April 5, 2023 – COVID-19 may damage the composition of microbes within the gut that play a vital role within the immune system and the body’s overall health, recent research shows.
The large combination of healthy bacteria, fungi and viruses that live in our intestines – together generally known as Microbiome – plays a vital role in stopping infections, aids digestion and helps your body construct natural defenses against disease.
A study from the University of Chicago Medicine has found that COVID appears to negatively affect the gut microbiome specifically and in several ways. The researchers noted that the composition of the microbiome within the gut of COVID patients may have the opportunity to offer insight into how severe an infection is.
The researchers found that Metabolites In particular, the substances produced by the intestinal microbiota, that are vital for the body's metabolism, played a vital role.
Patients with lower levels of the metabolite desaminotyrosine and secondary bile acids were more more likely to experience progressive lung failure. The researchers also found that desaminotyrosine and secondary bile acids can positively influence immune responses. Further research may show that probiotics could help COVID patients produce more gut metabolites and get well from life-threatening respiratory distress syndrome.
The findings are consistent with other research linking COVID to changes within the body's microbiome and more severe disease.
Research from the Chinese University of Hong Kong found that gut microbiomes can turn out to be inflamed not only in consequence of COVID infection, but in addition remain so after the patient's initial recovery. This signifies that COVID symptoms can persist – or the chance of other diseases will be increased, because the immune system will be compromised by this problem.
This could help explain how lthe COVID develops after infection with the virus. The results are of great importance, the researchers said, as they observed that 76% of patients develop Long COVID. (Long COVID is defined as not less than one persistent symptom for 4 weeks after the virus has subsided.)
A study from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston and Harvard Medical School also found that the “richness” of the protective gut microbiota appears to be reduced in patients with COVID.
“There is evidence that there is a significant reduction in bacterial diversity during COVID-19 infection,” said Joshua LaBaer, MD, PhD, Executive director of the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University and leader of ASU's COVID-19 research efforts and the ASU Biodesign Clinical Testing Lab in Tempe.
“Reduced diversity in the microbiome is often a sign of disease. In healthy people, the usual bacteria in the gut compete for resources, making it difficult for pathogenic bacteria to grow. However, when diversity is lost, people are more susceptible to infections, both in the gut and in the blood.”
LaBaer, who was not involved in the brand new studies, said it is just not yet fully understood how microbiome diversity is lost in COVID. But “there is evidence that the gut lining shows signs similar to inflammatory bowel disease, with shortening of the gut, inflammation and greater permeability,” he said.
Can COVID permanently alter your microbiome?
Because your microbiome is so vital for safeguarding your body from disease, researchers are attempting to reply this query.
A brand new study from the University of Luxembourg found that patients who had no COVID symptoms or only mild to moderate symptoms were at higher risk of bacterial infections. The patients also had a greater variety of genes that cause resistance to antibiotics. The research team is now investigating whether these changes could possibly be everlasting.
“It is very likely that the observed changes in infectivity will last for a long time,” said the lead study writer Paul Wilmes, PhDProfessor of Systems Ecology, Head of the Systems Ecology Group and Deputy Director of the Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine on the University of Luxembourg in Esch-sur-Alzette.
Whether you've had COVID-19 or not, the virus is now a part of our lives, so experts say it's an excellent idea to make your microbiome as strong as possible.
“In general, to maintain a healthy microbiome, you should eat a varied diet. This means avoiding eating the same thing over and over again,” LaBaer said. “A diet rich in non-highly processed foods, as well as some probiotic foods, also promotes a more diverse gut microbiome.”
In short, the more diverse your gut bacteria are, the more options they should fight disease.
High-fiber foods and fermented foods are particularly vital for improving gut microbiome function. According to data from Mayo ClinicGreat additions to your eating regimen are:
- asparagus
- artichokes
- Bananas
- Garlic
- oatmeal
- Onions
- Wheat
- barley
- Beans
- Berry
- Buttermilk
- kefir
- Miso
- kimchi
- Yoghurt with live cultures
- sourdough
- sauerkraut
- flax
- Chicory root
- rye
- Leafy vegetables
- Tempeh
- Kombucha