How to Improve Colon Health: A Complete, Evidence-Based Guide

The colon plays a much more influential role in our bodily well-being than we give it credit for. The large intestine is home to trillions of bacteria that help regulate our immune system and digestion, and even help produce essential vitamins, like biotin and vitamin K 1. Working on your colon health and keeping your gut bacteria happy is a great way to jump-start your journey to better health. 

This article will help you get to the bottom of caring for your colon’s health and leave you with several research-backed tools for improving your gut. 

Signs of an Unhealthy Colon

You may be wondering if your colon even needs support, so we are here to break it down for you. For some, it may be obvious, especially if you have been diagnosed with a condition like Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis. However, your colon health can still be less than optimal, even if you don’t have a diagnosis. 

While it’s less prone to bacterial imbalances than the small intestine, the colon can become inflamed and unwell due to various stressors. Here is a list of risk factors that may impact your colon health:

• Blood sugar imbalances 2
• Diets high in processed foods 3
• Low fruit and vegetable intake 3
• Sedentary lifestyle 3
• Tobacco use 2
• Obesity 2
• Excessive alcohol use 2
• Excessive NSAID use 4
• Leaky gut 5 6
• Gut infections 7
• Small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) 8
• A personal or family history of colon cancer, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), or polyps 9

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is an extremely common condition that affects both the small and large intestine and can cause gas and bloating, diarrhea, constipation, and abdominal pain 10. IBS is linked to chronic conditions that can affect the large intestine, like IBD 11. A diagnosis of IBS, alongside the above symptoms, are a sign you may want to focus on your colon health.  

Other red flags that indicate you may have a problem with your colon include 9:

• Blood or mucus in your stool 4 7
• Anemia 7
• Pain in the rectum 4 7
• Nausea and vomiting 12
• Weakness and fatigue 4
• Fever 4
• Unexplained weight loss 4
• Loss of appetite 7

If you experience any of the above symptoms regularly, it’s important that you see your healthcare provider. It could be a sign that you are dealing with a more serious condition, like IBD, diverticulitis, or colorectal cancer. 

However, whether you’re struggling with mild bloating, constipation, or IBD, there are safe, natural, and effective ways to heal your colon. 

How to Improve Colon Health Naturally

Below is a straightforward guide with natural, safe, and effective treatments for better colon health. 

Best Diet for Colon Health

Diet is the foundation of colon health, but there’s no single “healthy diet” that works for everyone. Your dietary needs are unique, and foods that seem healthy on paper can still be a personal trigger for gut inflammation. The good news is that you don’t have to overhaul everything at once. Start with the easiest, lowest-effort changes, then build from there.

Start with a Mediterranean-style diet if you don’t have specific digestive symptoms and want a general, sustainable foundation for both full-body and colon health. It’s one of the most well-studied diet patterns for colon health specifically. A meta-analysis of over 2 million people found that high adherence to a Mediterranean-style diet, rich in olive oil, fish, legumes, and vegetables, was associated with significantly lower colorectal cancer risk 13. It’s also far less restrictive than an elimination diet, which makes it a reasonable place to start before ruling foods out. 

Start with paleo if your symptoms are broad or hard to pin down, such as general inflammation, skin issues, joint pain, or digestive symptoms that don’t follow an obvious pattern. The paleo diet removes common trigger foods, like dairy, sugar, and grains, which has been associated with lower inflammation markers 14 15. Try it for 2–3 weeks before considering a more restrictive version, like the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) diet, which is especially beneficial for people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) 16.

For guidance with this eating pattern, download my Paleo Diet Guide. 

Start with low FODMAP if your main symptoms are bloating, gas, and abdominal pain that flare up after eating, especially if you’ve been diagnosed with IBS or suspect SIBO. This diet has been shown to assist in restoring the microbiome and reduce gas, bloating, and abdominal pain in people with IBS and IBD 17 18 19, especially when paired with probiotics 20.

Regardless of which pattern you choose, prioritize fresh fruits, vegetables, and fatty fish for high magnesium, folate, and vitamin D content, all linked to lower colon cancer risk 2. For a deeper walkthrough of either approach, check out our guides on gut-healing diets.

Hydration and Colon Health

Water plays a supporting role in nearly everything the colon does. As stool moves through the large intestine, the colon pulls water out of it. When fluid intake is low, it tends to pull out more than usual, leaving stool harder and slower to pass 21. Soluble fiber binds water to keep stool soft, so increasing fiber without enough fluid can actually make constipation worse rather than better. This is why we recommend building fiber up gradually alongside steady water intake 21.

A reasonable starting target is about half your body weight in ounces per day, adjusted upward with exercise, heat, or higher fiber intake. If you’re already well hydrated and still dealing with constipation, more water on its own probably isn’t the missing piece.

Probiotics for Colon Health

Once you get your diet dialed in, the next step is to introduce more healthy bacteria into the gut. While there are probiotic foods that can help do this (such as kefir, yogurt, and sauerkraut), the fastest, easiest, and most effective way is to take probiotic supplements.

