Dysbiosis – What Have We Learned?
Michael Ash BSc(Hons) DO, ND, FDipION reviews some of the last 12 months of published research.
The human body has some 10 trillion human cells—but 10 times that number of microbial cells. So what happens when such an important part of our bodies goes missing or never develops?
Plus what can we do to limit any adverse consequences linked to microbial disruption – referred to as dysbiosis?[1]
Further, do probiotics—dietary supplements containing potentially beneficial microbes actually support appropriate immune responses?
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Probiotics and Prebiotics in the Management of Ulcerative Colitis
Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic relapsing inflammatory disease of the colon with extraintestinal manifestations. UC is associated with increased risk of developing colorectal cancer and increased mortality. Pathogenesis of UC is postulated to be linked to a defect in the microbial population of the colonic mucosa. Patients with UC requiring surgery tend to have proto-colectomy with ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA). Pouchitis, chronic relapsing inflammation of the ileal reservoir, is a common complication and the pathogenesis is thought to be similar to UC. Probiotics have been used to treat active disease and maintenance of remission in both UC and pouchitis. Early studies in the use of synbiotics in the management of UC and pouchitis have been promising. Probiotics, prebiotics and synbiotics have relatively fewer side-effects than conventional pharmaceutical medications and are attractive alternatives for the long term treatment of UC and pouchitis.
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The immune system is prone to the same grave misfortunes as any defense system handling weapons: collateral damage that comes with the destruction of the enemy on one’s own territory and friendly fire due to mistaken identity. Whereas the collateral damage is the price we pay for clearance of infections, autoimmunity is a pathological process. Nevertheless, the effector mechanisms involved in both processes are the same. Whether environment can be a cause, a trigger or an amplifier of an autoimmune disease are questions that are being intensively investigated.
