Digestive Issues? You May Have Gut Dysbiosis.

There are many conditions and diseases that arise from poor digestive processes, but one of the most common is gut dysbiosis. This is caused by an imbalance of bacteria (also called probiotics) in your gut. A healthy gut is maintained by a balance of good and bad bacteria, with the good bacteria able to prevent the bad bacteria from doing any damage. When the good bacteria are inefficient and the bad bacteria take control, they infect the intestinal tract and cause gut dysbiosis.

The symptoms are varied, ranging from typical digestive symptoms such as heartburn, flatulence, diarrhea and constipation to fatigue, joint pain, anemia, acne and even insomnia and depression. There are four main forms of gut dysbiosis:.

Putrefaction: This is caused by diets high in animal fats and low in insoluble fiber. This slows the movement of food from the bowel, allowing the bad bacteria more opportunity to exterminate the good bacteria as the ingested material putrifies in the colon. It also generates an excess of ammonia, which affects the operation of the liver and kidneys. This type of gut dysbiosis is associated with the increased risk of breast and bowel cancer. It can be prevented by reducing animal fats and increasing insoluble fibers such as seeds, nuts, dark, leafy vegetables, fruit and brown rice.

Fermentation: This is also referred to as Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth. (SIBO) and involves the overgrowth of bacteria in the small intestine rather than the colon. It's often indistinguishable from Candidiasis, overgrowth of a fungal yeast, with sufferers developing an intolerance to carbohydrates. It's advised that you deal with this by avoiding cereal grains and any processed sugar. Toleration of fruits and starchy vegetables will alter with each person, so it's matter of experimentation to find an appropriate level for yourself.

Deficiency: This is triggered by frequent use of antibiotics and low amounts of soluble fiber, which results in a deficiency of good gut bacteria. Deficiency and putrefaction dysbiosis often occur together as a result of a diet high in animal fats and low in fiber. The remedy is to decrease animal fats and increase both soluble and insoluble fiber. Soluble fiber foods include oatmeal, lentils, nuts, dried peas, apples, oranges and pears. If you eat a wide variety of fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds, this will deliver good levels of both soluble and insoluble fiber.

Sensitization: This occurs when there is an escalated immune response to regular gut bacteria. In other words, the bad bacteria are attacking the good bacteria and there's a fight taking place in your gut. Fermentation and sensitization dysbiosis often occur together, and the solution is, as in fermentation dysbiosis, to eliminate grains and processed sugar and experiment with levels of fruit and starchy vegetables. You may need to cut them right out to begin with and gradually introduce small amounts to test your tolerance.

As all forms of gut dysbiosis are a result of insufficient good bacteria, the one remedy that is common to all types is to take a daily probiotic supplement. In addition to your improved dietary program, a daily supplement will assist to repair your levels of natural probiotics and continued use will help to prevent chronic symptoms later on.