Dec
A festive quiz for you. Question. What percentage of our immune system resides in the gut?
Answer. 70-80% – which may be worth remembering as we spend the week stockpiling food for the holidays, and start preparing for the annual calorie fest.
There are many reasons why great gut health is so intrinsic to overall health and prevention of chronic disease, and is its relationship to systemic inflammation is one of the most important ones. An imbalanced microbiome combined with a compromised cellular lining means that food particles and toxins can get into our bloodstream. This then alerts our immune system and sets off an inflammatory response, which can also can cause skin issues including acne, eczema and rosacea, hormone imbalances, thyroid dysfunction, joint pain, brain fog, low energy and lack of libido (hold off the extra mince pies!)
The good news is that CBD has been shown to modulate both acute and systemic inflammation. It does this by preventing the production of cytokines and interleukins (that’s the proteins that signals to our immune system it’s time to set off an inflammatory response), resulting in therapeutic benefits for those suffering with IBS, colitis, gas, bloating and other related problems.
CBD is also great for digestive health because its cortisol lowering benefits help to prevent leaky gut syndrome too. Cortisol is a catabolic hormone, breaking down tissues in the body, resulting in a destructive effect on the thick lining of our GI tract. Managing our cortisol levels is one of the most important aspect of a well functioning digestive system.
For all the above reasons, CBD has also been shown to help regulate appetite, which can be helpful if you suffer from bloating due to eating too much or too frequently, or on the flip side of that, if you struggle to eat enough due to stress sometimes.
So as Christmas approaches and we are tempted by an abundance of food and alcohol, starting to use CBD now in what ever form your prefer, seems like a very good idea
