Digestive System, Immunity and Athletes

The digestive and immune systems go hand in hand. The digestive system is constantly breaking down food or other substances that are entering the body – at the same time, it’s the immune system’s job to make sure that whatever enters the body is either good for the body, or is something that needs to be attacked, killed, and gotten rid of. No matter how clean the food that enters the body is, there’s always some sort of bacteria or possible harm that’s attached to it. It’s extremely important for the immune system to protect the things like the digestive tract so that viruses and bacteria don’t get into other parts of the body.

For athletes, this means it’s important to eat right and have a lot of healthy bacteria. If an athlete constantly eats unhealthy food or food the body can’t process, the digestive system won’t handle it well. Luckily, there’s a few physical yet painful signs that some stuff in the digestive tract or system isn’t going right. Things like IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) can occur under stress; the intestines become inflamed, and cause cramping and diarrhea. Without a lot of healthy bacteria in the gut, it makes it hard for the body to get rid of all the excess waste. For an athlete to be in prime condition, it’s important to keep a healthy diet so the body doesn’t have such harsh physical reactions to what is being consumed by an athlete.

A lot of antibiotics can wipe out the healthy bacteria in the intestines, making it hard to digest stuff with ease. Taking special bacteria or enzyme pills can help with this, if an athlete happens to be on antibiotics for some form of injury. Eating lots of fruits and vegetables and getting fiber will help with digestion problems. It’s also helpful for athletes to avoid things like dairy if they know they have an intolerance for lactose; this will give them digestion problems as well. Eating the right kinds of food, keeping good bacteria in the gut, and the avoidance of unhealthy foods will help an athlete avoid digestion stress.