Gut Health Part II: Dysbiosis, Leaky Gut and the Immune Connection
The gut or large intestine is home to trillions of bacteria and 70% of the body’s immune system. Our gut bacteria (aka flora) modulates our immune response and our immune system determines the composition of our gut flora. They work hand in hand to protect us from pathogenic microbes, viruses and parasites.
A healthy well balanced gut microbiome is essential to good overall health and a strong immune system. If our gut flora stays well balanced, the good guys keep the bad guys under control and we stay healthy and happy. When the balance tips in favour of the pathogenic bacteria, we have dysbiosis, which may lead to a leaky gut and leave us more susceptible to illness.
What are dysbiosis & Leaky Gut?
Dysbiosis is the technical name for gut imbalance. It happens when our gut is inhabited by more harmful and less helpful bacteria. It may be a result of insufficient healthy bacteria, an overgrowth of harmful bacteria or both and may give rise to leaky gut syndrome, which in turns gives rise to inflammation.
Leaky Gut Syndrome is the name used to describe intenstinal permeability. What this means is that the intestinal lining becomes weak and allows large particles of food and/or microbes to pass through into the blood stream, that otherwise shouldn’t be passing through.
Because these particles don’t belong in the blood stream, our body recognizes them as pathogens (invaders) and our immune system attacks by mounting an inflammatory response to protect us. Overtime, and with repeated insults, our immune system goes into overdrive which gives rise to autoimmune diseases and many pathological conditions.
How Do Dysbiosis and Leaky Gut Happen?
Poor dietary and lifestyle choices as well as medications, infections, and whether or not we were born vaginaly or through caesarian section, breastfed or formula fed all influence our gut microbiome, and the balance of bacteria inhabiting it and may lead to dysbiosis, leaky gut syndrome, allergies, autoimmune diseases and general malaise.
The uterus is a microbe free environment and with a c-section birth, the infant is not exposed to a mother’s bacterial flora and does not experience microbial colonization as they would during a vaginal birth. Their first contact with bacteria is from human contact, which naturally includes a greater amount of pathogenic bacteria.[1]
Research has shown time and time again that breast is best when it comes to feeding an infant, for many reasons, and breastfed infants have been proven to have a more balanced and diverse bacterial colony than formula fed ones.[2] That’s because a mother’s milk contains beneficial bacteria to help populate her infants microbiome.[3] All the more reason to breastfeed during the first two years of your infant’s life.
Many medications, mainly antibiotics, alter the gut flora negatively. When you take antibiotics to fight an infection, you are essentially trying to wipe out the pathogenic bacteria that has caused that infection. Unfortunately, antibiotics aren’t sophisticated enough to target pathogenic bacteria exclusively and wipe out the good ones in the process. Furthermore, antibiotics, when abused and taken more frequently than is necessary, have the potential of creating antibiotic resistent pathogenic gut bacteria.[4]
Other common drugs that alter the gut microbiome negatively include: proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), which reduce the production of stomach acid, metformin, which helps people manage the symptoms of type 2 diabetes, and laxatives to treat constipation. [5]
Food and lifestyle choices also greatly impact our gut microbiome. We are literally what we eat and our gut flora is influenced by the things we chose to put into our bodies every day. Processed foods containing refined carbohydrateds, food additives, too many added sugars, salt and artificial sweetners and flavours, not to mention hard to pronounce laboratory produced ingredients put a burden on your digestive system and feed the unfriendly bacteria living in our gut, allowing them to grow stronger and more numerous than the helpful bacteria.
Food poisoning, gastrointestinal infections, chronic laxative usage, prolonged bouts of diarreah and stress can also offset the balance in favour of more harmful vs helpful pathogenic bacteria.
What are the symptoms of an unhealthy imbalanced gut?
