Microbiome dysbiosis refers to an imbalance in the composition and function of the microbial communities in the human body. Most of the time dysbiosis is associated with digestive tract, but there are also other areas of the body where microbial communities exist and have major impact on our health. For example genitourinary tract, mouth, skin and other organs have their own microbiome, and when it is disrupted, or colonized by pathogens, health problems may occur. Several factors can contribute to dysbiosis. Here are 10 potential factors that can disrupt and even permanently change your microbiome:
Lack of Breastfeeding:
Starting at the very beginning of life, breastfeeding is not only a way to provide the child with nutrients. It turns out breastfeeding is also a natural way to provide infant with probiotic bacteria that will create an early microbiome in infant. This is key, because infants who are not breastfed may miss out on essential early exposure to beneficial bacteria (mainly bifidobacterium contained in the mothers milk), potentially impacting the development of a healthy microbiome.
Dietary Habits:
Poor dietary choices can definitely lead to gut dysbiosis. Healthy gut microbiota needs certain nutrients for survival. If it doesn’t get it, it can’t thrive and grow. On the other hand if you’re eating a diet that is high in processed foods, sugars, and low in fiber, such diet can promote the growth of certain pathogens and fungi. It can also change the PH in your gut which further create worst conditions for certain probiotic bacteria, and better conditions for pathogens which can negatively impact the diversity and balance of gut bacteria.
Antibiotic Use:
If you take broad-spectrum antibiotics, it not only kills the problematic bacteria, it also kills commensal bacteria, and therefore it can disrupt the normal balance of your gut flora. In the worst case scenario, the pathogenic bacteria are resistant to antibiotics, and when they survive the treatment, they can take the “available space” in the gut after other bacteria has been killed. That’s how chronic diarrhea caused by clostridium difficile or other pathogens can begin.
Stress:
Chronic stress is a feeling, that is caused by your body releasing hormones like cortizol, and adrenaline. This body reaction is beneficial for our survival in the moment of necessity. However chronic stress, and therefore this hormonal imbalance in the body can also alter the gut environment, affecting the growth and composition of your gut bacteria.
Infections:
Repeated infections or chronic illnesses can disturb the gut microbiome balance. Not only are infections causing stress, which we discussed above, but they are also causing response of the immune system. Immune system is then trying to kill the pathogens, but it might also kill other commensal bacteria. And of course once the pathogen get inside the body, it can stay there if your microbiome and immunity is not strong enough to wipe it completely.
Pathogens that are not wiped out from the body can cause chronic inflammation which can result in conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and celiac disease.
Lack of Physical Activity:
It is proven by scientific studies, that athletes, or people who are actively sporting have different and healthier microbiome than people with passive lifestyles. Sedentary lifestyles may contribute to poor dietary habits, and vice-versa, and physical activity is linked to a healthier gut microbiota, possibly due to better diet and hormonal or biochemical changes in the body that promotes the healthy microbiome.
Environmental Factors:
Exposure to environmental toxins and pollutants may also influence the gut microbiome negatively.
Medications:
Certain medications can negatively impact the gut microbiome. For example proton pump inhibitors are drugs that block the acid production in the stomach. Function of a stomach acid is not only to break down the food, but also to kill pathogens and prevent them from passing further into the digestive tract. When the acid production is inhibited by proton pump inhibitors, your gut is more exposed to pathogens. Other drugs that can impact your microbiome are nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and others.
Age:
The gut microbiome undergoes changes with age, and elderly individuals may experience dysbiosis. Gut dysbiosis could be a symptom of an old age due to weaker immune system (allowing some pathogens to settle in the gut), but it probably has to do with less physical activity and worst dietary choices.
Conclusion
It’s important to note that these factors can interact and vary from person to person. The good news is that you can control most of these factors to a large extent. Maintaining a balanced and varied diet, avoiding unnecessary exposure to pathogens, and antibiotic use, managing stress, and adopting a healthy lifestyle can contribute to a more resilient and diverse gut microbiota in symbiosis.