Why gut health isn’t just for influencers

You can’t go far without running into some form of the gut health trend these days. Whether you’re seeing probiotic sodas pop up in your local supermarket or watching influencers tout dubious home remedies in one of the 1.3 million posts tagged #GutHealth on TikTok, products that cater to our digestive health have ballooned into a market worth tens of billions of dollars.

The hype isn’t limited to social media. In fact, much of the excitement around gut health has been driven by new research suggesting that the gut microbiome plays an even larger role in overall health than previously known. The number of academic papers mentioning the terms “gut health” or the “gut microbiome” has increased by 4,300 percent in the past decade, according to Business Insider. Studies have shown that our gut contributes to everything from regulating the immune system to affecting our mental health.

Tiny organisms, big impact

One of the gut’s most important jobs is protecting the body from harmful pathogens. The microbiome helps “train” the immune system to recognize and respond appropriately to harmful invaders, enhancing the body’s ability to fight infections. Helpful gut bacteria also occupy space and consume nutrients that would otherwise be available to harmful microbes, making it harder for pathogens to establish themselves in the gut. Some gut microbes also produce compounds like short-chain fatty acids, which directly inhibit or kill pathogenic bacteria.

When the gut is damaged, however, there can be lasting consequences—especially for children facing repeated enteric infections caused by diarrheal disease. Repeat infections can lead to intestinal inflammation and damage, impairing nutrient absorption. This disruption in gut health may lead to malnutrition, stunted growth, delayed cognitive development, and increased vulnerability to infections like diarrhea and pneumonia.

Climate change is also shifting the complex systems of our gut microbiota, as higher temperatures increase stress hormones in the body and cause harmful microbes like e. Coli and Shigella to thrive in the external environment. Low- and middle-income countries are more vulnerable to the health effects of climate change, including extreme weather like flooding that can raise the risk of waterborne diarrheal diseases.

From gut health to global health

Passing gut health trends like oil pulling and okra water will likely fade from the zeitgeist in a few years. But the growing scientific interest in the gut microbiome has potential to improve our understanding of how diarrheal disease affects overall health.

The good news is that we don’t need to wait for the next big breakthrough to save lives today. By preventing diarrheal disease with an integrated approach—one that includes interventions like vaccines, water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), nutrition and breastfeeding, and oral rehydration solution (ORS) and zinc—we can help more children grow up healthy and strong.

Gut health may be trending, but for millions of children, it’s a matter of survival—and one we can no longer afford to overlook.