The most common and obvious symptoms are:
gas and/or bloating
stomach ache/nausea
constipation, diarrhea or a combination of the two
nutrient malabsorption
digestive troubles
mental health issues (anxiety, depression)
brain fog/difficulty cocentrating/focusing
bad breath
chronic vaginal yeast infections
chronic urinary tract infections
frequent headaches and/or migraines
constant sugar and carb cravings
chronic joint pain, skin problems
frequent illness (colds, respiratory tract infections, influenza, etc…)
Fibromyalgia, autoimmune disorders, arthritis, and chronic fatigue have also been linked to an imbalanced gut microbiome.
How To Support Your Gut Health & thereby your Immune System Naturally
As you’ve gathered by now, a healthy well balanced gut flora is key to good health and well being.
Below are a few tips to help you support the proliferation of good bacteria and keep your gut in balance, naturally.
Please note that these are not intended as a substitute for medical advice. Should you have persistent recurring problem, please see your doctor or medical professional for a proper diagnoses and treatment.
Eat a Variety of Plants
Your gut bacteria thrives on variety and a diversity of fruits, vegetables and other plant foods like pulses (lentils) are essential to feeding the healthy bacteria and ensuring in stays strong and numerous.
Eat Plenty of Prebiotic Rich Foods
These are foods rich in inulin and FOS (fructooligosaccharides) and are your gut bacteria’s favourite thing to munch on. Examples are soaked oats or muesli, shaved raw asparagus, grated raw jicama and jerusalem artichokes, raw onion and garlic (when making dressings, sauces and dips). Unripe bananas are also a good source of prebiotic fiber due to their high resistant starch content.
Eat Fermented Foods
Yogurt, tempeh, miso, kefir, sauerkraut, and soy sauce all contain beneficial enzymes that can ease digestion, as well as b-vitamins in addition to beneficial bacteria.
Take Probiotic Supplements
This is especially important if you suffer from some of the symptoms noted above as probiotic supplements can help repopulate the good bacteria in your gut and restore balance, particular after a course of antibiotics or a bout of diarreah. There are many probiotic supplements available on the market, and it takes a bit of trial and error to know which one is right for you. If you’re uncertain what you need, ask a medical professional for advice and assistance.
Eat Foods Rich in Omega 3 Essential Fatty Acids and Zinc
Both Omega 3 fats and zinc support and repair the intestinal lining. Make sure you're including these in your diet multiple times a week.
Wild caught salmon, sardines, walnuts, chia seeds and flax seeds are excellent sources of omega 3
Shellfish, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and eggs are excellent sources of zinc.
Both are also available in supplement form. If you feel like you aren’t able to get enough of these foods in your diet, consider taking a supplement.
Get Plenty of Sleep
It’s not secret that sleep is important to good health. However, recent studies have shown a link between good quality sleep and more diverse (aka better) gut flora.[6]
What to avoid
Avoid Processed and Refined Foods
These include packaged foods made of refined carbohydrates and containing added sugar, salt, and inflammatory fats. As discussed above, these feed the bad bacteria and encourage overgrowth.
Manage Stress
As we discussed in Part 1 of this article, stress affects our digestive capacity, and when our digestion is compromised our gut health suffers. You can’t avoid stress in this modern world, but you can do your part to manage it in any way you can. There are plenty of stress management tools available out there, find what works for you, wether it be yoga, meditation, hitting the gym, taking an art class, or just disconnecting for 10 or 15 minutes a few times a day.
Avoid Drugs and Alcohol
This includes recreational drugs, alcohol, over the counter drugs and prescription medications and antibiotics (unless deemed absolutely necessary), as they can all negatively affect the balance of your gut flora.
The bottom line is that dysbiosis or imbalance in the gut flora can and does happen, more frequently than you might think. In addition to some of the tips indicated above, eating a whole food plant rich diet is one of the best tools you have to support your gut and health in general.
If you’re suffering from persistent issues related to digestion or intestinal health, despite having made dietary and lifestyle changes, please seek the advice and support of a health care professional.
