Often, beverages become a staple in our daily routines. They lift your spirits when you're feeling drained. However, the very drinks you rely on for comfort and energy might be quietly damaging your gut health.
Gut health plays a significant role in overall well-being, influencing systems like the gut-immune and gut-brain axes. The latter highlights how closely our digestive health is linked to our mental state.
While your favorite drink might seem like the perfect remedy for stress or fatigue, it could actually be doing more harm than good, especially when considering the gut’s role in emotional and mental balance.
Beyond the gut-brain connection, certain beverages have a direct negative effect on your digestive system, potentially worsening issues like bloating, indigestion, or discomfort.
Dr. Mamina Turegano, an Indian dermatologist based in Louisiana, recently shared insights on Instagram about how popular drinks could be disrupting your gut health. Some of the most commonly consumed beverages made it to her caution list—so it might be time to reconsider what’s in your cup.
Coffee
Coffee can worsen or cause acid reflux. The caffeine can relax the lower muscles in your oesophagus, which can increase your risk for acid reflux.
Energy drinks
In addition to the excess caffeine, is that they also contain artificial sweeteners, and some just contain straight up sugar. And sucralose, which is a popular sweetener, has been shown to cause damage to your healthy gut bacteria.
Carbonated beverages
What people like most about energy drinks is the carbonation. If you deal with bloating, it can make bloating worse.
Whey protein drinks
They are great sources of protein, but they can be problematic in some people; they can affect gut health and worsen acne in people.
The drinks Dr Mamina shared and explained are all daily beverages that you have every day.
They are not exotic or rare drinks but something you reach for regularly without a second thought, while your gut health silently pays the price. Dr Mamina revealed that moderation is the key, and it's not required to cut back on them. Overindulgence of anything is not good, and being mindful can help you go a long way.
Courtesy: Hindustan Times
Bd-pratidin English/FNC
