Let's talk about the gut.
It's an organ that controls much more of our health than we imagined a few years ago — and it has become an increasing concern, especially for those who have spent a lifetime jumping from diet to diet, or for those who are now using the famous weight-loss injections. In both cases, the gut is often one of the most affected organs.
I decided to write about this because, as an exercise physiologist, it's impossible to talk about health and performance without talking about the gut.
A few years ago, we thought the gut was only for one thing: digestion and expulsion. Today, we know it regulates your mood, your immune system, your energy, how you absorb nutrients — and even how you gain or lose weight.
Yes. Your gut plays a direct role in your metabolism.
And it's no coincidence that so many people who struggle to lose weight also have gut problems. One thing influences the other.
If you have that persistent bloating — you put on your trousers in the morning and they fit well, but by the end of the day, your belly seems different — or if you feel abdominal discomfort, gas, lack of energy, this article is for you.
I'll explain what your gut truly regulates, the signs that something is out of balance, and a simple protocol you can start applying this week.
Your Gut Is Your Second Brain — Literally
Here's a fact that often surprises those who hear me for the first time: 90% of serotonin — the hormone we call "the happiness hormone" — is produced in your gut, not your brain.
So, if we wanted to be happy, would taking care of our gut be enough?
Partially. And I say partially because this statement, alone, is incomplete.
What happens is that your gut is directly connected to your brain by a nerve called the vagus nerve. It's what facilitates communication between the two. And this connection is reinforced by something remarkable: your gut has between 100 and 500 million neurons — more neurons than your spinal cord.
Think of it like a car. The brain is the steering wheel — it makes the decisions. The gut is the engine. And the neurons are the electrical wires connecting one to the other. If one fails, the other feels it.
The serotonin produced in the gut is not, in fact, used by the brain — it's used in digestion. The feeling of happiness comes from the serotonin that the brain itself produces, about 10% of the total. And that production depends on an amino acid called tryptophan, which is absorbed... in the gut.
In other words: if your gut microbiota is unbalanced, you absorb less tryptophan. Less tryptophan means less serotonin in the brain. And less serotonin means a higher probability of feeling down or more anxious.
Foods rich in tryptophan include turkey, eggs, salmon, tuna, sardines, lean meat, aged cheeses, and Greek yogurt.
But the gut-brain connection goes beyond serotonin. Even without it, the vagus nerve directly alerts the brain when something in the gut is not right — inflammation, distension, imbalance. This is called the gut-brain axis, and you'll hear more and more about it.
In practice: if your gut is not well, you will feel more stress, less energy, more anxiety — and your satiety is also affected. When you eat, the gut releases hormones that tell the brain you are full. One of them is GLP-1, the same hormone that is the basis of the currently much-discussed weight-loss injections. Your body already produces GLP-1 naturally — just not in the quantity that an injection produces.
If your gut is inflamed, this release of satiety hormones fails. The signal arrives late, or arrives weaker. This is why so many people with damaged guts feel constant hunger and can't explain why.
What Your Microbiota Is (And Why Having "Bad" Bacteria Is Normal)
The intestinal flora, or gut microbiota, is the collection of bacteria that live inside you, in balance.
You have good bacteria — which help digest, absorb nutrients, and protect the intestinal walls. And you have bad bacteria, which can cause problems if they multiply excessively.
And here's something that might surprise you: bad bacteria are also necessary, in controlled amounts. The function of good bacteria is not to eliminate them — it's to prevent them from growing too much. Think of them as police, maintaining order.
When this balance breaks down, symptoms appear that many people feel but don't associate with the gut: abdominal bloating, that balloon belly, discomfort, sharp pains in the abdominal area, lack of energy, and even brain fog — that feeling of forgetting a word in the middle of a sentence.
7 Signs Your Gut May Be Unbalanced
Pay attention to these seven signs. They don't replace a medical diagnosis — but if you recognize several of them, it's worth investigating.
1. Bloated belly. This can be persistent abdominal fat (the last to go, by nature), visceral fat (which also affects thin people, linked to stress, sleep, and alcohol), or intestinal inflammation. The clearest sign of intestinal origin: the belly is normal in the morning and inflates throughout the day.
2. Irregular transit. Days without going to the toilet, followed by sudden urgency. The norm is to evacuate at least once a day. More than one day without it is already a warning sign.
3. Excessive and strong-smelling gas. Indicates prolonged fermentation of foods that your bacteria have difficulty digesting — usually due to a lack of bacterial diversity.
4. Constant sugar cravings. A sign that the satiety signal between the gut and brain is delayed or weak.
5. Persistent lack of energy, even without physical exertion to justify it.
6. Brain fog. Difficulty concentrating, forgetting words in the middle of sentences — often mistaken for "getting old," when in reality it can be intestinal inflammation.
7. Anxiety and bad mood for no apparent reason. Linked to serotonin production, which directly depends on your gut health.
The keyword here is may. None of this replaces clinical analyses and medical supervision — it's a map of signs, not a definitive diagnosis.
The Four Enemies of Your Gut
Stress. When you're stressed, blood is diverted from the center of the body to the extremities — an ancestral survival response. This slows down or stops digestion. Stagnant food ferments, and fermentation bloats the belly.
Antibiotics. They save lives, but they come at a cost: they also kill good bacteria, not just bad ones. It's not a reason to avoid them when necessary — it's a reason never to self-medicate with them.
Alcohol. There is no safe dose for your microbiota. Even a beer or a glass of wine affects the balance of the intestinal flora.
Ultra-processed foods. Sugar and refined food directly feed bad bacteria. Every sweet you eat is, literally, giving them what they like most.
The 5-Step Protocol I Recommend to My Clients
1. Vegetables with every main meal. Broccoli, spinach, tomatoes, lettuce — any vegetable works. They are rich in fiber, which feeds good bacteria, and low in calories.
2. Probiotics — through diet and supplementation. Fiber only works if you have enough bacteria to use it. If your bacterial diversity is low, you need to replenish those bacteria first. Greek yogurt and kefir help through food; supplementation speeds up the process.
It was exactly with this in mind that I helped develop Gut Reset, PrimeCell's new probiotic — a formula with 5 live strains from 3 different families of gut-friendly bacteria, offering more diversity than most probiotics available in pharmacies. It can support the reduction of bloating, inflammation, and gas, provide more energy, and strengthen the immune system and gut-brain communication.
3. Regular sleep. Your microbiota functions like a clock. If you sleep at inconsistent hours — late during the week, even later on weekends — you disrupt your gut as much as you disrupt your sleep.
4. Strength training, at least 3 times a week. It's not just about aesthetics. Muscles absorb blood sugar when you train them, which means less food available for bad bacteria and, consequently, less intestinal inflammation.
5. Reduce the enemies. Alcohol, ultra-processed foods, self-medicated antibiotics, chronic stress. Reducing these four factors, without changing anything else, already drastically improves your gut health.
To Recap
Your gut isn't just for digestion. It controls your sleep, your energy, your mood, your food cravings, and even how you gain or lose weight.
Abdominal bloating is not just aesthetic — it's a warning. Just like persistent gas, a sharp pain, or lack of energy. It needs to be looked at, it has a solution, and it can be taken care of.
Important Health Information
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Dietary supplements are designed to support gut well-being when combined with balanced nutrition and regular exercise. Results may vary per individual. Consult your healthcare professional before starting any new supplementation regimen, especially if you have existing health conditions or take medication.
The statements in this article have not been evaluated by regulatory authorities. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
