If you are asked what is the relationship between the intestines and the skin, in addition to answering that they are all meat on the body, you can also think that the jelly will eat into the intestines.
But in fact, the two are very closely related, if you have acne on your face or eczema on your body, you can go to the intestines to settle accounts, not only to say that you are allergic to what you eat, but also that the intestines themselves have things that call skin diseases......
# Now that I live a cleaner life, I am more prone to allergies?
Although they may look very different, the intestines and skin actually have many similarities, such as a large surface area, dense nerves and blood vessels, and because they are in contact with the outside world (the right digestive tract communicates with the outside world), and a large number of microorganisms colonize them, they also have important immune functions.
The intestine itself coils around the stomach, and there are folds, and each intestinal epithelial cell has microvilli, all of which greatly extend the intestinal surface area. Source: visiblebody.com
On the one hand, these microorganisms in the intestine can synthesize some neurotransmitters or metabolites to affect the skin through the neuroendocrine system, and on the other hand, the intestinal tract is rich in immune tissue, which can not only maintain the intestinal immune barrier, but also regulate the immune system, and ultimately affect the homeostasis of the skin.
We can understand their relationship through the hygiene hypothesis, which is that modern life has reduced the probability of human exposure to microorganisms compared with before, and the microflora of our body, especially the intestines, will be imbalanced, causing an imbalance in the body's immune response, thus causing asthma, allergic dermatitis and other allergic diseases.
So there are actually some benefits to playing with mud
The most intuitive feeling is that our parents' generation did not live in the same clean environment as today, but it seems that they are less prone to allergies like us, and allergy-related diseases such as eczema or asthma are indeed more likely to occur in children in developed countries.
Gut microbes affect the skin, and the skin affects them in turn. For example, we know that regular sun exposure can promote the body's synthesis of vitamin D, and vitamin D can also increase the diversity of intestinal microbes, so if you have poor digestion, you may also try to tan your back. Skin damage can also have an impact on the gut, for example, allergic dermatitis affects the immune response mediated by IgE antibodies in the gut, which is known as allergies, so people with allergic dermatitis are at higher risk of peanut allergy.
It's Howard's allergies
Source: Drama "The Big Bang Theory"
# Can taking some probiotics cure acne?
It is precisely because of the close relationship between the two that when the skin is in condition, the proportion of various microorganisms in the intestine will also change, that is, the imbalance of the microflora, one of the manifestations is the stomach discomfort, always feeling flatulence, and maybe a little indigestion.
Like Bifidobacteria and Lactobacillus that we often hear about, they can be regarded as bacteria that are beneficial to the intestines, and they can synthesize some substances that are beneficial to the skin, such as the use of cellulose that cannot be digested by humans to synthesize short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), which have anti-inflammatory effects and can improve skin inflammation.
Bifidobacterium with a fork grown
Source: chungvisinh.com
Proteus, on the other hand, are also frequent visitors to the gut, but they are not very popular and are among the more harmful colonies. Studies have found that the abundance of microorganisms such as bifidobacteria and lactobacilli decreases in the gut of acne patients, and the abundance of Proteus bacteria increases. There is also rosacea (also known as rosacea), which is not only dysbiosis, but also related to Helicobacter pylori infection, so people with rosacea may have more stomach pain and bad breath.
Are you looking forward to the treatment process in "Acne Master"... See for yourself
Source: visiblebody.com
Therefore, improving the intestinal flora can play an adjuvant therapeutic effect on some inflammatory skin diseases. In an experimental therapy study of 57 patients with gut-related skin inflammation such as acne and rosacea, 89% of the 37 patients who took 2 capsules daily of E. coli Nissler 1917 capsules improved their skin inflammation compared to 56% in the control group.
Comparison of the patient's skin before treatment and after 1 month.
Source: References[2]
In these treatment groups, 79% and 63% of the gut microbiota were converted to beneficial bifidobacteria and lactobacilli, respectively, compared to none in the control group, and the colonies of pathogenic bacteria decreased from 73% to 14%. In addition to this, some inflammatory markers in the blood of the treatment group also decreased.
