Dysbiosis explained: The silent disruption in your gut health

Your gut is home to trillions of bacteria, but when even a small part of this ecosystem falls out of balance, your whole body feels it.

Dysbiosis refers to an imbalance in the microbiome, where the normal diversity and balance of microorganisms are disrupted. It can occur due to antibiotic use, poor diet, chronic stress, illness or environmental factors and is linked to many gut, immune and metabolic disorders.

This leads to a disrupted gut microbiome, with a loss of the good bacteria that support digestion, strengthen the gut barrier, regulate immune function and produce critical SCFAs (short-chain fatty acids) and neurotransmitters. As a result, harmful bacteria can overgrow, producing toxins, driving inflammation and reducing the production of key postbiotic compounds that are essential for gut and overall health.

Symptoms of dysbiosis include:

• Bloating and gas
• Chronic diarrhoea or constipation
• Bowel irregularity
• Fatigue due to inflammation and poor nutrient absorption.
• Food intolerances, especially to sugars or fibres.
• Brain fog and mood issues, due to the gut-brain axis disruption.
• Skin issues (eczema, acne) – a reflection of systemic inflammation.

Untreated dysbiosis can lead to

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS):

• Chronic gut inflammation leading to conditions like Crohn’s Disease or Ulcerative Colitis
• Leaky gut syndrome
• Increased food sensitivities and intolerances
• Autoimmune activation
• Weight gain or metabolic issues
• Mood and cognitive dysfunction

This imbalance can lead to a decrease in beneficial microbes or an increase in potentially harmful ones, affecting various bodily functions and health outcomes.

Unlike other conditions like leaky gut syndrome, which primarily involves increased intestinal permeability, dysbiosis is characterised by changes in microbial composition and metabolic activities, impacting your immunity and disease susceptibility. Dysbiosis is uniquely different in that it can occur in various microbiomes throughout the body, not just the gut, and its effects can be widespread, influencing conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease, obesity and diabetes.

Disruptions in the gut microbiome can lead to a decreased number of short-chain fatty acid-producing bacteria and increased toxin-producing bacteria. Along with this, there may be disruptions in the intestinal barriers, leading to bacterial translocation that may influence systemic inflammation.

Treatment indication for dysbiosis

A healthy microbiome and a rich population of beneficial bacteria can play a powerful role in assisting with Dysbiosis by supporting the gut’s healing capacity. Reducing inflammation, combating pathogens, improving colonic PH levels, stimulating mucosal secretion, boosting postbiotic SCFAs, reducing side effects of medication or antibiotics and speeding up healing and recovery.

Healing the whole gut system

Supplementing with Probitec IBS or Probitec Gastro to repopulate your gut microbiome with the right good bacteria is essential, whilst supplementing with Probitec Fibre+ to heal and rebuild the whole gut system, improving the structure, environment and function will also significantly assist with recovery.

Supplementation recommendation

1. Repopulating your gut microbiome with the right good bacteria

Repopulating your gut microbiome with the right good bacteria to improve its function and role within your health will start resolving your symptoms. Ensure you only take a probiotic that meets pharmaceutical grade standards to ensure efficacy and that dose delivery for symptom improvement, (uses gold-standard strains backed by clinical evidence for efficacy, with a minimum dose of 10 Billion CFU’s, protects it bacterial dose by ensuring shelf stability and full stomach acid protection with targeted delivery of the bacteria to your intestine and meets all other quality metrics). The bacteria in your microbiome improve digestion and nutrient absorption, act as the gut's pharmacy – making vitamins, producing SCFAs and other important metabolites, like serotonin. It is both the boss of and manager of our immune system. They influence our brain and hormones, improve our mood, plus how our brain works. The microbiome also influences our Metabolic and Hormonal system/health.

2. Healing the whole gut system, improving the structure, environment and function

This condition can affect the gut structure, environment and function, leading to an overall decline in the performance of the whole gut system. This results in gut inflammation, increased oxidative levels, and altered colonic PH levels. It impairs immune capabilities, cell function, barrier function, digestion and metabolic health. This makes it harder for good bacteria to survive in your gut and easier for pathogens to take over – leading to a negative-cyclical feedback loop that keeps you unhealthy, compromised and struggling with severe symptoms.

Information provided by Probitec.