Spooky season is officially upon us, which means that decorations that include bugs and bones can be found everywhere you look. Although these things make for great Halloween decorations, they are also both things that can be found inside your body that are vital to your overall health and well-being.
Okay, we aren’t saying that you have literal bugs crawling around inside of you. But you do have microscopic organisms like bacteria that are known to live both in and on your body, particularly in your gut. And you may not realize it, but these ‘bugs’ have the ability to influence your health in a variety of ways, including impacting the health of your oh-so-important bones.
The Basics of Bone Health
Your bones are what provide your body with structural support so that you can use your muscles to perform daily tasks like walking, cooking, cleaning, or holding a child. On top of that, your bones also serve as protection for all of your important internal organs and are responsible for storing and releasing your body’s supply of calcium, which is a vital mineral for bone health as well as a variety of different body functions.
While many of us think of our bones as solid structures within us that stop changing when we reach adulthood, the truth is that our bones are constantly being remodeled with the help of cells like osteoclasts and osteoblasts. Just like other parts of your body, your bones are composed of living tissue that renews itself regularly. As this process happens, osteoclasts remove the old tissue and return calcium to the bloodstream. Meanwhile, osteoblasts get to work building new bone tissue.
This process happens all throughout your life, but like many other body functions, it slows down as you age. During the first 20 or so years of our lives, our bodies are more efficient at building bone than removing it, which helps to build bone density. However, as we age, the bone-building process slows down, and eventually, our bodies start removing bone faster than they can make it, which contributes to a decline in bone density.
How Your Gut and Bones are Connected
You’ve probably heard before that your gut is at the core of your overall health, and it’s true. Your gut health impacts nearly every other aspect of your health including brain health, skin health, immune health, and even your bone health.
During the last 20 years, a variety of different studies have linked compromised gut health to a decrease in bone mass, which suggests that the human gut and skeletal system are interconnected. While scientists have yet to uncover the exact mechanisms for how the gut microbiome influences bone health, research has shown that this connection has something to do with the composition of the gut microbiome.
One study showed that people whose skeletal system has been weakened by various health conditions experience bone loss in correlation with the presence of certain gut microbes. Meanwhile, another study found a connection between the diversity of the gut microbiome and the severity of bone loss. Don’t worry though, it’s not all doom and gloom. Research has also uncovered that consuming probiotics daily may help slow down the bone loss that occurs as we age.
Another interesting connection between gut health and skeletal health is your immune system. Remember how we said that your bones go through a remodeling process throughout your whole life? Well, your immune system plays a large role in the healing, repair, and regeneration of all the tissues in your body, including the remodeling of your bone tissue. If your immune system is weak or overworked, it won’t have the resources needed to support the process of remodeling your bones, which can ultimately lead to a loss in bone density.
So what does this have to do with your gut health? A lot actually! Your gut and immune system are very closely intertwined. In fact, nearly 70% of your body’s immune cells reside in your gut, and the composition and diversity of your gut microbiome directly impact the health of your immune system. This means that if you are experiencing gut dysbiosis (imbalance), then your immune system is likely going to be compromised and may not be able to support the process of breaking down and rebuilding bone tissue.
How to Boost Your Bone and Gut Health
Now that you understand that your gut health definitely has the potential to impact how strong and healthy your skeletal system is, you’re probably wondering if there is a way you can support them both. And the answer is yes, you absolutely can. Here are 3 things you can start doing today that will help nourish your gut and support strong, healthy bones.
1. Take Probiotics
You can never go wrong with probiotics in your life. You can get them from foods like yogurt, kimchi, sauerkraut, miso, and cheese, or you can opt to get them in supplement form. Either way, these probiotics will help boost your gut health by seeding your gut microbiome with beneficial bacteria. This will help ensure that your gut is feeling its best, which will allow it to have a beneficial impact on other areas of health like that of your bones.
2. Eat the Right Foods
In order to help provide your gut and the rest of your body with all the important nutrients it needs to function optimally, your diet should be rich in plant-based foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, and whole grains. For even more support for your skeletal system, you’ll also want to add in some bone broth which will help supply your body with plenty of vitamins and minerals as well as bone-supporting proteins like collagen and glucosamine.
3. Get Plenty of Exercise
We all know that regular exercise is an important part of living a healthy lifestyle, and it’s especially important for both regulating your gut health and supporting your bones. Even moderate exercise can support beneficial gut microbes as well as help build strong bones and slow down the loss of bone density. Engaging in physical activities like walking, jogging, aerobics, dancing, and weight lifting are all great options here.
Support Your Body With Essentials
Here at New Earth, we understand the importance of keeping both your gut and bones healthy, which is why we created Essentials—nature’s daily health pack.
These convenient daily packets contain everything you need to provide your gut with all the nourishment and support it needs to stay in tip-top shape so that it can help keep your skeletal system and other systems in your body as healthy as possible. With your daily dose of probiotics, digestive enzymes, and the powerful superfood known as organic Wild Microalgae™, Essentials is truly the ultimate daily gut health pack.
The best part? You can put it to the test risk-free with our 60-day money-back guarantee. So go ahead. Support all the bugs and bones in your body by adding Essentials to your daily routine.