'Suffering in silence': Why gut health is critical to healthcare benefits

Employers have made a lot of progress towards creating comprehensive care benefits. Still, there are still a few blind spots, with gut health being one of them. 

Seventy-one percent of Americans experience gastrointestinal (GI) issues — such as irritable bowel syndrome and Chron's disease — at least a few times a month, according to 2024 data from digital digestive care platform Cylinder and nearly a third of Americans have been diagnosed with a GI condition. Investing in the right supportive care not only improves employee engagement, but helps organizations keep healthcare costs low.  

"Folks are suffering in silence," says Dr. Hau Liu, chief medical officer at Cylinder. "It's not surprising that  health benefit leaders are only now hearing about it because employees intuitively don't want to talk about it. But it's  encouraging to see that there's a growing realization of how important this is." 

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Historically, gut health-related distress is a huge driver behind absenteeism and loss of productivity. Fifty-nine percent of employees said they've had to miss work, leave early or come in late due to GI issues, according to Cylinder. Another 72% said that they are less productive at work when they are experiencing GI issues. As for healthcare spending, the cost of employees with GI disorders can range from $14,000 annually for chronic functional GI conditions, to over $62,000 for those with Crohn's disease.

In an effort to address those challenges, Cylinder's digital platform combines symptom tracking, registered dietitian support, health coaching and personalized care plans. It's designed to support the full spectrum of employees' digestive needs, including correlated conditions and symptoms like GERD, celiac disease, heartburn, bloating and constipation. 

"We are driven by the concept of providing the right care at the right time," Dr. Liu says. "There's such access issues GI care, so how do we provide access quickly? How do we use technology to craft personalized care plans that get employees care right away and make them feel better as quickly as possible." 

The benefits of comprehensive GI care

So far, Cylinder's results have been promising. In a recent study of the platform's results taken from public school employees at Metro Nashville Public Schools, which offers the digital care program to its workforce, participants 50 years-old and older had 17% fewer sick days compared to non-participants of the same age demographic. There was also a 42% reduction of reported symptoms across all age groups. The data also found that with improved presenteeism and less time taken off, employers saved approximately $672 per employee in direct salary costs.

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"People are looking for solutions that are safe and personalized for them," Dr. Liu says. "We've had such positive feedback from employees who have been dealing with GI challenges for years without anyone to talk to. When employees feel better, they're going to do better at work." 

The first step to implementing or improving care benefits is to start the conversation with employees, according to Dr. Liu. Employees may be too embarrassed to breach the topic themselves, but may be receptive to benefit leaders asking questions and encouraging feedback on where their needs aren't being met. 

"Gut health affects everything — what we put in our stomach, what we eat, what we drink, our lifestyle affects every other body system," he says. "Supporting employee health and investing in longevity is critically important for the sustainability of any business."