WE British are an easily embarrassed lot - and there's nothing more embarrassing, it seems, than talking about the health of our bowels.

Suffer from trapped wind, constipation or bloating? Hard cheese. Fear of the sniggering schoolboy joke will keep us quiet.

Most Brits, in fact - the likes of Rik Mayall or former Pocklington schoolboy Adrian Edmondson excepted - are prepared to suffer torments of discomfort rather than tell anyone about our dodgy digestive processes. And that includes doctors.

All that, though, may be about to change.

A helpline opened today to mark Gut Week 2000 aims to take the taboo out of talking about our digestive systems.

By calling 020 8743 4287 from 10am to 6pm every day between now and September 15, you will be able to talk in confidence to a trained nurse. Alternatively, you can order a free information pack on the same number.

Digestive problems are more common than you'd imagine.

Research commissioned by Yakult indicates that one in five of all adults suffered from stomach upsets, constipation or diarrhoea in the last three months.

Even more worrying, the Digestive Disorders Foundation, which together with Yakult initiated Gut Week, reckons gastrointestinal disorders account for one in ten of all deaths.

Over 17 million working days are lost each year due to digestive disorders, the DDF says: and more people die from peptic ulcers (4,304 every year) than from road accidents (4,058).

The good news is that there is a lot we can do to keep ourselves healthy, experts say.

Regular exercise and eating plenty of fresh fruit and veg all help. And many digestive disorders can be treated - if caught in the early stages.

Which makes it all the more important for us to overcome our bashfulness and seek help early.

"Part of the problem is a fear of the unknown," a spokesman for the DDF said.

"Many people who feel unwell are reluctant to go to the doctor for fear of having to undergo an internal examination. Instead, they might ask a pharmacist for an over-the-counter medicine or even ignore the symptoms altogether, hoping they'll go away on their own.

"However, doctors agree that early diagnosis is vital to avoid greater problems in the long term."

So go on, don't be bashful. Seek that help now.

Fact file

One in five new cases of cancer each year is a cancer of the digestive tract.

The small intestine is six metres long. if you could stretch it out flat, it would cover a tennis court.

Food takes from one to three days to travel the length of the gut.

The acid inside the stomach is powerful enough to dissolve a razor blade (but that DOESN'T mean you should try to eat one to see).