The Gut Microbiota and COVID 19
The Gut Microbiota & COVID-19
Regular readers will by now appreciate the importance of the gut microbiota and the role it plays in shaping the health and function of our bodies.
There is increasing evidence that these microorganisms are playing an integral role in protecting us from pathogens and regulating our immune response to infections – including Sars-CoV-2.
There is a clear relationship between the bacteria in our gut and our ability to resist, manage or thrive in the face of Sars-CoV-2 infection.
Dysbiosis is now understood to contribute to the severity of COVID infection due to the impact it has on our immune system. Disruptions to the trillion-cell strong ecosystem we familiarly call our gut microbiota can make us more susceptible to viruses.
When the balance is perturbed, a state of dysbiosis ensues, and this compromises our defences – resulting in inflammation and disease generation.
Dysbiosis contributes to a change in the gut barrier – making it more ‘leaky’ or permeable. This reduces short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production and allows bacterial fragments and protein fragments to leak into the bloodstream.
How probiotics can help
A recent study showed that the well-known (well-known to me, anyway!) probiotic LGG significantly prolongs the time it takes to get infected with COVID-19, but more importantly it significantly reduces symptoms, changing the gut microbiome structure. These effects suggest LGG can be taken as an effective prophylactic to protect us against the development of symptoms if we become exposed to COVID-19. It does this by positively modulating the immune system and reducing the chances of leaky gut.
How digestive enzymes can help.
Digestive enzymes are key players in the digestive process. They are responsible for breaking down food into particles that are small enough to pass through the intestinal walls - including the breakdown of large protein molecules that may damage the lining of the gut.
Bromelain, which aids in the digestion of proteins, is an enzyme that is extracted from pineapple and papaya. Recent evidence has shown that it also plays a unique role in digesting…. wait for it…ACE-2. Now where have we heard that before? ACE-2 are the receptors that the Sars-CoV-2 virus binds to, in order to infect the cell with the virus. This is how one might contract COVID-19.
By literally digesting ACE-2, the digestive enzyme bromelain can prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection – one more reason to add digestive enzymes to your supplementary arsenal.
How I can help
If you are interested in taking a detailed look at the health of your gut, you may like to order a Complete Microbiome Mapping functional test. You can find out how well you are digesting and absorbing the food you’re eating, what your microbial ecosystem looks like – is it well-balanced? Is there overgrowth of bacterial species that could be undermining your health? It also gives detailed information about the condition of the gut barrier system, for example, have you got leaky gut? If so, how much and what is causing it? How is it affecting your immune health? What can be done to restore its function? What can be done overall to return your gastrointestinal tract into an optimal functioning organ that can have far reaching benefits for your health? All these questions and more, can be answered using the information obtained from the Complete Microbiome Mapping test.
