Will a bad stomach affect the skin?

Many people have had this experience:

If your gastrointestinal condition is not good, it will soon be reflected on your face; if you have indigestion and frequent diarrhea, your skin will appear dull and lifeless, and you may even get inexplicable acne and allergies.

If the stomach is not healthy, the skin will be bad; when the stomach is healthy, the skin will also become healthy. Is it possible that the stomach and skin have reached some kind of cooperation mechanism behind the scenes?

Indeed! Some studies suggest that there is indeed a signaling pathway between the gut and the skin, allowing the state of the gut to affect the skin, resulting in a mutually beneficial relationship. Researchers call this relationship the "gut-skin axis."

Sub-heading: Will intestinal problems affect the skin?

The intestine and the skin actually have a lot in common. They are both organs with dense blood vessels and rich nerves. They are also the interface between us and the external environment. They have important immune, neuroendocrine and other functions, and they play an indispensable role in maintaining the physiological homeostasis of the human body.

But from our visual point of view, the intestines and the skin seem to be too far apart - how can alcohol affect the skin on the surface of the body when the intestines are hidden in the abdominal cavity?

One of the most intuitive impact pathways is to send the intestinal "discomfort" signals to the skin through the internal circulation. When we have a poor diet, some endotoxins or other inflammatory factors produced in the intestines will be sent to our entire body through the blood circulation, and the skin will also be affected.

However, the most important regulator of the gut-skin axis is still the intestinal flora.

The human intestinal microorganisms are composed of bacteria, viruses and protozoa, and the number of intestinal microorganisms is 10 times that of human cells. The intestinal flora is an important component of human digestion, immunity and other functions. The intestinal flora not only helps us digest nutrients such as polysaccharides, but also plays a key role in the production of nutrients such as vitamin K. The impact of intestinal vitamins on the human immune system is even greater.

These two major functions of intestinal flora have become ways for the intestines to affect skin condition.

When the beneficial bacteria in the intestinal flora multiply and the intestinal environment tends to be stable, intestinal digestion becomes smoother, which is more conducive to the digestion and absorption of nutrients, and this is beneficial to the nutritional supply of the skin. Conversely, when harmful bacteria multiply in the intestines, the intestinal environment deteriorates, and nutritional absorption also deteriorates, the skin will also be affected due to insufficient nutritional supply.

On the other hand, the stability of intestinal flora plays an important role in human immunity. When the intestinal flora is unbalanced, the human immune homeostasis will also be broken, and the skin condition will naturally become worse in this case.

Some studies have shown that when the intestinal barrier is damaged, intestinal flora and their metabolites will enter the skin through the blood and accumulate, affecting skin homeostasis. In other words, when the intestinal flora is unbalanced, the skin is more likely to have an inflammatory response. In related studies, skin diseases such as atopic dermatitis, acne, psoriasis, and rosacea have been found to have a certain relationship with intestinal flora imbalance.

For example, patients with atopic dermatitis may have imbalanced intestinal flora when they suffer from diarrhea, enteritis, and other conditions that may damage the intestinal barrier function. Harmful bacteria and their products increase in large numbers in a short period of time, which may cause an inflammatory response in the intestinal mucosa. These harmful bacteria and harmful substances can also pass through the intestinal mucosal barrier and enter the whole body, causing atopic dermatitis. Even if the original condition has been controlled, atopic dermatitis will recur.

Healthy skin will also be affected. When inflammation occurs in the intestine, it will trigger the release of many pro-inflammatory factors, causing the body and skin to have a reduced resistance to the outside world, and the skin condition will also be affected. At this time, simply applying skin care products will not solve the skin problem.

Beyond that, negative changes in our gut can also affect our brain.

These discomforts in the intestines are transmitted to the brain, which makes the brain unhappy. When the state of the brain is affected, the release of various active substances in the human body will also change, and these changes will also affect the state of the skin. These changes will directly or indirectly affect the health of the skin.

Sub-title: Can using probiotics to regulate the intestinal environment improve our skin condition?

Current research suggests that yes!

Some studies in rodents and humans have shown that by improving the structure of the intestinal flora, it is indeed possible to affect the skin, making it look and feel healthier.

In a study using mice as experimental subjects, researchers found that the skin of mice that were orally supplemented with Lactobacillus reuteri became thicker and smoother. Another clinical trial conducted on human volunteers found that taking Lactobacillus paracasei NCC2461 supplements can effectively improve volunteers' skin sensitivity problems, while enhancing skin moisture and making the skin more hydrated and shiny. In addition, other studies have found that intestinal microorganisms can also have a positive impact when the skin barrier is damaged and promote skin repair.

In short, the impact of intestinal flora on the skin is two-sided. When the intestinal flora is unbalanced and harmful bacteria proliferate, they will affect the skin and make it worse; when the intestinal flora is positive, they can also make our skin better.

Therefore, if you always face this skin problem, in addition to improving your skin care methods, you might as well focus on your intestines - perhaps, it is your intestinal flora that is secretly causing trouble.

References:

[1]Salem, I., Ramser, A., Isham, N., & Ghannoum, MA (2018). The gut microbiome as a major regulator of the gut-skin axis. Frontiers in microbiology, 9, 1459.

The article is produced by Science Popularization China-Creation Cultivation Program. Please indicate the source when reprinting.

Author: Hydra Science Author

Reviewer: Feng Jun, deputy chief physician of the Dermatology Department of Sinopharm Tongmei General Hospital