# Does eating fried chicken really cause acne?
Since the "little residents" in the gut affect our appearance so much, what can we do to get them to have more "good guys" and less "bad guys"? Naturally, you can start by eating, after all, they will eat whatever you eat.
The proportion of different nutrients in the diet can affect the gut microbiome, and if you eat heavy oil, although you think it tastes good, they don't taste good. Eating too much fat reduces the number of beneficial bacteria in your gut and allows them to synthesize more lipopolysaccharides, which cause the body to produce more inflammatory factors.
So it's not an illusion to feel that your skin isn't good on the days when you always eat fried chicken
Also, although probiotics may be a little useful for acne, but your stomach acid is so bad, if there is no special treatment, most of them may be gone before they reach their destination, and growing too much will be counterproductive, so you can eat some prebiotics, which you can't digest very well, but the nutrients they like to eat are very good, including oligosaccharides.
It is worth mentioning that oligosaccharides are high in breast milk, so breastfeeding increases the ratio of bifidobacteria and lactobacilli, and formula increases the proportion of harmful microorganisms such as γ-Proteus, so breastfeeding can reduce the risk of asthma or other allergic diseases in infants.
If possible, breastfed babies will have higher levels of beneficial bacteria in their bodies. If there are no conditions, we have also said that many milk home remedies such as pangolins are fake, and you can't force mothers for the sake of children.
# Does a bad mood really get acne?
In addition to the skin, the microorganisms in the gut can also affect the whole body through the gut-lung axis and the gut-brain axis, as well as through the synthesis of bioactive substances and the immune system.
For example, if you are about to take an exam, or a big project is about to reach the deadline, it will definitely be stressful, and the continuous pressure will affect lactobacilli and bifidobacteria, and it will also cause the bacteria in the intestines to secrete acetylcholine, serotonin and other neurotransmitters into the blood, causing the body's inflammatory response, so the stress will really cause acne.
However, compared with the skin, due to the special structure and function of the human brain, as well as too many factors affecting the intestinal microbe, it is difficult to control the variables, and it is difficult to study it in more detail.
It seems that if you want to be beautiful, in addition to paying attention to skin care, you also have to eat well to keep your mood happy, so choose to eat a meal high in oil and sugar, and then ......
bibliography
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[2]. Manzhalii E, Hornuss D, Stremmel W. Intestinal-borne dermatoses significantly improved by oral application of Escherichia coli Nissle 1917. World J Gastroenterol. 2016 Jun 21; 22(23):5415-21. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v22.i23.5415. PMID: 27340358; PMCID: PMC4910662.
[3]. Mahmud MR, Akter S, Tamanna SK, Mazumder L, Esti IZ, Banerjee S, Akter S, Hasan MR, Acharjee M, Hossain MS, Pirttilä AM. Impact of gut microbiome on skin health: gut-skin axis observed through the lenses of therapeutics and skin diseases. Gut Microbes. 2022 Jan-Dec; 14(1):2096995. doi: 10.1080/19490976.2022.2096995. PMID: 35866234; PMCID: PMC9311318.
[4]. Messaoudi M, Violle N, Bisson JF, Desor D, Javelot H, Rougeot C. Beneficial psychological effects of a probiotic formulation (Lactobacillus helveticus R0052 and Bifidobacterium longum R0175) in healthy human volunteers. Gut Microbes. 2011 Jul-Aug; 2(4):256-61. doi: 10.4161/gmic.2.4.16108. Epub 2011 Jul 1. PMID: 21983070.
[5]. Mayer EA, Tillisch K, Gupta A. Gut/brain axis and the microbiota. J Clin Invest. 2015 Mar 2; 125(3):926-38. doi: 10.1172/JCI76304. Epub 2015 Feb 17. PMID: 25689247; PMCID: PMC4362231.
Written by | Xiao Xu
WeChat edit | Zhao Zhiyu