Influenza is not your common flu: Local doctor reveals surprising causes of infectious diseases like flu and their remedies

Imagine having a dry, scratchy throat that makes it excruciatingly painful to swallow, incessant coughing and a stubborn stuffy nose for days. What's worse, you may even find yourself having a loss of appetite, fatigue, chills and feeling weak all over.

Yes, we're talking about the much-dreaded flu, also known as influenza. Defined by HealthHub Singapore as a contagious viral disease that can affect anyone – even those who hit the gym six times a week or swear by a balanced diet.

The rampant nature of this illness can be attributed to how highly contagious it is, simply through droplets in the air when an infected person coughs, sneezes or speaks. Plus, it can also spread indirectly when a person touches a surface with the flu virus, and subsequently touches their nose or mouth.

These infectious diseases, such as influenza, wreak havoc in our lives with their unwelcome presence, but have an underlying cause you may not see coming – our gut health.

In fact, Dr Leong Hoe Nam, an infectious disease physician at Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital, explains that many rampant diseases underscore the importance of gut health in our overall well-being.

"Gut health is important and we have not [even] begun to appreciate the magnitude in which it affects our lifestyle," he says.

"Indeed, gut health may predispose [people] to obesity, heart problems, hypertension and even mental health [issues]. If gut health can ameliorate any of these conditions, even just by a mere 10 per cent, our population will be a lot healthier."

Speaking to AsiaOne, Dr Leong reveals how common infectious diseases and infections relate back to what's happening in our gut and how we can work towards better gut health.

First up, how does your gut affect your overall health?

"The gut is a very long organ with a large surface area and lots of receptors on it. Bacteria will interact with the receptors and give off signals to the brain, and this, in turn, will affect your brain function."

"What we want is a healthy gut bacteria to give healthy signals to the brain for normal function," says Dr Leong.

This interaction between the gut and the brain is also known as the gut-brain axis, which refers to the two-way communication between your gastrointestinal tract and central nervous system.

In other words, the makeup of the microorganisms in your gut – gut microbiome or gut flora – correlates to what goes on in your brain. In the same vein, your gut flora may affect the likelihood of you contracting certain diseases, shares Dr Leong.

He explains how scientists have been looking at the gut flora of different people over the last 10 years, and realised that people with different diseases have different bacteria in their gut.

One such example is obesity, where certain bacteria are more likely to be found in people who are obese. Based on some of Dr Leong's studies, individuals experienced reduced appetites and weight loss when their gut flora was changed.

"The question is then, are we the result of the bacteria in our gut? Can we actually treat diseases with gut bacteria?

"If that's the case, it makes sense to keep my gut healthy so as to keep my mind and body healthy," says Dr Leong.

He added that this "chicken or egg situation" is still being reviewed with related studies due to start in the next few years.

"We hope to crack the code, such that [we know] certain bacteria would change [us for] better health and in turn, change the gut flora for a better body."

So what remedies can we take for infectious diseases like flu?

While antibiotics are commonly used to treat infectious diseases, Dr Leong cautions that turning to antibiotics more often or longer than necessary can cause antibiotic resistance in the gut.

When antibiotics are taken intravenously or orally, a lot of bacteria in the gut die off, leaving behind "very resistant organisms that learn to fight against the antibiotics".

"As you use more antibiotics, the resistant organisms will populate and live in your gut. If you were to fall sick with an infection later, the common antibiotics won't work, or in worst case scenarios, no antibiotic works," states Dr Leong.

The alternative to using antibiotics to treat infections? Using good bacteria to reconstitute your gut.

"The gut is always a balance of good guys and bad guys. You want to have more of the good guys to keep the bad guys away. If you were to get rid of all the good guys with antibiotics, you'll end up with the bad terrorists.

"Whereas on the other hand, if you have a healthy plethora of bacteria in your gut, it is less likely for this [bad] bacteria to colonise here," says Dr Leong.

How can we keep our gut in balance with good bacteria?

Before delving into this million-dollar question, let's first look at some signs of poor gut health.

According to Dr Leong, while there is no definitive definition of poor gut health yet, some symptoms to look out for include frequent tummy pain, bloating, irregular bowel movement, as well as overly-frequent diarrhoea or constipation.

To keep your gut in balance, Dr Leong's advice is to take a wide variety of food, including a lot of soluble fibre, such as oats, chia seeds and black beans. This is to promote the growth of good bacteria. By drawing water into your gut, soluble fibre also helps to soften your stools and support bowel movement.

If you're wondering whether there are any specific diets for gut health, unfortunately, there's no hard and fast rule around this.

Each individual has their own unique gut flora and foods that will help to keep their gut in balance, which is largely dependent on their formative years and day-to-day diet, according to Dr Leong.

This means if a person who is on a typical Asian diet decides to jump on a Western diet, they may end up with poor gut health as the food that they usually consume is vastly different.

For those who aren't able to follow a balanced diet regularly, it's probably best to speak to a doctor or take blood tests to find out the vitamins or minerals that you lack, Dr Leong advises.

What about taking prebiotic or probiotic supplements for better gut health?

Besides a balanced diet, supplements containing probiotics and prebiotics often surface in gut health conversations.

For the uninitiated, probiotics refer to the good bacteria found in certain fermented foods such as yoghurt or supplements that help to maintain gut health. On the other hand, prebiotics are non-digestible food components which help to stimulate the growth of these beneficial bacteria.

With the abundance of probiotics, prebiotics and gut health supplements in the market, how do you determine which is most beneficial for your health?

In the same way how specific foods are beneficial for you based on your unique gut flora, the type of supplement that will best benefit your gut will also depend on your usual diet, explains Dr Leong.

In other words, it pays to be discerning about your choice by considering which supplement formulas best suit your unique gut flora and diet.

For instance, those on typical Asian diets may want to consider supplements consisting of Bifidobacterium. A recent study conducted by the Faculty of Medicine of the Chinese University of Hong Kong showed that Bifidobacterium, particularly Bifidobacterium adolescentis, is essential for the gut microbiome of Asians. Clinical research shows that these strains not only strengthen one's immunity but also improve sleep, mood and skin quality, thus enhancing the quality of life.

As Dr Leong puts it: "If you want to have healthy bacteria, then you must feed the bacteria. And the way to feed the bacteria is to give them the food which they want."

This article is brought to you in partnership with GenieBiome Limited (G-NiiB Immunity+).

yukiling@asiaone.com

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