GLP-1 constipation? How to rebalance your gut flora to reduce your GI symptoms

Authored by Dr. Mary James, ND

If you’re taking a GLP-1 medication and experiencing digestive issues, you’re far from alone. Studies consistently show that 40–70% of GLP-1 users experience gastrointestinal side effects. That’s because GLP-1 medications work in part by slowing the movement of food through the digestive tract.

The result can be a frustrating cascade of symptoms: constipation, bloating, gas, abdominal discomfort, and a feeling that your digestive system has simply slowed to a crawl. While delayed digestion is the primary reason these symptoms occur, another important factor may be the overall health of your digestive system — including your gut microbiome, the community of beneficial bacteria that helps regulate digestion, bowel function, and intestinal health.

Researchers continue to learn more about the relationship between the gut microbiome and digestive health. Although scientists are still learning how GLP-1 medications interact with gut bacteria, we do know that a healthy, diverse microbiome plays an important role in maintaining bowel regularity and digestive comfort — and supporting your gut flora may be one additional way to help promote healthy digestion while taking a GLP-1 medication.

Many factors can influence the balance of your gut flora, including stress, illness, prescription medications, and dietary habits. The good news? Gut flora is open to change. Through targeted dietary changes, prebiotic support, and probiotic supplementation, you can help create a healthier microbial environment that supports strong digestion, bowel regularity, and overall GI health.

Start with prebiotics: food for your beneficial gut bacteria

Many people focus on probiotics whenever a GI issue arises. Certainly, probiotics are essential for gut health, but probiotics can’t thrive if they don’t have enough prebiotics. Prebiotics are specialized fibers that nourish beneficial gut bacteria and help support digestive regularity and overall gut health. Prebiotics help probiotics pass through the acidity of the stomach and small intestine, and also foster their growth in the intestines and colon. Examples include fructooligosaccharides (FOS), guar gum, lactulose and inulin.

These natural sugar molecules are found primarily in all kinds of plant-based foods (bananas, artichoke, chicory root, burdock, onions, leeks, fruit, soybeans, sweet potatoes, asparagus, green tea), but also in honey and cultured foods (kefir, cottage cheese, sauerkraut, yogurt).

Research is showing that prebiotics may also help maintain optimal cholesterol levels, stabilize blood sugar and decrease risk for osteoporosis, along with providing diverse additional health benefits.

7 benefits of probiotics: weight loss, mood and more

Daily probiotic use is an effective preventive and therapeutic method that helps keep your intestinal flora tipped to the positive side, supporting healthy digestion and regularity. Probiotics also give you the following benefits:

• Regulate fat storage and may help with weight loss
• Affect how we react emotionally
• Facilitate absorption of calcium, magnesium and iron
• Manufacture Vitamin K and B vitamins
• Strengthen the lining of the gut to help block dangerous pathogens, toxins and allergens
• Balance the immune system
• Metabolize and recycle hormones

How to choose the best probiotic

If you are experiencing minor symptoms of gas, bloating and constipation, here’s what to look for in a probiotic for GI health:

Find a supplement that contains two key species:

1. Lactobacillus species such as L. acidophilus. Lactobacilli strains break down nutrients as well as help ward off the bad bacteria and organisms that contribute to digestive and/or vaginal imbalance.
2. Bifidobacterium is one of the major genera of bacteria that reside in the body. It promotes colon health as well as enhances cellular immunity.

Choose a probiotic with multiple strains

Different strains have separate effects on your body. For example, S. thermophilus breaks down lactose, the sugar in milk that lactose-intolerant people can’t digest well, and promotes bowel regularity. Our Super Biotic is a powerful blend of eight different strains of “friendly” microorganisms that inhibits the growth of harmful bacteria and yeast, and calms specific symptoms, such as bloating, gas and diarrhea.

What to eat, what to avoid for good gut health

The food you eat, its pH balance, glycemic load, fiber and essential fatty acid content, all affect the flora in your gut — for better or worse.

Good bacteria feast on healthy fiber from foods such as vegetables, legumes, fruits, seeds and whole grains. Foods like garlic, green tea and ginseng contain polyphenols, plant compounds that also foster friendly microbes. And to keep the bad bacteria out, include some real fermented or cultured foods in your daily diet, such as miso, kim chi, sauerkraut, kefir, live-culture yogurt and any kind of homemade pickle.

You will also want to try to reduce your intake of sweets, refined flours, alcohol,butter and fatty meats, or avoid them altogether, at least for a while. Steer clear of processed foods and also anything containing adulterants like preservatives.

The Women’s Health Network probiotic solution

Probiotics supply the flora, but you still need a solid foundation of nutrition for these powerful microorganisms to flourish and become established so you’ll be able to take advantage of their potential health benefits. That’s why for healthy digestion and overall wellness we recommend probiotics as part of a combination approach that includes lifestyle and dietary changes, as well as a daily, high-quality multivitamin/mineral.