed gut barrier.
00:11:38 Also look after undigested food in your stool. If this appears, it is a sign that your body is not digesting your food properly. So this was something that you can start keeping an eye on when it comes to your stool. So this was something that you can start keeping an eye on when it comes to your stool. Then of course we should also talk about an unhealthy gut and digestion. And it can show up in many different ways. You can experience symptoms directly from your gut and your digestive system. like stomach pain, constipation, diarrhea, or maybe changing stool consistency with sometimes
00:12:26 hard stool and other times loose stool. It can also be bloating, gas in the gut, reflux, and hard stool and other times loose stool. It can also be bloating, gas in the gut, reflux, and nausea. And here I'm not talking about that you have been constipated two single days for the last year because this is something you can be just because of something you have eaten a bacteria that you got or something like that so here I'm talking about that you have these symptoms on a regular basis like daily weekly monthly and so it keeps on coming back or maybe it's there all the regular basis like daily weekly monthly and so it keeps on coming back or maybe it's there all the time. But besides that, there are also other symptoms that can be a sign of an unhealthy
00:13:15 digestion. Because your gut and digestive tract is connected to many other systems in your body, like we already talked about. And if you cannot digest or absorb nutrients from your diet like we already talked about. And if you cannot digest or absorb nutrients from your diet efficiently, or if you cannot get rid of waste products or other things that you do not want in your body, then it has consequences for the rest of your body as well. So some of these symptoms that you can have, which can indicate a bad digestion, especially also if you experience them together with symptoms from your gut and digestion, they They are food allergies, skin problems like acne, eczema, psoriasis, rosea, lack of nutrients,
00:13:57 They are food allergies, skin problems like acne, eczema, psoriasis, rosea, lack of nutrients, PMS, joint pain, irregular headaches or migraines, hormonal imbalances, inflammation in the body, fatigue and lack of energy, especially also if you experience it after eating, and different mental disorders and there are solid research showing that your gut microbiota can have an mental disorders and there are solid research showing that your gut microbiota can have an impact on alzheimer's dementia depression anxiety and so on but also be aware that these symptoms are general and they are not necessarily connected to a bad digestion but can also originate from other things. But I have just experienced that these symptoms are often associated with problems
00:14:54 other things. But I have just experienced that these symptoms are often associated with problems and imbalances in the gut. So it could be an indication for you to try to give your digestion some more focus. I mean it never hurts and everyone could always need to do some extra good things for their gut no matter if you have a problem or not. Common for all these symptoms are however that they are signals from your body that something is not as it is supposed to be. There is however that they are signals from your body that something is not as it is supposed to be. There is some kind of imbalance or dysfunction that you cannot just ignore and that you should find and solve. So here in the end I would like to summarize how an unhealthy gut affects your fertility.
00:15:52 So a bad gut microbiota and an irritated gut can lead to chronic low-grade of inflammation, which can affect your hormone balance and the quality of eggs and sperm. So a bad gut microbiota and an irritated gut can lead to chronic low-grade of inflammation, which can affect your hormone balance and the quality of eggs and sperm. A bad microbiota can reduce your body's ability of absorbing nutrients that are important for fertility. Symptoms from your gut and digestion can trigger reactions of stress and anxiety, which can also affect your fertility negatively. Symptoms from your gut and digestion can trigger reactions of stress and anxiety, which can also affect your fertility negatively. Certain bad microbes in the gut are associated with higher levels of oxidative stress, which can affect both fertility in women and men. Then a bad microbiota and a permeable gut also called leaky gut can increase the risk of metabolic diseases like insulin resistance which can affect sex hormones and the fertility negatively for both women and men. Then a bad microbiota and a permeable gut also called leaky gut can increase the risk of metabolic diseases like insulin resistance which can affect sex hormones and the fertility negatively for both women and men.
00:17:05 And then dysbiosis can affect the sperm quality. Finally, I would like to give you a tool that you can use to get an indication whether you experience symptoms and problems from your digestive system or not. Because often I meet people who actually don't know it. So this might help you. It helps you becoming more aware also of feeling your body and how it reacts to different things. It helps you becoming more aware also of feeling your body and how it reacts to different things. Maybe you find a pattern or a clear explanation to your symptoms or what happens after you eat certain things. So I made you this digestion tracker that you are more than welcome to use. You can find it and download it under the video.
00:17:54 And what you do is simply tracking and writing down what you eat, how much you drink, what supplements you take and then you can check or write which symptoms you experience also your stool type but also how you sleep was both the times you were sleeping but also how you would rate the quality of your sleep and your mood and energy you fill out one every day for a period and then you see if you find any pattern or anything that is related to each other then you see if you find any pattern or anything that is related to each other which might help you then I would just like to say thank you very much for listening I hope that
00:18:43 you learned something new about your digestion and how it is related to your fertility and if you would like to know more you are more than welcome to contact me or you can also follow me on social media like Instagram where I also share knowledge, advices and so on. on social media like Instagram where I also share knowledge, advices and so on.
