from anxiety depression eye disease and oral health to arthritis and perhaps even covid19 it could all involve the health of your gut say doctors its the gutwrenching truth and if its giving you butterflies in your stomach well thats one of the signs of troublefor a long while s srinath thought the loud belches he made after a hearty meal were only a sign that he enjoyed his meal he only began to worry when he realised he was belching even when he hadnt eaten then one day i developed a terrible burning pain in my chest and rushed to the hospital says the 26yearold engineer who was diagnosed with gastrooesophageal reflux disease gerd a condition caused by the rise of stomach acid in the gullet what i thought was a heart attack was actually heartburn triggered by years of irregular meal timings lack of exercise and smokingchennaibased nutritionist shiny chandran says gut issues account for 80 of her clientele whatever the age bracket for those in their 20s40s gut trouble is on account of study or worklife balance pressures for women in their late 40s it could be triggered by menopause common gut issues include gerd irritable bowel syndrome ibs inflammatory bowel disease ibd small intestinal bacterial overgrowth sibo leaky gut ulcers and constipation says shinythe gut which is primarily the gastrointestinal system is populated by hundreds of millions of microbes that play an important role in digestion as well as immunityboosting so much so that the gut flora or microbiome is referred to as an organ because it plays so many key roles in metabolic health if there is a disturbance in the balance of the gut microbiome it can result in the body becoming more prone to disease says gastroenterologist dr prashanth krishnaand when the gut is in trouble it cries out for help through other parts of the body the gut microbiome stimulates the immune system so if you have gut issues it is likely to manifest as other health issues as well he adds like for instance with covid the bodys immunity is affected and more than 70 of that is controlled by the gut during the second wave of covid one of the earliest signs of covid19 was gastrointestinal symptoms like diarrhoeait isnt without reason that the gut is called the second brain explains shiny like the brain the gut is full of nerves called the enteric nervous system it has neurons and neurotransmitters like those found in the central nervous system it lines your entire digestive system forming two layers and runs from the oesophagus to the rectumthe gut plays a big role in channelizing hormones and enzymes says dr prashanth thats why when someone is anxious they feel like they have butterflies in their stomach its because the enteric nervous system is in high gear the gut he adds controls the release and uptake of the bodys serotonin which plays an important role in uplifting the mood and aids in