I am again taking part in Gut Week, which runs from 21st-27th August 2006, and aims to inform the public about digestive health matters.

It's Gut Week again!

Yes, it's Gut Week again! Now in its eighth consecutive year, the acclaimed campaign (organised by charities Core and the IBS Network in association with Yakult) continues to offer a wealth of digestive health info to the public...and this year's campaign will provide the most extensive services yet. The website will feature forums and expert webchats - plus readers can obtain a free 64-page guide to digestive health as part of the info pack.

Gut Week 2006 is taking place from 21st - 27th August.

New consumer research reveals that one third of the population regularly suffers from digestive illnesses, and 60% of British adults have experienced digestive problems when undergoing stressful situations.

Meanwhile, government statistics reveal that over 1 million people are diagnosed with a digestive condition/disease every year in England, whilst 1.7 million people present chronic (long-standing) digestive sickness in Great Britain.

Gut Week aims to raise public awareness of digestive health, urging people to take care of their gut and take immediate action if any unusual symptoms are detected.

Gut Week's upgraded website (www.gutweek.org.uk) offers comprehensive help to the public, mixing fun features such as a gut smart quiz, competition and interactive good gut game, with useful sources of help and advice including expert webchats and forums - where visitors can share tips and experiences You can order a free Gut Week pack, containing comprehensive information on the digestive system along with a free copy of the new 64-page gut health guide, Inside Out Diet, by calling 020 8743 4287 or visiting the website, www.gutweek.org.uk

Some Fascinating Facts!

“Death sits in the bowels; a bad digestion is the root of all evil” (written in 400 BC by HIPPOCRATES, ancient Greek physician)

In an average lifetime a gut will handle approximately 65 tonnes of food and drink. This is approximately the weight of a dozen elephants.

Bacteria live within our gut. The healthy gut is home to around 100,000,000,000,000 individual living microbes - ten times more than there are cells in the entire body. This mass of bacteria weighs approximately 1kg – the weight of a bag of sugar.

Muscular contractions of our oesophagus are so powerful you could drink a glass of water standing on your head.

The stomach acts like a storage tank. It can expand to an average capacity of four litres. Without this capacity we’d have to eat much more frequently.

The surface area of the small intestine is immense. If it had a smooth surface (rather than being elaborately folded) it would need to be two miles long to do its job. If it could be stretched out flat it would probably be the size of a tennis court.

Bowel movements occur with only 40% of men and 33% of women on a regular daily basis. However, a bowel movement first thing in the morning is a good habit to get into. Normally, the action of getting up from bed will activate the muscles of the large intestine. This will cause its contents to be pushed through the back passage in a series of strong, peristaltic movements.

Intestinal bacteria can multiply every 20 minutes in laboratory conditions. However, in our digestive systems they are kept in check by stomach acids, by bacterial interactions and by continually being moved on.

An individual’s intestinal flora contains bacteria weighing approximately 1kg. If these bacteria were all lined up side by side, they would stretch twice round the equator!

The average weight of a stool in UK adults is approximately 150 grams. Excluding water, over half of the stool comprises of bacteria.

SO THERE YOU GO!

For more information about digestive health click here.
This content was created on Wed 2 August 2006

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