Uncovering the Link on Multiple Sclerosis and Your Gut Bacteria
Most people couldn’t imagine how certain microscopic microorganisms in your gastrointestinal tract could a major influence on your central nervous system.
But what is being uncovered more and more is the science behind how your gut bacteria affects not only your gastrointestinal tract but your brain and spinal cord as well.
The tiny community of gut microbes residing in your intestines has also been shown to influence other health conditions such as:
- Autoimmune diseases
- Autism
- Asthma
- Food allergies
- Obesity
- Infertility
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease
So it’s no wonder that scientists are finally connecting the dots from your gut bacteria and other multiple health issues including neurodegenerative diseases.
One major neurological disorder linked to gut flora is multiple sclerosis.
Your gut microbiome has a powerful influence on the development of multiple sclerosis. Mainly because the diverse hub of bacteria in your gut is composed of trillions of gut bacteria which have a major impact on neuroinflammation.
And neuroinflammation is a chief pathological component of neurodegenerative diseases such as multiple sclerosis.
Controlling neuroinflammation caused by gut bacteria could be the key to successful future therapeutic approaches to multiple sclerosis.
What is Multiple Sclerosis?
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune condition characterized as an inflammatory and neurodegenerative immune-mediated disease.
With MS your body’s immune system attacks the protective myelin sheath located around your nerve fibers in the brain and spinal cord.
This attack affects your central nervous system function causing miscommunication between your brain and the rest of your body.
Common early signs of multiple sclerosis include:
- Tingling and numbness
- Blurry vision
- Weakness or fatigue
- Pain, spasms, or stiffness
- Cognitive problems
- Mobility problems
For some dealing with multiple sclerosis, symptoms can relapse and progressively worsen over time. And for others, just a simple bout of symptoms may occur and never return.
But the actual cause of what triggers multiple sclerosis is unknown – leaving those suffering from multiple sclerosis with no real answer on how to heal.
Gut Bacteria Influences Your Central Nervous System
You’re composed of trillions of bacteria and over 90% of these bacteria actually reside in your gut.
They’re like a well-oiled machine, working day and night for the proper functioning of physiological and metabolic mechanisms happening in your body.
Your gut wall along with the gut bacteria house approximately 70-80% of your immune system, which can influence your body’s immune response in multiple sclerosis.
Research shows altered gut bacteria, which influence immune dysfunction diseases such as inflammatory bowel syndrome have been found in MS patients.
These microscopic microorganisms have a direct relationship with your central nervous system called the gut-brain axis.
Gut microbes are able to stimulate inflammatory cytokines from your immune system into your bloodstream. These inflammatory biomarkers are then able to cross your blood-brain barrier, which can cause neuroinflammation.
The Gut Players Involved in MS
A healthy gut consists of a diverse and rich community of bacteria, which help maintain homeostasis of the individuals, including your immune system.
This symbiotic relationship is needed for protection in preventing diseases.
Studies show how those with multiple sclerosis exhibit major gut dysbiosis, an alteration in your healthy gut bacteria.
A depletion and enrichment of this community means lower resistance and resilience in the body and promotes immune inflammation.
Depleted gut bacteria among relapsing-remitting MS patients:
- Bacteroides
- Prevotella
- Parabacteroides
- Adlercreutzia
- Collinsella
- Slackia
- Sutterella
Without these bacteria, the promotion of regulatory T cells can decrease. And regulatory T cells are an important factor of your immune system, which prevents autoimmune diseases.
These bacteria also help with anti-inflammation so without them, your body is unable to resist inflammation.
Bacteria which are found abundantly in relapsing-remitting MS patients:
- Akkermansia
- Dorea
- Calcoaceticus
- Pseudomonas
- Mycoplana
These bacteria are responsible for degrading mucin in your body, which is needed for gut protection.
This destruction of the mucous in your gut lining has inflammatory effects by inducing pro-inflammatory cytokines in your system.
This imbalance of bacteria shows the influence your gut bacteria have on systemic inflammation, which results in a predisposition because of the chronic inflammation with MS.
Leaky Gut Syndrome and Multiple Sclerosis
Leaky gut syndrome is a condition which enables the tight junctions of your gut to become more permeable.
This means the protection your gut wall provides to the rest of your body starts to dysfunction – letting undigested particles, pathogens, and antigens pass to your bloodstream.
Gut inflammation from pathogenic bacteria, gut dysbiosis, or food allergies can cause leaky gut syndrome.
Once these particles pass to your bloodstream they can cause systemic inflammation, specifically in your central nervous system. This is because they’re able to impair the blood-brain barrier and cause neuroinflammation, neurodegeneration, and cell death in your brain and spinal cord.
Although studies of leaky gut syndrome and multiple sclerosis are in their infancy, a real connection can be seen.
One study shows how the disruptions of the tight junctions in your gut with leaky gut syndrome is an early and immune-mediated event possibly triggering multiple sclerosis.
The leaky gut syndrome-MS connection could be a crucial discovery in therapeutic treatment for those with MS.
Strengthen Your Gut Flora with Atrantil
Strong healthy gut bacteria means better overall health.
Reversing gut dysbiosis and promoting gut homeostasis can support neuroprotection in neurodegenerative diseases.
Multiple sclerosis has no known etiology thus far. But science and research are always uncovering new explanations for puzzling health issues.
With the recent discovery of how multiple sclerosis and gut microbiome are linked, the health of your gut has become even more important.
Atrantil aims to provide you with a healthy gut by reversing gut dysbiosis and promoting gut homeostasis. Atrantil’s natural digestive supplement was developed by board-certified gastroenterologist Dr. Kenneth Brown.
So with Atrantil, you can be confident in getting your digestive tract back on track.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27981909
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4439263/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5730390/