Boosting your gut health sounds great. But this wellness trend is vague and often misunderstood

If you walk down the supermarket aisle, you may be tempted with foods marketed as being good for your gut. Then there are the multiple health blogs about improving, supporting or maintaining your “gut health”.

But what does “gut health” mean? Is it the absence of disease? Is it no bloating? Or is it something else entirely? And how strong is the evidence “gut health” products actually make a difference?

As we explain in our article just published in the journal Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology, even researchers have not quite nailed a definition. Here’s what we know so far.

What does the science say?

We know the gut is important for our overall health and wellbeing. And when we say “gut”, we usually mean the large intestine, the…