Dysbiosis of the Gut: Causes and Solutions

If you’re one of the 70 million people struggling with gastrointestinal issues, you’ve probably wondered what’s happening inside your gut. Scientists refer to the community of microorganisms inhabiting your intestines as the “gut microbiome.” An imbalance in the bugs making up this intestinal ecosystem is commonly called dysbiosis or gut dysbiosis.

Much like having a few obnoxious party crashers or rude neighbors in your community, dysbiosis happens when the disruptors outnumber the polite and helpful residents. Restoring balance means understanding what causes dysbiosis, identifying the troublemakers, and supporting the beneficial flora to reclaim harmonious relations in your gut community.

Causes and Contributors to Dysbiosis

A number of factors can tip the microbial scales out of balance:

Diets High in Sugar and Processed Foods

Diets low in fiber and high in sugar and refined grains starve out good bugs while promoting overgrowth of fungi and pathogenic species. This throws off ratios between beneficial bacteria like Bifidobacteria and Lactobacillus compared to gas-producing bacteria like Clostridia and E. coli strains.

Medications: Antibiotics, Acid Blockers, NSAIDS

Antibiotics are microbiome disruptors often likened to “carpet bombing” gut flora. By killing off good bacteria populations along with bad strains, antibiotics allow fungi and pathogens to opportunistically take over freshly vacated niches. Long term use of acid reducing drugs also suppresses gastric acid required to keep microbes moving, contributing to upstream small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO).

Chronic Stress

When constantly flooded with cortisol and adrenaline, good bugs like Lactobacillus get depleted while inflammatory species linked to brain disorders thrive. This connection between gut and mental health is called the “microbiome-gut-brain axis.” Stress reducing practices are key to rebalance.

Infections and Illness

After any infection or illness requiring immune response, populations of microbes throw off quorum sensing signals to each other. This alters microbial ratios leading to over- or under-representation of key commensals compared to pathogens. Replenishing good bug allies helps prevent pathogens from grabbing an enduring foothold.

Environmental Toxin Exposures

Toxins like heavy metals, mold, and harmful chemicals that contact our skin, airways, and intestines directly impact microbial diversity. Beneficial microbes are more negatively affected compared to fungi and pathogens able to withstand toxic insults. Minimizing chemical and toxin exposures protects your microbial community.

Types of Gut Dysbiosis

There are four main categories of microbial miscreants that can take up residence when dysbiosis arises:

Opportunistic Bacterial Overgrowth

Imbalances in normally occurring bacteria allows populations like E. coli, Enterobacter, Klebsiella and certain Clostridia strains to expand beyond optimal ratios. Their increase produces excess gas, inflammation and symptoms like constipation or loose stools.

Candida and other Fungi Outnumbering Bacteria

Yeast overgrowth is common, especially in those with high sugar diets and antibiotic use. When unchecked by healthy flora, the fungal form of Candida converts to an invasive hyphal version that digs into gut lining causing leaky gut symptoms. However other symptoms can be dandruff, brain fog, memory loss, and yeast infections.

Uninvited Parasitic Guests Like Protozoa, Worms

Parasites can enter through contaminated food/water or travel from the mouth via the small intestine. Some common offenders are Blastocystis homonis, Giardia lamblia, Cryptosporidium, Dientamoeba fragilis and intestinal worms. Hard to eradicate once established, these freeloaders liberally help themselves to your nutrients. One common I often see associated here is anxiety.

Post-Infectious Imbalances In the wrong conditions, normally held-in-check species like E.coli, Salmonella, Shigella or other pathogens can severely disrupt delicate balances coming out of infection or illness. This allows their persisting overgrowth to cause lingering digestive complaints.

As you can see, gut microbiome disruption has many causes and manifestations. The key is identifying which form of dysbiosis may be plaguing your unique ecosystem.

Signs Your Intestinal Flora is Out of Whack

Some common symptoms that may arise when populations of gut microbes become imbalanced include:

Digestive complaints like bloating, gas, constipation and diarrhea
Nutrient deficiencies and inflammation when pathogens claim your nutrients
Skin irritations such as acne, eczema and rashes
Autoimmune reactions like joint pain and chronic fatigue
Food sensitivities, seasonal allergies and histamine intolerance
Sugar cravings and altered appetite regulation promoting overgrowth

If some of those symptoms sound uncomfortably familiar, getting insight into your unique microbial makeup can help crack the case!

Testing to Identify Culpable Critters

While many causes of gut issues are possible, identifying dysbiosis requires testing to see if unhealthy ratios between pathogens and commensals exist. The comprehensive GI Effects Microbial Ecology Profile from Diagnostic Solutions Laboratory pinpoints 23 beneficial bacteria strains and 12 possible troublemaker groups.

This non-invasive GI Effects or GI-MAP analysis uses DNA analysis of a stool sample to provide speciation, quantification and sensitivity data detailing amounts of all major commensal groups down to the genus/species along with any parasites, worms, fungi or pathogens present.

Seeing population percentages of your bug lineup alongside ideal reference ranges makes it far easier to identify who the troublemaking bugs are and how to send reinforcements to outnumber them!

Solutions to Rebalance Your Microbiome

Once dysbiosis testing identifies the specific variable or combination of factors disrupting your individual gut flora, there are numerous therapeutic approaches to restore harmony:

Dietary Approaches A diet high in green leafy vegetables, cruciferous options like broccoli and cauliflower, foods full of color like blueberries or raspberries provide prebiotic fibers that selectively feed groups like Bifidobacterium and Akkermansia shown to reduce inflammation. Anti Inflammatory diets alleviate IBS symptoms resulting from excess fermentation by limiting short chain carbohydrates. Low sugar anti-candida diets starve out fungal overgrowth. Long-term nutritional approaches help recalibrate ratios but it is very important to find what foods are inflammatory to your body as even “healthy” options could be disrupting your body.

Probiotic Reinforcements High potency, multi-species probiotic supplements containing research-backed strains like Lactobacillus plantarum, Saccharomyces boulardii and Bacillus coagulans help to repopulate communities with beneficial species. But remember, they must be continually replenished and it include diet full of natural fibers to feed them.
Prebiotic Nutrients Prebiotic compounds provide fertilizer to shift conditions favoring growth of good bugs over bad bugs. Galacto-oligosaccharide (GOS), arabinogalactan and bioactive foods like garlic, onions, dandelion greens and asparagus promote thriving ecosystems long-term.
Antimicrobial Herbal Agents

Botanical compounds can directly inhibit overgrown pathogens without complete collateral damage unlike antibiotics. Examples include berberine, caprylic acid from coconut oil, wormwood, black walnut, oregano oil and olive leaf extracts. They help beneficially recalibrate ratios.

Addressing Toxic Exposures and Stress Limiting contact with microbiome-disrupting environmental toxins while managing life stressors through yoga, meditation, counseling, adaptogens, etc. relieves strain on intestinal flora. Supporting detox pathways also lessens toxic burdens.

By combining testing insights with personalized, multi-pronged therapies tailored to the type of dysbiosis at play, longstanding digestive health complaints can resolve as balance returns to your gut microbiome community. Through dietary upgrades, critical probiotic additions, and strategic antimicrobial interventions, homeostasis can be restored between pathogens and commensals.

Much like diplomatically resolving issues with quarrelsome neighbors, applying both social tact with the troublemakers and better fences and landscaping improves relations long term in the gut ecosystem for all parties concerned!