The Gut-Skin Axis Means Dermatitis May Be Fought With Probiotics

7 minute read

Probiotics are all the rage when it comes to keeping your gut working efficiently. As it happens, these microorganisms have benefits that extend beyond your digestive tract.

Any alterations in your gut microbiome can impact the health of your skin too. It seems that probiotics and prebiotics may be able to work together to successfully treat conditions like dermatitis. The gut-brain axis has been known for some time, but there is a gut-skin axis as well.

Prebiotics and Probiotics: The Dynamic Duo

Prebiotics are the fuel that probiotics need to function efficiently. Just as you need food for energy, probiotics and your gut bacteria also need an energy source. Prebiotics are dietary fibers that your body cannot digest, but your gut bacteria love.

These fibers make their way through your digestive tract to your intestines where most of your friendly bacteria live. By nourishing and strengthening this community, your digestive health and immunity are improved.

Pre and probiotic supplements help replenish your gut bacterial community. Poor diet, stress, and antibiotics can deplete your helpful bacteria, which allows harmful strains to colonize. High potency, multi strain probiotics, fueled by prebiotic strains, maintain a healthy balance in your gut, so harmful strains cannot take over.

Preventing an overgrowth of bad bacteria is important to digestive health because these bacteria regulate your immunity. Too many bad bacteria trigger inflammatory responses, which can be damaging when chronic.

In addition to keeping inflammation under control, the beneficial bacteria in your gut produce essential nutrients. Vitamin K is one such nutrient that we benefit from, as it promotes heart health and bone health by preventing calcium deposits.

The bacteria also produce valuable short-chain fatty acids that support the cells lining your colon. These reinforce the lining to prevent toxins from passing through, which prevents inflammation and reduces your risk for cancer.

How Bacteria Affects Skin Health

There is no shortage of information as to how probiotics improve gut health, but many people do not realize that probiotics can help in so many other ways as a natural dietary and digestive health supplement. Dermatitis is a common skin condition characterized by painful rashes and the underlying cause is inflammation. Because inflammation is a major factor, probiotics could provide an effective solution.

Chronic inflammation results from an unhealthy gut as harmful bacteria colonize and weaken your intestinal walls. This increases permeability, which means toxins are free to pass through into your bloodstream and travel through your body.

When this happens, your immune system releases inflammatory markers to target these toxins and healthy organs (including your skin) come under attack.

Many autoimmune conditions are exacerbated by inflammation and skin conditions like dermatitis are worsened.

Dermatitis is typically associated with allergic reactions or asthma but inflammation is what exacerbates the condition. Flare-ups and pain may be reduced when less inflammation is present.

Allergic reactions trigger the inflammatory response in the same way that an unbalanced gut does, which is why it is believed that probiotics can help. Regardless of what starts the inflammation, it can be brought under control and regulated through a healthy gut.

A balanced gut can be achieved with probiotics (and Nutraflora prebiotic fiber), and a balanced gut keeps the inflammatory response in check. Reduced inflammation in your body not only reduces your risk for disease, but it brings relief for inflammatory-related conditions like dermatitis.

Probiotics do not directly benefit your skin health, but they prevent the release of toxins into your body, which damages your health.

You re What You Eat

What you eat has a major impact on the health of your gut, which is why probiotics and prebiotics become important. High-sugar and high-fat diets, as well as those consisting largely of processed foods influence your gut health and allow harmful strains to thrive.

The more you fuel these bacteria, the quicker they grow and colonize. In no time, you have an unhealthy gut and poor immunity.

Probiotics can replenish lost bacteria, but if you continue to follow the same unhealthy diets, the problem will not be resolved. Dietary changes that include more prebiotics and less refined foods will ensure that the healthy bacteria you restore will flourish and can kick the harmful ones out of the way.

Antibiotics can also harm your beneficial bacteria, so if you need to follow a course of antibiotics, be sure to take a supplement with a complete probiotic blend to prevent any imbalance.

Probiotics can be taken in supplementary form or can be found in several natural food sources. Yogurt is the top probiotic food source so long as it is natural, organic, and plain.

The additions of flavor, syrups, and sugar of many store-bought yogurts only fuel the bad bacteria in your gut and all potential benefits of the probiotics are lost. In addition to yogurt, fermented foods such as sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir, and unpasteurized pickles are also full of natural probiotics.

Prebiotic foods sources are just as easy to find. There are prebiotic supplements you can buy. These indigestible fibers are found in most fruits, vegetable, and legumes and your gut bacteria will love them.

Just remember to avoid any of these foods if you have allergies, as this will trigger inflammation.

♦ Oats (whole or steel-cut are best)

♦ Apples

♦ Cocoa beans and dark chocolate

♦ Bananas

♦ Berries (all types)

♦ Asparagus

♦ Garlic

♦ Leeks and onions

♦ Beans

♦ Legumes and lentils

The Bottom Line

Inflammation is an underlying factor in most diseases, including dermatitis, and this can be easily controlled with probiotic use. You just need to remember that your probiotics need support too, and prebiotics are the perfect partners.

To prevent dermatitis or treat existing conditions, start a probiotic supplement today and add prebiotic foods to your diet. Healthy and happy skin is just a few microorganisms away.