Can you believe it has been almost 5 years since the start of Covid! It is wild to remember that world! Well let’s reflect on it and the changes that have happened since the pandemic especially in relation to gut health.
There have been studies completed showing that the pandemic has led to a REDUCTION in gut diversity but why is this? And do we care?
Simple answer is a big YES, because is the guts diversity has reduced and becomes in inflamed it can cause a whole host of issues, such as:
Increased intestinal permeability, i.e. leaky gut
Increased risk of inflammatory bowel disease (e.g. Colitis)
IBS-like symptoms (changes to bowel motions, constipation/diarrhoea, bloating)
Reduction in immune function and getting sick more often
Increases the risk of developing autoimmune conditions e.g. Hashimotos
Worsening of existing conditions such as asthma, metabolic syndrome and Type 1 & 2 diabetes
Fatigue
Brain fog
Increased anxiety and depression)
Worsening of skin conditions such as acne, and eczema
Development of new skin conditions.
As you can see this list isn’t short and therefore, that’s why it is super important we don’t ignore changes in our gut health to stop leading down one of the pathways above. So why did this happen?
Social distancing and being in lockdown meant that we were less exposed to a diverse range of microbes on a daily basis. This has also been exacerbated by the number of antibiotics prescribed, wearing masks, and excessive hygiene.
Furthermore, most of the population caught the virus and researchers found that the SARS-CoV-2 infection reduced the diversity of bacteria in the gut microbiome. People are also having fall out still of long covid or whats known as post-acute covid syndrome (PACS). This can be a major health challenge for people with lingering symptoms including most relevant being fatigue.
But the good news is we can use the gut to 1. Help restore what we lost in microbiota diversity and 2. Reduce symptoms of the post covid fatigue / long covid.
Pandemic impact to the gut
We can see the impact already on the microbiome from taking a look at studies completed of gut colonisation of newborns immediately following birth post pandemic error.
One study showed that babies born by C-section already have a reduced gut microbiome diversity compared to those via natural birth but now research is showing that infant microbiome diversity plummeted when the pandemic spiked. Meaning that the children born post covid are more likely to develop some of the issues we mentioned above. Therefore, we need to look at gut health for the whole family.
Long covid
Research is emerging on the vital role of digestive health and the gut microbiome in long covid. It notes that there is a strong association with gut dysbiosis and the persistence of symptoms in long covid. Studies show reduced microbiota diversity, increased opportunistic pathogens and fewer beneficial bacteria to support the immune system.
Additionally, the role of the gut microbiota is implicated in several lung diseases, with an indication of bidirectional communication termed the “gut-lung axis”. You can begin right now to optimise your diet to
• Reduce inflammation.
• Feed your gut microbiome.
Tips to Improve and Rebuild Gut Health Naturally
Eating a diverse range of fiber-rich: Either 600g a day of vegetables and fruits or, you don’t have scales, minimum 7 servings. One serve is one heaped handful of cooked vegetables, a piece of fruit or a double-heaped handful of raw/salad vegetables.
Including prebiotic foods in your diet: Prebiotic foods contain small amounts of beneficial bacteria and help feed the good bacteria in the gut. They can be a helpful addition to your daily diet. If your gut is highly dysbiotic or inflamed, you might not tolerate these initially. This includes foods such as oats, garlic, onions, bananas, cooled potatoes, apples and artichokes.
Include probiotic foods which will help outweigh the opportunistic bacteria. This includes foods such as kefir, kombucha, saukerkraut, coconut yoghurt.
Improving your intake of polyphenols: This will help grow the beneficial bacteria, and also has been seen to inhibit the growth of pathogenic bacteria. Include foods such as Green tea polyphenols (green tea), Resveratrol (dark grapes, berries, soybeans, pomegranate), Curcumin (Turmeric), Quercetin (Onions, grapes, broccoli, apples and berries).
Spending time outdoors and connecting with nature to increase microbial exposure, including touching and smelling foliage, plants and trees.
Practicing mindful eating to support digestion. Chewing is essential and helps breakdown the foods for our gut since we don’t have teeth anywhere else in the digestive system. Chew your food 30 times before you swallow.
Reducing reliance on synthetic chemicals, including fluoride and non-essential medications.
Reduce inflammatory foods:
Refined sugars (cane sugar, maltodextrin, sugar alcohols)
Alcohol
Highly processed grains (commercial bread, breakfast cereals, instant noodles, pastries, store bought sweets or snacks)
Seed oils found in commercially processed foods (canola, sunflower)
Processed meats (ham, bacon)
Foods with preservatives, additives, emulsifiers and thickeners.
If you are experiencing any increase in gut health symptoms post pandemic or after a covid infection you would benefit from a gut cleanse and improving your gut health. If you feel like this is you, feel free to book a FREE 15 minute consultation to see how we can improve your gut health together.
Source:
Volume 8 - 2021 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2021.652464
Zhou L, et al. Effects of vaginal microbiota transfer on the neurodevelopment and microbiome of cesarean-born infants: A blinded randomized controlled trial. Cell Host Microbe. 2023;31(7):1232-1247.
Querdasi FR, et al. A comparison of the infant gut microbiome before versus after the start of the covid-19 pandemic. Sci Rep. 2023;13(1):13289.
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