Bowel Articles

What we get up to in the privacy of our own back rooms is our business, soon forgotten. But our ablutions can hold the key to our health long after we’ve shuffled off our mortal coils.

In fact, scientists have been examining excrement from 15th-century toilets to see how dietary changes may have triggered diseases. By looking at still-present gut bacteria, the aim is to better understand the gastrointestinal health of people today.

Researchers from Germany have been studying deposits from two latrines unearthed in Latvia and Israel. They found that evidence of all kinds of bacteria that still occupy our guts today - including parasitic worms and fungi.

‘We found that the microbiome at Jerusalem and Riga had some common characteristics,' said paper author and archaeologist Susanna Sabin, formerly of the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History in Germany.

'They did show similarity to modern hunter-gatherer microbiomes and modern industrial microbiomes — but were different enough that they formed their own unique group.'

'We don’t know of a modern source that harbours the microbial content we see here,' she explained.

Scientists are now hoping that their discoveries will serve as a baseline for understanding the kinds of gut health and bowel complaints many of us live with today.

'If we are to determine what constitutes a healthy microbiome for modern people, we should start looking at the microbiomes of our ancestors,' said paper author and biological anthropologist Piers Mitchell of the University of Cambridge.

Obviously, these samples were taken from people who lived during a period well before antibiotics, fast food and excessive sugar consumption - which is why it’s so interesting that they have much of the same bacteria as we do, considering how different our diets are.

The study concludes that this is just the start of understanding how our gut microbiomes have changed in recent centuries as a result of our diets.

How diet impacts our gut and bowel health

We don't need to wait for more research to know that what we eat has a direct impact on our digestive health. In fact, a study from earlier this year by George Washington University scientists found that diet has a 'profound impact on microbial composition in the gut' - affecting our metabolic, hormonal and neurological processes.

Reviewing a series of studies, the authors found that research has mostly focused on the benefits of dietary fiber, which serves as fuel for gut microbiota. It also found that protein can potentially create harmful byproducts that may sit in the gut - increasing the risk of negative health outcomes.

That suggests that a diet high in protein and low in unrefined fiber might increase your risk of developing bowel diseases. We already know that processed and red meats can increase your risk of bowel cancer (according to Bowel Cancer UK) and that fiber can reduce the risk.

How to get your daily dose of fibre 

There are two types of fibre and both are important. Fibre helps to keep our bowels healthy by keeping everything moving easily through the digestive system, adding bulk to your poo and pushing it through. Imagine it a bit like a brillo pad, picking up all the grime from your insides and flushing it out. Insoluble fibre is the stuff that bulks up poo and helps to prevent constipation, while soluble fibre dissolves in water and helps to keep poo soft and lowers cholesterol. 

You want to be aiming for at least 30g a day, if not more. You can do that easily if you manage to eat your five portions of fruit and veg a day, as both tend to be packed with the stuff. Having a bowl of porridge or a few slices of wholegrain toast for breakfast, a big salad with dark green leaves, tomatoes, nuts, brown rice and hummus for lunch and a dinner of wholegrain pasta or a lentil curry will see you comfortably meet that goal.

Insoluble fibre

- Wholegrains like brown rice, wheat, spelt

- Nuts

- Seeds

- Potatoes with the skin on 

- Dried figs, dates and prunes

Soluble fibre

- Beans

- Peas

 - Lentils

- Apples and other fruits 

- Carrots and other root veg

- Broccoli, cauliflower etc

- Oats

Vegetables and fruit may also help to protect against bowel cancer because they contain protective antioxidants which help to delay or prevent cell damage. It's so important to eat a range of fruit and veg every day and to eat at least five portions, if not more. 

It's worth pointing out that if you tend to have a low-fibre diet, increase your intake gradually as switching to largely plant-based diets can be tough in terms of bloating and wind. Up your portions by one or two over the course of a week and see how you feel.