According to a recent survey by probiotic experts Yakult, the majority of Irish people are not listening to their heads or their hearts but are going with their gut. Yakult, maker of the easy to take, daily probiotic, found that of those surveyed, 80 per cent said they trusted their gut instinct over information and facts when it came to making key decisions in their life. Yakult conducted the survey to raise awareness of the importance of gut health and to discover just how much Irish men and women were in tune with their gut instincts in all areas of their lives.
Yakult’s survey reveals that gut instincts regularly pay off in the choices we make, with 89 per cent of those questioned finding they got their gut instinct decisions right in hindsight. In the trust stakes, Yakult found men were more dogmatic in their decision making with 84 per cent going against information and recommendations made to them and relying solely on their gut instincts. Over a quarter of women surveyed would never go against advice made to them in order to follow their gut feelings. “Those people who perceive gut instinct to be a physical feeling are spot on,” said Yakult dietitian Margaret O’Donoghue. “Gut reactions are mediated by the nervous system, which brings about actual alternations in gut function. So, I would try to understand and trust your gut feelings so that you can deal with the things that cause them. This will make you stronger, more resilient, and give you the guts to cope with anything in life – but to preserve that vital early system, you need to look after your gut.” A good start is to take a quality probiotic drink like Yakult daily, which adds to the beneficial bacteria living in the digestive system.
Yakult is available in two varieties and is widely available in supermarkets nationwide. For more information on gut health, log on to www.yakult.ie
