GOOD HEALTH BEGINS IN THE GUT

This December, Comoclubbers attended an exclusive COMO Conversation – a deep dive into gut health, led by COMO Shambhala Singapore’s functional nutritionist Jieun Wrigley. Hosted at the intimate Sky Bar at COMO Metropolitan Singapore’s rooftop, the session introduced guests to the importance of the gut microbiome, its role in supporting the immune system, and how to regulate the gut through nutrition.

Jieun began with an introduction on the gut microbiome: a synergistic community of trillions of microorganisms that live within the digestive tract. It breaks down food, produces essential nutrients in the gut, and trains the immune system.
It is also often thought of as the body’s ‘second brain’, due to their two-way relationship. Most people are familiar with one direction: the brain sends signals down that directly affect gut function: stress causing queasiness and butterflies, even triggering digestive issues. What surprised attendees was learning about the reverse direction. The gut constantly signals the brain, influencing mood and mental clarity — when bacteria are imbalanced, people can feel anxious, foggy, or irritable for no apparent reason.
This creates a potential cycle: chronic stress damages gut bacteria, the unhealthy gut sends alarm signals to the brain, increasing anxiety, which creates more stress, which further harms gut health.
A major focus of the presentation was the concept of microbiome diversity: having a wide variety of beneficial bacteria in the gut. Jieun stressed that a diverse microbiome is essential for the gut-brain system to function properly. When diversity is low, harmful compounds can accumulate, potentially triggering inflammation throughout the body and affecting everything from cardiovascular health to mental wellbeing. Jieun cited studies of patients suffering from heart failure, which is often linked to a buildup of fatty deposits in arteries. The patients all had higher concentrations of metabolites – or harmful compounds – in their gut, emphasising how low microbiome diversity can affect health conditions not obviously connected to the gut.
Rather than focusing solely on diet, Jien emphasised that holistic health rests on key pillars that all work together: sleep, stress, nutrition, physical activity, avoiding risky substances, and social connection. Jieun emphasised that if any one pillar is neglected, the entire foundation of wellbeing fractures.

Attendees also learned about common misconceptions. For instance, eating ‘healthy’ (with a diet mainly composed of chicken, eggs, and spinach) may not translate to optimal gut diversity, as evidenced by a real-life case study from the Good Gut Programme offered at COMO Shambhala Singapore. When the gut’s balance is disrupted, it can lead to bloating, increased stress levels, brain fog, and promote inflammation and oxidative stress throughout the body. To combat this, Jieun advised the client to focus on eating more high fibre meals from a variety of slow-digesting carbohydrates, in addition to adequate protein.
During the talk, Jieun emphasised that each person’s gut microbiome is unique, and knowing how to work with it is highly valuable. She shared a personal example: when her daughter was only one-and-a-half years old, she suffered from irritation around her ears, nose, and throat. Doctors advised surgeries to alleviate the symptoms, but Jieun was determined to find a non-invasive solution. After discovering her daughter had a severe sensitivity to dairy, Jieun removed it from her diet, and her daughter enjoyed a full recovery.
Drawing from her years of experience in clinical nutrition, Jieun encouraged attendees to get to know their bodies from the inside out, moving beyond general assumptions to science-based advice based on personal data. The Good Gut Programme offers a pathway to enhanced health: allowing the health-focused to understand how their individual gut ecosystem works, tailoring the communication between the brain and gut by translating raw data into actionable lifestyle practices provided by experts.
The COMO conversation concluded with a word of advice from Jieun: optimise your health with simple, everyday choices that work for your unique body.
Learn more about COMO Shambhala Singapore’s Good Gut programme here. The wellness initiative comprises a high-precision Gut Microbiome Test by AMILI Asia, followed by a 60-minute analysis and review with functional nutritionist Jieun Wrigley.

From now until 31 December 2025, Good Gut Programme is offered at an introductory rate of SGD600 (U.P. SGD780), subject to terms and conditions. Comoclubbers earn Comocredits when enroling in the Good Gut Programme.