Weight Gain and Gut Health: The Surprising Link
Chris D. Meletis, ND (with permission from cpmedical.net, access pin: 587556)
There are many factors that can affect how easily people gain or lose weight. These include everything from balanced blood sugar to lack of exercise to sleep loss to toxins in the environment (as discussed in the January newsletter). But one of the more surprising reasons why weight management programs can be unsuccessful is the failure to recognize the connection between gut health and body weight. In fact, when the other factors listed above aren’t tended to, the inflammation that occurs in the gut and in the body as a result may be a primary reason for weight gain.
Weight management is a major concern for many individuals as reflected by the fact that the number of people with larger than normal body mass index has increased 60 percent within the past 20 years. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 33 percent of adult Americans have a larger than normal body mass index and 66 percent of American adults are overweight.1-2 Deaths related to having a larger than normal body mass index have climbed to more than 300,000 a year—second only to tobacco-related deaths.1-2