Probiotics contain billions of beneficial bacteria that help regulate the immune response in the gut, lower inflammation levels, heal the gut lining, and restore the gut flora 23 24 25 26. This makes them a great tool for healing the colon from dysbiosis (a gut bacteria imbalance), intestinal permeability, and chronic inflammation.

It’s likely that probiotics’ powerful effects on the immune response in the digestive tract are what make them so beneficial in treating inflammatory conditions of the colon. There is a large body of research that supports the use of probiotics in IBD, and they may improve remission rates and prevent relapse 27 28 29 30. While there is some mixed evidence on the effectiveness of probiotics in preventing IBD flares 27, the benefits of probiotics on gut health are undeniable, making them a great option for those dealing with active or controlled IBD.

Probiotics may also be helpful for those with diverticulosis — a condition where small pouches develop in the colon, becoming susceptible to infection. A 2018 systematic review of 13 clinical trials showed that probiotic supplements were effective in all stages of diverticular disease, including both asymptomatic and symptomatic presentations 31 32. There is even some preliminary evidence that probiotics can be helpful in reducing post-surgical complications in colon cancer patients 33 34 35.

Perhaps the strongest evidence for the benefits of probiotics on intestinal health comes from their use in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). A 2008 meta-analysis looked at 20 clinical trials involving a total of 1,404 participants and found that probiotics effectively improved global IBS symptoms including constipation, diarrhea, gas and bloating, and abdominal pain 36. Similar to probiotic use in IBD 37, it appears that multi-strain probiotics pack the biggest punch when it comes to healing IBS symptoms, as several types of probiotic bacteria showed benefits 38. This is why we recommend Triple Therapy Probiotics, which combines all three categories into one simple daily packet.

Best Supplements for Colon Health

Probiotics aren’t the only supplement that can restore colon health. If changing up your diet and adding in probiotics don’t seem to do the trick in completely resolving your symptoms, it may be worthwhile to give the following a try:

• L-glutamine: Research shows that this amino acid can help reduce leaky gut in those with Crohn’s disease 39.
• Digestive enzymes: When taken with mesalamine (an anti-inflammatory drug), digestive enzymes reduced abdominal pain, cramping, gas, and bloating in those with IBD 40.
• Dietary fiber: Soluble fiber, like psyllium husk (Metamucil), can improve IBS symptoms, particularly constipation 41 42 43 44. It may also promote regular bowel movements in those with diverticular disease 45. 
• Omega-3 fatty acids: Increasing intake of these healthy fats has been shown to improve survival rates amongst colon cancer patients 46. 

The overall benefits of these supplements on colon health make them a great option, whether you are dealing with a serious digestive condition or you have general symptoms of a distressed colon. Of course, if you have a serious underlying medical condition, it’s important to have your doctor on board when adding new dietary supplements into your routine. 

Exercise for Colon Health 

Getting in regular physical activity is one of the best ways to protect and heal your colon 47 48 49 50. High levels of physical activity can reduce the risk of colon cancer and colorectal cancer, suggesting a protective effect of exercise against digestive cancers 48 51. 

Exercise also appears to be beneficial in treating IBS symptoms and is considered a primary treatment in those with constipation-type IBS (IBS-C) 52.

The research is still early, but it appears that some of the protective benefits of exercise on colon health may be due to its positive influence on the gut microbiome 49. While more evidence is needed on the direct effects of exercise on gut bacteria, the wide array of general health benefits that come from regular physical activity make it worth adding to your routine. 

Stress and Colon Health

If you’ve read about the mind-gut connection, then you know the influence that stress can have on your digestive health. Stress is a common trigger for IBS symptoms and managing your stressors can have a positive impact on your gastrointestinal health. 

Research shows that stress-reduction techniques, like meditation, can significantly reduce the severity of symptoms in those with IBS 53. If you aren’t interested in trying meditation (we understand that quieting your mind can take a lot of practice), consider trying cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), breathing techniques, hypnotherapy, or yoga, as they all show benefit in resolving digestive upset 54 55 56 57 58.

There’s really no single right method when it comes to relieving your stress to improve gut health. Do whatever works best for you and try to make it a regular part of your daily routine.

Bottom Line on Colon Health

Improving colon health usually starts with a few high-impact basics. Begin by finding a diet that works for your symptoms, supporting the gut microbiome with probiotics, staying active, and addressing stress that may be aggravating your digestion.

For many people, those steps are enough to create meaningful improvement. But if you’ve already cleaned up your diet, tried probiotics, and still feel like your gut isn’t moving in the right direction, that’s when it makes sense to look deeper.

At the Ruscio Institute for Functional Medicine, our clinicians work with people dealing with persistent bloating, constipation, diarrhea, IBS, IBD, and other complex digestive symptoms. We focus on identifying the most likely drivers of your symptoms and building a step-by-step treatment plan without jumping straight to unnecessary testing or overly complicated protocols.

If you’re tired of guessing what your gut needs, schedule a consultation with our clinical team to get a clearer plan for what to try next.

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