Gut Health And Skin: How Are They Connected
Hi everyone. Welcome back to our channel.
The connection between gut health and skin health is an area of interest for many individuals, and it has been observed that the skin is often a reflection of what is going on inside our body and taking care of our gut health can result in healthier skin.
So in today's video, I will be discussing what is the gut skin access?
What impact does gut health have on our skin?
What skin conditions are linked to poor gut health?
What role does diet play in gut and skin health?
And lastly, what lifestyle factors can positively influence our gut and skin health?
Hi, I'm Katie Bailey. I'm a gut health dietitian at Oswald Digestive Clinic, where we help individuals improve and resolve their bothersome gut issues. If you're interested in learning more about gut health, I'll link our free guide Five Ways to Improve Your Gut Health here.
All right, let's get started on today's topic.
[Video Transcript Below Video - it is the same information]
What is the gut skin axis?
The gut skin axis is a term that describes the complex interaction between our gut microbiome in the skin. The gut is home to trillions of microorganisms, collectively known as our gut microbiome, which play a role in digestion, absorption, and immune function. When this balance is disrupted, it can manifest in various ways, including skin issues.
The skin is the largest organ of the body and serves as a protective barrier against environmental stressors. It can reflect your overall health and its appearance can be influenced by various factors including our gut health. Both the gut and the skin are affected by some of the same factors, including inflammation, immune responses, and our diet, which is why they often share common issues.
What impact does our gut health have on our skin?
The first is inflammation in immune system response. So the gut plays a crucial role in the body's immune response. If the balance of beneficial bacteria in the gut becomes disrupted, which is known as gut dysbiosis, it can lead to chronic low grade inflammation. For example, studies have shown that individuals with acne often have an overgrowth of harmful bacteria and a deficiency of beneficial bacteria like bifidobacteria and lactobacillus. This imbalance leads to inflammation aggravating the skin and triggering breakouts. A balanced microbiome helps to regulate inflammation and the production of hormones and stress response, which all impact our skin health.
The second way that your gut can impact your skin is through leaky gut syndrome. So in this condition, the lining of the intestines becomes damaged, allowing food particles, toxins, and harmful bacteria to enter into the bloodstream. The immune system then responds to these invaders, often causing systemic inflammation where inflammation can travel throughout the body, including on the skin. This inflammatory response can contribute to skin issues like acne, rosacea, and eczema.
The more inflamed your gut becomes, the higher likelihood of you experiencing flareups on your skin. Another way that our gut health can impact our skin is through nutrient absorption. So a healthy gut ensures that our body is absorbing the necessary nutrients that are important for maintaining healthy skin Nutrients like vitamins A, C, D, E, and zinc play crucial roles in our skin health from collagen production to protecting the skin from free radicals and skin production and repair.
If your gut is compromised, you may not be adequately absorbing these nutrients, which may the skin then may show deficiencies like with dryness, premature aging, or dullness.
What skin issues are linked to poor gut health?
Acne
The first is acne. So gut dysbiosis can contribute to inflammation in hormonal issues, which are major contributors to acne.
Eczema
Next is eczema. So an imbalance gut can lead to a heightened immune response and inflammation which can initiate eczema symptoms.
Rosacea
It can also cause rosacea. So gut imbalances and inflammation have been shown to contribute to the development as well as flareups of rosacea.
Premature Aging
And then lastly, premature aging. So oxidative stress and inflammation caused by gut dysbiosis can accelerate the aging process on the skin leading to wrinkles and fine lines and a dull complexion.
What role does diet play in gut and skin health?
Well, what you eat can have a significant impact on your overall gut and skin health. Certain foods can contribute to gut health and decrease inflammation while other foods can promote gut dysbiosis and make skin issues worse. So some key dietary habits that can help promote gut health and improve your skin include adding in probiotics and prebiotics.
Probiotics are that good bacteria, things like yogurt and yogurt, keefer, kimchi, sauerkraut, and then prebiotics are the fuel for that bacteria. They feed that bacteria. So things like garlic and onions, green, bananas and apples.
Another thing is anti-inflammatory foods, fatty fish, nuts and seeds, leafy greens, and a variety of fruits and vegetables. Because we know that chronic inflammation is a key driver for our gut health and our skin. It's also important to limit processed foods, excess sugar and alcohol as these all contribute to inflammation and can disrupt our gut health leading to skin issues.
And then lastly, gut supporting foods. So foods such as bone broth collagen, aloe in a variety of fiber rich foods, they can help to support the integrity of the gut lining and prevent leaky gut. So these foods help to restore our gut barrier function, which in turn could help improve the appearance of the skin overall, we want to focus instead on a eating, a balanced, nutrient dense whole foods diet with a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats, as well as protein.
What lifestyle factors can positively influence our gut and skin health?
The first is hydration.
So drinking plenty of water helps to maintain our skin's hydration as well as support proper digestion.
Next is stress management.
So engaging in regular stress relief practices such as deep breathing, exercise, meditation, and mindfulness. Managing stress not only helps with our gut health, but it can also prevent stress related skin flare-ups.
And then lastly, optimal sleep.
So sleep is essential for skin regeneration and repair. So getting between seven to nine hours of sleep at night can help our body to heal and recharge.
To wrap up our topic for today,
The relationship between gut health and skin health is undeniable. Your gut plays a pivotal role in managing inflammation, immunity and nutrient absorption, all of which impact your skin by managing a healthy gut through a balanced diet. That includes probiotics and prebiotics, anti-inflammatory foods, gut healing foods, while focusing on managing your stress levels, getting adequate sleep and hydration.
You can improve your overall gut health as well as your complexion. Clear skin begins from the inside out and it all starts with a healthy gut.
That's it for today's topic. If you like this video, please hit the like button and subscribe for more nutrition videos. If you're interested in working with our clinic, you can click the link here to schedule an appointment. We do take insurance and you can find more information about that on our website.
Thank you for watching. I'll see you next time. Bye.
If you'd like to explore any of this information further or obtain an individualized nutrition plan, you can schedule an initial appointment at our clinic. We also take insurance and some of our clients get full coverage, which is great.
Or you can just start by downloading our FREE GUIDE: 5 WAYS TO IMPROVE GUT HEALTH
Curious about what type of gut you have? Take our Free Quiz now!
