Tummy Types test starts off 12 month ‘Love Your Tummy’ campaign by WGO and Danone
A staggering 83% of Irish adults suffer from gastrointestinal discomfort, which can have a significant impact on their overall wellbeing and quality of life, yet experts from the World Gastroenterology Organisation (WGO) state that digestive wellbeing is often ignored, misunderstood or undervalued. To mark World Digestive Health Day (WDHD) on May 29th, the WGO, a federation of more than 100 national societies representing over 50,000 practitioners around the world, is launching a worldwide campaign called ‘Love Your Tummy’.
The campaign, supported by Danone, aims to encourage people to improve their digestive wellbeing and to stop accepting digestive discomfort such as bloating, constipation and excessive flatulence as normal. The first stage of the campaign includes the launch of a unique new test called Tummy Types, to help people understand their digestive discomfort so they can begin to take positive steps towards improving it. The test can be taken online atwww.loveyourtummy.org where visitors will find top tips and easy to follow advice for their individual Tummy Type.
Professor Eamonn Quigley MD, WDHD Co-Campaign Director and Chairman of the WGO Foundation board, said; “Poor digestion can affect people more than they realise so it’s important that we help people identify when and how a lack of digestive health is affecting their lives so we can help them to make a change. Tummy Types is a great way to get people thinking about their digestive system and helping them to know if they have digestive discomfort so they have a better understanding of why it might be happening and therefore how they can improve it”.
Compared to weight, teeth, sleep and heart, digestion factors fairly low on people’s radar when it comes to looking after themselves, yet its importance for our overall wellbeing and quality of life is only just beginning to be realised. Our tummies not only keep our bodies fuelled with energy and nutrients but are now known to play a part in regulating our mood too with the gut now recognised by many experts as being the body’s second brain. In fact, 95% of the body’s “feel good” hormone serotonin is produced there, so it’s no surprise that research from Danone has found that living with regular but mild tummy problems is having a huge impact on women’s emotional, social and physical health.
Professor Eamonn Quigley MD continued; “Digestive discomfort is a common problem for most of us, and yet not enough people take action to improve their digestive wellbeing, despite the clear impact on our quality of life. The ‘Love Your Tummy’ campaign aims to show people that in most cases by making simple lifestyle changes, such as diet, eating probiotic foods and drinking more water, people can improve their digestive health, and consequently their physical and emotional wellbeing, so people should make a change for the better this World Digestive Health Day,”
Some of the most commonly reported symptoms of digestive discomfort worldwide are bloating, constipation and flatulence. The good news however is that for many people, their digestive discomfort can be improved through simple diet and lifestyle changes which are outlined in the new diet and lifestyle tips put together by the WGO for the ‘Love Your Tummy’ campaign and are available from today on the campaign website, www.loveyourtummy.org.
Love Your Tummy’s 7 Tummy Types
Tip Top Tummy – in great working order but things can change as we age and seasonally
Sluggish System – predominately suffer constipation but can also be experienced with flatulence
Troubled Tummy – suffer a collection of 3 symptoms including bloating and flatulence and either constipation or diarrhoea.
Stressed Stomach – suffer watery or loose stools and often feel the urgent need to evacuate their bowel.
Gassy Gut – feel the need to pass wind often, experience smelly wind or need to pass wind to alleviate bloating.
Bloated Belly – tummy often feels full, bloated and distended. Tummy can feel quite hard and experience gurgling. May also be accompanied by either diarrhoea or constipation but bloating is the main concern.
Tender Tummy – symptoms cause more pain than discomfort including spasms and distension that may also be accompanied by diarrhoea.Need to distinguish from Stressed Stomach and Bloated Belly by severity and impact of symptoms.