Gut instinct and corporate health
The inherent problem: Walk into any office, and you will notice certain lifestyle habits, which are detrimental to one’s health, though almost everyone accepts them as normal -- the extra cup of coffee before an important presentation, skipping meals due to prolonged meetings, the heaviness after lunch, the antacid quietly taken with water, the struggle to stay focussed as the day moves into late afternoon. To call it a part and parcel of a corporate professional’s daily life is akin to saying that it is a small price one pays for ambition. And, while everyone brushes them off as minor travails, these are real signals from the body, more often coming from the gut.
Recent studies and health reports in 2025-26 indicate a significant surge in gut health issues within corporate India, largely driven by sedentary lifestyles, high-stress work environments and poor dietary habits. As of December 2024, India recorded over 1,000 outbreaks of acute diarrheal disease, the highest since 2009, with over 300 food poisoning cases. This indicates a critical issue with food & water safety, affecting working professionals. A 2025 survey indicated that 60-70 per cent of Indians experience digestive issues like acidity, bloating and constipation at least once a week, often causing ‘post-lunch crash’ and ‘brain fog’ in office settings. In corporate environments, poor gut health is increasingly linked to mental health issues, including stress-related burnout, anxiety and low energy.
The gut does not operate in isolation. It communicates constantly with immune pathways, hormonal systems and the brain. It plays a role in improving mood, concentration and resilience under pressure. Most employees often notice that on days of digestive discomfort, their patience weakens, mental tasks feel heavier and focus is dramatically compromised. This is not coincidental, as physical ease supports cognitive ease and, when one is disturbed, the other naturally follows. With discussions about performance usually revolving around skills, technology, efficiency and management strategy, far less attention is paid to the biological system. When internal balance begins to falter, output and decision-making inevitably suffer.
Coffee culture: For many executives, the day begins after inadequate and poor-quality sleep, mostly due to work stress, late nights or global schedules. Morning hunger is frequently suppressed with caffeine because work demands immediate attention. Lunch is postponed until meetings allow it. When they finally have time to honour their meal, it is eaten quickly, often in front of a screen. The mind continues working even while the body is trying to refuel.
Coffee holds a special place in modern work culture. It helps professionals maintain alertness and push through fatigue. But frequent caffeine intake stimulates acid production and may irritate the stomach lining, particularly when consumed without adequate food. It can also worsen anxiety for many, which is not ideal for effective digestion. The food may not be processed optimally, increasing the likelihood of discomfort. Coffee leads to a quick energy rise and crash, encouraging another serving. If this pattern continues into the late afternoon or evening, it can disrupt sleep quality and hamper mind-body recovery, with the next day beginning with residual fatigue.
Fast food: Convenience has become the main factor guiding food choices. Most employees depend on food delivery apps or ready-to-eat foods for their meals due to a lack of resources. And these meals, although they may be quick, tasty and convenient, are commonly rich in refined flour, excess sodium, sugars and industrial oils that can play havoc with your system over a period of time, eventually leading to acidity, bloating, constipation, gas, indigestion and even bigger issues.
The meals are mostly eaten quickly without any awareness, as everyone is pressed for time, and this state of rush does not switch the nervous system from sympathetic (fight or flight mode) to parasympathetic state (rest and digest mode), which makes it difficult to break down food in our stomach, eventually causing digestive issues. After eating, most individuals return directly to their chairs and resume mental effort, without any movement. The meals take longer to process, and blood sugar imbalances become the norm.
The vice of antacid prescription: In the corporate sphere, with achievement of targets being the benchmark of success, pushing through discomfort is often admired as resilience. As a result, when symptoms such as heartburn arise (common due to the patterns mentioned above), the first line of treatment by conventional medicine is immediate symptom relief with antacids. Obviously because, the global antacid market, valued at about $14 billion in 2023, is projected to reach $22 billion by 2033, growing at 3.27-4.6 per cent CAGR, has made it look so simple and possibly the only solution to heartburn.
However, relief is different from resolution and every symptom is a knock on our door to look deeper for imbalances in our food and lifestyle choices. They indicate that meal timing, food composition, stress levels, or speed-eating are burdening the digestive capacity and when these signals are repeatedly silenced without change in behaviour, the underlying strain remains active. Besides that, daily use of antacids for a long period of time can impact gut health and overall nutrient sufficiency suppressing stomach acid, which is crucial to break down our food well and absorb nutrients like iron, zinc, magnesium, Vitamin B12 and proteins. Over time, individuals may experience more persistent fatigue, immune disturbances, or metabolic complications, where a simple lifestyle change can result an ease in the gut like never before.
The over-the-top unethical marketing claims: The FMCG industry focuses on growth, scale and profitability and not on consumer health. As digestive concerns rise, packaged foods increasingly create different products and market them as solutions. Claims of high fibre, multigrain formulations or digestive support are attractive, convincing and reassuring for an average health-conscious audience.
But the ingredient list can give a clear picture only if one reads it intently. Most of these items have refined flour, added sugars and highly processed fats as their first three ingredients, which indicates the bulk of the product but is marketed highlighting a single positive feature like fibre, low fat, fortified with Vitamin B12, while overlooking the broader deleterious effects. The body responds to the entire composition of a meal, not simply the most attractive statement on the packaging. Genuine digestive support is often found in simpler foods that are grown on a plant like millets, pulses, seeds, nuts, fruits, vegetables, sprouts, etc.
What the law says: In the US, the Food & Drugs Administration (FDA) permits certain general claims for dietary supplements and foods, provided they describe how a nutrient or ingredient affects normal body structure or function. One could say ‘a probiotic supports a healthy digestive system’, which must be truthful and science-backed, and for supplements, a standard FDA disclaimer that the product is ‘not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease’ is mandatory. Similar to the US, the Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has issued specific guidelines for probiotic foods and supplements, where an Indian company cannot state that a probiotic ‘cures diarrhoea’ or ‘prevents Covid-related gut issues’. However, saying ‘improves gut health’ might be acceptable if the company has data to support it and if it is generic. FSSAI also mandates certain labelling cautions for probiotic products such as: ‘not for medicinal use’.
A gradual but a tectonic shift: An increasing number of organisations are beginning to recognise that meaningful improvement in company growth and employee work productivity often starts with awareness. Paying attention to how meals are eaten, how frequently stimulants are consumed, how little movement follows food and how easily symptoms are ignored can open the door to small and gradual change. Eating becomes slower, choices become more intentional, traditional and plant-based foods find greater space on the plate and a gentle movement after meals becomes a habit. These steps may appear modest yet, together, they strengthen digestive resilience and support better brain output.
The future of high performance belongs to those who maturely comprehend that ambition needs a healthy body to carry it. The gut is not demanding perfection; it is simply asking to be acknowledged. And for many a corporate worker, listening to it may turn out to be a remarkably smart strategy.