Dysbiosis

Question 1

Dysbiosis

Answer 1

‘Dysbiosis’ = an imbalance in the colonies of the bowel flora, leading to a potential disruption in both local and systemic health.

Question 2

Dysbiosis: Aetiology

Answer 2

• Poor diet (highly processed, ↑ refined carbs, ↓ fibre, ↓ polyphenols).
• Intestinal / oral infections.
• Medications: Antibiotics / antacids / OCP.
• Chronic stress (e.g. = ↓ digestive secretions).
• Low digestive secretions (e.g. HCl, bile).
• C-section, non-breastfed.
• GI surgery and abdominal scar tissue.

Question 3

Dysbiosis and diseases

Answer 3

• Atopic diseases — C-section infants who received formula milk instead of breastmilk have a lower abundance of Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli. This has been associated with atopic diseases in later life. The administration of both bacteria as probiotics reduces incidence and symptoms.
• Metabolic syndrome ― has been associated with less Bidifobacteria, Akkermansia spp.; increased E coli and a high Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes ratio.

– A diet rich in fibre and SCFA-producing bacteria (probiotics) has shown improvements in metabolic syndrome

• Colorectal cancer (CRC) — fibrous diets increase the abundance of SCFA-producers and beneficial bacteria like Roseburia, Eubacterium, Bifidobacterium. Pathogens known to promote CRC are enterotoxigenic B. fragilis, E. coli, Fusobacterium spp. and Campylobacter spp.
• Neurodegenerative diseases:

– Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and MND sufferers often have ↑ pro-inflammatory bacterial species.

– Periodontal pathogens, P. gingivalis and T. denticola are also associated with the development of Alzheimer’s disease. LPS of P. gingivalis were detected in the brain tissue of AD patients.

Question 4

Metabolic syndrome

Answer 4

metabolic syndrome = a combination of hypertension, insulin resistance and obesity