The condition of our intestines is the foundation for health. Digestion, nutrient absorption, the immune response, and most importantly, the beneficial bacteria living in the gut have a huge impact on the entire body, including our skin. Disorders of intestinal health or functioning are usually reflected in the skin.
Our gut is inhabited by billions of bacteria. They create what is called the microbiome – a complex network of different bacterial strains that form the gut environment. Balance is the key to a healthy environment. Bad habits and unhealthy diets upset this balance, paving the way for pathogenic bacteria and yeast and crowding out healthy bacteria.
Harmful bacteria and yeast clutter up the intestines and produce toxins, preventing it from performing its functions. When the gut barrier is weak, it is easier for toxins to enter our bodies, increasing inflammation and irritation in many parts of the body, including the skin.
So what does research say about the relationship between gut health and skin health?
- Disruption of the gut microflora can affect the physical, chemical and antimicrobial defense systems of our skin. In other words, the lack of healthy bacteria increases the inflammation, infection and irritation that appear externally on the skin. Of course, gut health is not the root cause of all skin conditions, but it can play an important role in the severity and aggravation of these problems.
- Two of the most common skin conditions – acne and seborrheic dermatitis – are associated with imbalances in the microbiome. This relationship is very significant: one study showed that of 114 acne patients, 54% had a microflora disorder or imbalance in the gut. This suggests that gut health can cause external skin irritation.
What happens when the bacterial composition of our intestines improves?
There are no fundamentally new discoveries here. One of the first published studies dates back to 1961, when a physician named Robert Seaver treated 300 acne patients with lactobacillus, a traditionally used strain of probiotic. In 80% of patients, the treatment gave clinical improvement. Many more recent studies have confirmed the importance of a healthy gut microbiome for optimal skin health. Balanced intestinal microflora is the basis of the processes of digestion, assimilation and nutrition in the body, these are the highways for the delivery of nutrients that our skin needs.
What can we do right now to improve gut microflora?
Here are the most effective ways to balance your gut flora:
- Eat a diet rich in organic, fresh, unprocessed foods – fiber-rich whole plants that support and nourish beneficial bacteria.
- Avoid taking too much antibiotics, anti-inflammatory nonsteroidal drugs, and other medications.
- Eat foods rich in natural probiotics and prebiotics as often as possible. Let me remind you that probiotics are non-pathogenic microorganisms for humans that are able to restore the normal microflora of organs, as well as have a detrimental effect on pathogenic and opportunistic bacteria. In other words, probiotics are microbes that normally make up the microflora of various human organs. Probiotic-rich foods: Pickled and fermented foods such as cabbage, cucumbers and tomatoes, kimchi, kefir, miso, kombucha (kombucha). Prebiotics are (as opposed to probiotics) chemicals that are not absorbed in the small intestine, but create favorable conditions and stimulate the growth of normal microflora in the large intestine. Prebiotics are found in a fairly wide range of foods, such as onions, garlic, whole grains, cabbage, asparagus, green leafy vegetables, legumes, and corn.