Gut surgeon: Simple ways to improve gut health | Dr. Karan Rajan

🥑 Make smarter food choices. Become a member at https://zoe.com - 10% off with code PODCAST Your body has two brains. And your second brain is your gut. Many think the “gut” is only the stomach - but it’s a network of organs, working together to regulate many different areas of health. When almost half of us suffer with gastrointestinal issues, learning how these organs interact is vital to improving symptoms. On this episode, we’re joined by Dr Karan Rajan. When Karan’s not teaching his 10 million social media followers about common medical myths, he’s an NHS surgeon, operating on people’s bowels. Karan will reveal how our GI issues impact way more than just our poo. Today, we explore how the gut and brain are connected, the lifestyle factors causing gut health issues and why it’s so hard for doctors to understand IBS. 🌱 Try our new plant based wholefood supplement - Daily 30+ https://zoe.com/daily30?utm_medium=zoe_podcast&utm_source=podcast_platform&utm_campaign=d30 *Naturally high in copper which contributes to normal energy yielding metabolism and the normal function of the immune system Follow ZOE on Instagram | https://instagram.com/zoe Timecodes: 00:00 Your second brain is your gut 01:30 Quickfire questions 04:05 Why your gut is more than just your stomach 05:55 Why is digestion so important? 08:32 How your nervous system impacts gut health 12:38 Common ways we irritate our gut microbiome 17:46 Antibiotics and gut health 24:17 Why gut health starts at birth 27:58 The mystery of IBS 30:45 IBS vs IBD 37:15 Why is bowel cancer on the rise? 39:30 How to keep your gut happy 43:41 Do probiotic supplements work? 48:00 Why are fermented so powerful? 50:10 Can good gut health improve mood? 51:45 What’s the criteria for an excellent daily poo? 56:55 Should we hold in farts? Get Dr Karan’s book ‘This Book May Save Your Life’ | https://amzn.to/4eCH7Nj Mentioned in this episode: Worldwide Prevalence and Burden of Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders, Results of Rome Foundation Global Study (2021), published in Gasteroenterology https://www.gastrojournal.org/article/S0016-5085(20)30487-X/pdf IBS Facts and Statistics, published by International Foundation for Gastrointestinal Disorders https://aboutibs.org/what-is-ibs/facts-about-ibs/ Epidemiological analysis reveals a surge in inflammatory bowel disease among children and adolescents: A global, regional, and national perspective from 1990 to 2019 – insights from the China study (2023), published by Journal of Global Health https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10690112/#:~:text=Globally%2C%20incidence%20cases%20of%20IBD,to%200.95%20per%20100%20000 Other ZOE Science & Nutrition episodes you might like: The Allergy Doctor: Why 1 in 10 children have a food allergy | Professor Gideon Lack https://youtu.be/4qzrLrHxS-E?si=g1bG3xvbU42FVCre Harvard Doctor: Why young people are getting colon cancer | Dr. Andy Chan https://youtu.be/sug20xXpaUw?si=HI9H8uv-8zFUhvJT Have feedback or a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know here: https://gf6hx47iu5g.typeform.com/topicsuggestion Episode transcripts are available here: https://zoe.com/learn/category/podcasts