A healthy gut plays a role in everything from brain health to hormone regulation, inflammation control and disease prevention.
And not surprisingly, what happens in your gut directly affects your skin too.
Studies show that a thriving and healthy gut microbiome equals a healthy immune system – and a healthy, glowing complexion.
When it comes to skin health more and more studies are linking good skin to a healthy gut microbiome.
What is Your Gut Microbiome?
Your gut microbiome is the eco-system of microorganisms – bacteria, fungi and virus - that live within your body.
It’s found mostly in your gut – your small and large intestine – but also throughout your body.
Be healthy, look good, age well
A healthy microbiome means your skin can function at its best - keeping moisture in and bacteria out, producing collagen at optimal rates, and healing quickly from any breakouts or acne.
Scientists have found links between gut health and skin issues such as eczema, rosacea and acne.
The latest studies show that a healthy gut can have an anti-aging effect on your skin – increasing skin hydration, improving elasticity and reducing facial wrinkles.
Why is a Healthy Gut So Important?
The gut is where we make nutrients and detoxifying enzymes - and metabolize hormones.
Studies show that not only is a healthy gut the gateway to good health, it also keeps your complexion looking healthy.
Our gut microbiome maintains a state of calm and stability throughout the body - whatever may be happening externally.
It has this effect on our entire body, but especially our skin.
And it’s when the microbiome becomes unbalanced that we can start to have skin problems.
If we have an unhealthy gut – with things like inflammation and digestive problems - our skin is usually the first place that we notice it.
Problems with gut health can be incredibly varied, but the skin is an excellent guide to what’s going on inside your gut.
So its important to get your gut in good shape in order to feel well and experience healthy, glowing skin.
What is the Gut-Skin Axis?
The gut and skin have a constant communication between each other.
This relationship is called the “gut-skin axis”. And represents the fact that numerous studies have linked gut microbiome health to the health of your skin.
One of the prime examples of the constant dialogue is how the gut bacteria communicates with the skin via the immune system to regulate inflammation.
And so close is the connection between our gut and skin microbiomes that skin can essentially show how healthy we are on the inside.
Gut health and Skin Issues
A compromised microbiome is increasingly associated with so many major skin problems – like skin sensitivity, dryness, breakouts, acne and premature skin aging.
Our skin is our body's largest organ, and scientists believe that almost all skin conditions are linked to gut health.
But diagnosing whether your skin condition is caused by an unhealthy gut microbiome is not always obvious.
Sometimes you can see a connection immediately. For example, if eating a particular food triggers a rash or eczema. But other times the connection can be more difficult to spot.
Because the microbiome plays such an important role in a wide variety of skin issues an increasing number of studies are actively investigating the relationship between the gut health and skin issues.
And many results are showing that where there is gut inflammation there will be skin inflammation too.
How to Take Care of Your Gut Microbiome
The gut and skin are so strongly connected that we can take care of a lot of skin issues simply by taking good care of our gut.
Unfortunately, modern life - and especially the advent of processed foods - has depleted the biodiversity of our gut’s ecosystem.
So you want to nourish your gut by improving diversity and increasing your uptake of probiotics (the ‘good’ bacteria).
Essentially, the more biodiversity of bacteria there is in your gut, the healthier you will be.
And a healthy gut microbiome means your skin can function at its best - keeping moisture in and bacteria out, producing collagen at optimal rates, and healing quickly from any breakouts or acne.
The way to encourage a healthy and biodiverse microbiome is to increase your intake of probiotics - whether as a supplement or through your diet.
The best way to look after your gut microbiome is to:
- stay active
- get enough sleep and
- eat a varied, plant-rich diet – that includes plenty of fermented foods.
Best food sources of probiotics are fermented foods like:
- Greek Yoghurt
- Sauerkraut
- Kimchi
- Apple Cider Vinegar
- Kombucha
Along with
- Blueberries
- Pumpkin Seeds
- Flax Seeds
- Chia Seeds
The latest clinical trials show that probiotics have an anti-aging effect on your skin – increasing skin hydration, improving elasticity and reducing facial wrinkles.
Your skin will look younger, stay calmer and less irritated – and your hair will look healthier too!
You can read more on the value of taking probiotics on your skin here:
FAQ’s
How can gut health affect your skin?
When it comes to skin health more and more studies are linking good skin to a healthy gut microbiome.
A healthy gut means your skin can function at its best - keeping moisture in and bacteria out, producing collagen at optimal rates, and healing quickly from any breakouts or acne.
Whereas a compromised gut microbiome is increasingly associated with so many major skin problems – like skin sensitivity, dryness, breakouts, acne and premature skin aging.
Why is microbiome diversity important?
A thriving and diverse gut microbiome equals a healthy immune system and good health.
But modern life, and especially the advent of processed foods, has depleted the biodiversity of our gut microbiome. So it’s important to replenish and nourish your gut with ‘good’ bacteria.
Studies show that not only does a healthy gut boost your overall health, it also makes your complexion healthy too.
How can you make sure your microbiome is healthy and diverse?
You can nourish your microbiome and improve diversity by increasing your uptake of probiotics (the good bacteria) - whether as a supplement or through your diet.
Try to eat a varied, plant-rich diet – that includes plenty of fermented foods.
The best food sources of probiotics are fermented foods like: Greek Yoghurt, Sauerkraut, Kimchi, Apple Cider Vinegar and Kombucha.
Along with: Blueberries, Pumpkin Seeds, Flax Seeds Chia Seeds.
A daily dose of probiotics not only boosts your overall health it also reduces inflammation and oxidative stress. So problems like acne, psoriasis, dermatitis, and rosacea will all improve.
The Takeaway
When it comes to skin health more and more studies are linking good skin to a healthy gut microbiome.
A healthy gut means your skin can function at its best - keeping moisture in and bacteria out, producing collagen at optimal rates, and healing quickly from any breakouts or acne.
The gut and skin are so strongly connected that we can take care of a lot of skin issues simply by taking good care of our gut.
So you want to nourish your gut by improving the diversity of bacteria and increasing your uptake of probiotics (the ‘good’ bacteria).
References
Thye AY, Bah YR, Law JW, Tan LT, He YW, Wong SH, Thurairajasingam S, Chan KG, Lee LH, Letchumanan V. Gut-Skin Axis: Unravelling the Connection between the Gut Microbiome and Psoriasis. Biomedicines. 2022 Apr 30;10(5):1037. doi: 10.3390/biomedicines10051037. PMID: 35625774; PMCID: PMC9138548.
Gao T, Wang X, Li Y, Ren F. The Role of Probiotics in Skin Health and Related Gut-Skin Axis: A Review. Nutrients. 2023 Jul 13;15(14):3123. doi: 10.3390/nu15143123. PMID: 37513540; PMCID: PMC10385652.
Shivani Sinha, Gloria Lin, Katalin Ferenczi, The skin microbiome and the gut-skin axis, Clinics in Dermatology, Volume 39, Issue 5, 2021, Pages 829-839, ISSN 0738-081X,
Boyajian JL, Ghebretatios M, Schaly S, Islam P, Prakash S. Microbiome and Human Aging: Probiotic and Prebiotic Potentials in Longevity, Skin Health and Cellular Senescence. Nutrients. 2021 Dec 18;13(12):4550. doi: 10.3390/nu13124550. PMID: 34960102; PMCID: PMC8705837.
