IBS and Leaky Gut

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

Trillions of bacteria and microorganisms, collectively called the microbiota, reside in your gut. Your gut microbiota aids in the digestion and absorption of food and serves as a physical barrier to incoming pathogens. An imbalance in the normal proportion of the gut microbiome results in dysbiosis. Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common functional bowel disorder. The global prevalence of IBS is about 11.2%. It is characterized by recurrent abdominal pain, bloating, and changes in stool form or frequency. Based on the predominant bowel types, IBS is further characterized as diarrhea (IBS-D), constipation (IBS-C), or mixed (IBS-M) (Lovell and Ford, 2012).

Symptoms

• Pain and Cramping
• Diarrhea
• Constipation
• Alternating Constipation and Diarrhea
• Changes in Bowel Movements
• Gas and Bloating
• Food Intolerance
• Fatigue and Difficulty Sleeping

Do you suffer from any of the symptoms mentioned above?
Were you able to alleviate your symptoms?

Dysbiosis

Altered microbiota composition was evident in IBS conditions. Increased Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes ratios were reported in some subsets of patients (Rajilić-Stojanović et al., 2015). Studies have shown a reduction in Bifidobacteria and increase in Enterobacteriaceae as well as sulphate-reducing bacteria in IBS-C. Studies show that IBS microbiota produced less butyrate, directly correlating to the decreased Faecalibacterium prausnitzii found in microbial profiles. A decrease in Akkermansia and an increase in Bacteroides were also reported for IBS (Staudacher and Whelan, 2016).

Did you know that probiotics can replace your gut microbiome with beneficial microbes and eliminate harmful microbes?

Probiotics

Many studies show that probiotics is one of the most effective dietary methods to modulate the microbiota in IBS. Directly altering commensal microbiota through probiotics can restore the functionality of the microbiota and thereby improve symptoms. Studies show that probiotics can resolve various characteristics of IBS such as intestinal permeability, inflammatory profile, and anxiety behaviors. Probiotics can also modulate brain activity (Staudacher and Whelan, 2016).

Microbiome testing

Recent advances in next-generation sequencing technology (NGS) have identified alterations in the composition of the gut microbiota.

Find out today what beneficial microbes you are missing!

References

• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22426087
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25623659
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26908093

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the intestine associated with alterations in the composition of the intestinal microbiota. Ulcerative colitis, a form of IBD that affects the large intestine (colon), and Crohn’s disease, can occur in any part of the intestine. Incidence of IBD is increasing globally, and a cure for IBD has yet to be discovered. IBD is a condition in which inflammation occurs in the colon, rectum, and/or gastrointestinal tract. Depending on the severity of inflammation and where it occurs, the symptoms vary from mild to severe.

Symptoms

• Diarrhea
• Fever and fatigue
• Abdominal pain and cramping
• Blood in stool
• Reduced appetite
• Unintended weight loss

Do you suffer from any of the symptoms mentioned above?
Were you able to alleviate your symptoms?

Dysbiosis

Many studies have shown that IBD is characterized by an altered microbiota composition. (Matsuoka and Kanai, 2015). Microbial composition in IBD is characterized by decreased diversity, lower proportion of Firmicutes, and increased abundance of Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria. Pro-inflammatory species like Escherichia and Fusobacterium have increased abundance, and anti-inflammatory species like Faecalibacterium and Roseburia are found in low abundance (Kostic et al., 2014). Increased abundance of mucosa-associated bacteria and sulfate-reducing bacteria, along with various pathogens, can harm the gut.

Did you know that probiotics can replace your gut microbiome with beneficial microbes and eliminate harmful microbes?

Beneficial microbes

Beneficial gut microbiota is defined as the microbes that are able to supply energy and nutrients to the host (Nishida et al., 2017). Several nutrients, such as vitamins and short chain fatty acids (SCFA), are supplied by these healthy microbes. Their absence is believed to be a key factor that compromises the homeostasis in IBD. Restoring them can bring back the balance in your gut microbiota.

Microbiome testing

Recent advances in next-generation sequencing technology (NGS) have identified alterations in the composition of the gut microbiota.

Find out today what beneficial microbes you are missing!

References

• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28867793
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24560869
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30319571

Leaky gut

Nutrients are absorbed through the intestinal epithelial lining, which is highly specialized. In the condition ‘Leaky gut’, certain abnormalities cause increased intestinal permeability, allowing bacteria and toxins to pass through an otherwise protective intestinal wall.

• Pain and Cramping
• Diarrhea
• Constipation
• Alternating Constipation and Diarrhea
• Changes in Bowel Movements
• Gas and Bloating
• Food Intolerance
• Fatigue and Difficulty Sleeping

Symptoms

• Chronic diarrhea, constipation, gas, or bloating
• Nutritional deficiencies
• Poor immune system
• Headaches, brain fog, memory loss
• Excessive fatigue
• Skin rashes and problems such as acne, eczema, or rosacea

Do you suffer from any of the symptoms mentioned above?
Were you able to alleviate your symptoms?

Dysbiosis

Several factors can affect gut permeability including gut microbiota dysbiosis. Evidence shows that the gut microbiota is important in modulating gut permeability and functions of the intestinal barrier. A study in mice showed that a low-fiber diet enhances mucus-degrading bacteria, including Akkermansia muciniphila, resulting in a thinner mucus lining and thus compromising the intestinal barrier function by making it susceptible to certain pathogens. (Desai et al., 2016).

Stress-induced gut leakiness in mice, such as burn injury, showed increased intestinal permeability and alterations in gut microbiota. A similar alteration of gut microbiota was found in both humans and mice under burn-injury induced stress (Earley et al., 2015). Another study showed reduced populations of butyrate-producing gut microbes along with increased colonic permeability (Kuethe et al., 2016).

Did you know that probiotics can replace your gut microbiome with beneficial microbes and eliminate harmful microbes?

Beneficial microbes

Probiotics are known to have properties that protect the intestinal barrier and thus reduce intestinal permeability, such as Bacteroides fragilis, which is known to be capable of altering microbial composition and enhancing the intestinal barrier (Hsiao et al., 2013).

Microbiome testing

Recent advances in next-generation sequencing technology (NGS) have identified alterations in the composition of gut microbiota.

Find out today which beneficial microbes you are missing!

References

• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26191211
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26154283
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26682948
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24315484