A nutritionist has revealed why, months after recovering from Covid, people still suffer from pesky stomach issues — and the easy ways to get your digestive system back on track.
Australian nutritionist Lee Holmes said she has seen many patients visit her clinic with ongoing gut problems after Covid, including bloating, reflux and flatulence to constipation, diarrhea and leaky gut.
One in three people with Covid suffer from gastrointestinal symptoms. with studies showing that people with better gut health had less severe symptoms.
Australian nutritionist Lee Holmes said she has seen many patients visit her clinic with ongoing gut problems after Covid, including bloating, reflux and flatulence to constipation, diarrhea and leaky gut.
Lee says this is because the gut and respiratory tract share an immune system known as the gut-lung axis, which is further described in a number of microbiology studies.
“This axis is bidirectional, meaning that if the gut is affected by bacteria, the lungs are also affected, and vice versa,” she explained in a statement. blog post .
“There are also about 100 times more receptors in the gastrointestinal tract than respiratory organs, so the gut may be able to house more viruses if it gets an infection,” she explained.
Lee said that when a person is given Covid cytokines — small proteins crucial in controlling the growth and activity of other immune system cells and blood cells — enter the body through the lungs.
Lee says cruciferous vegetables and cauliflower are excellent sources of fiber — which help maintain a healthy gut
This causes inflammation all over the body, and once these cytokines reach the gut, the virus can travel through veins that drain blood from the digestive tract, affecting the all-important vagus nerve, which is responsible for regulating internal organ functions, such as digestion. , heart rate and respiratory rate.’
The concept of the gut-lung axis states that changes in the gut can have a profound effect on lung disease.
Microbes in the gut can be recognized by host immune cells, which can result in systemic cytokine release.
Cytokine can then enter the lungs and cause inflammation anywhere in the body and once they reach the gut.
This in turn changes the bacteria in the gut, increasing permeability and causing more inflammation
“Once this happens, the disease affects the gut barrier, altering bacteria in the gut, increasing its permeability and causing more inflammation,” she explains.
‘Increased gut permeability, also known as leaky gut, allows the bacteria to circulate, making the disease worse. When this happens, we can experience a range of digestive discomfort, such as bloating or flatulence.
“To make matters worse, the drugs taken for other symptoms of COVID can cause side effects such as nausea and diarrhea.”
Research from the Chinese University of Hong Kong found that people suffering from Covid-19 had a ‘significantly altered’ microbiome composition.
Separate research from South Korea found that people with a poorly functioning gut are more likely to develop severe Covid-19 because the lack of healthy microbes makes it easier for the virus to infect cells in the digestive tract.
The team from Hong Kong examined blood, stool and patient records of 100 hospitalized patients with Covid-19 between February and May 2020, and 27 of these patients also provided samples 30 days after the infection was over.
Researchers also collected samples from 78 people without Covid-19 who participated in a microbiome survey before the pandemic.
The study concluded that the gut microbiome may be involved in the ‘magnitude of Covid-19 severity, possibly through modulating host immune responses’.
Lee recommends adding foods like kefir, kimchi, miso, sauerkraut and yogurt to your diet
The authors found that patients with Covid-19 had reduced levels of several gut bacteria known to alter a person’s immune response.
For example, there was evidence of increased levels of some bacteria, including Ruminococcus gnavus, Ruminococcus torques and Bacteroides dorei.
Lee also explains that the gut is the body’s epicenter for health and is central to many of the body’s systems, including the immune system.
“It’s not surprising that the aftermath of COVID can come in the form of a range of digestive problems,” she says.
If you suffer from Covid, Lee recommends a gut-friendly diet filled with omega-3 fatty acids, fruits, vegetables, soups and smoothies.
“A gut-friendly grocery list should include anti-inflammatory turmeric, gut-healing gelatin, omega-3-rich fish, egg whites, gut-loving slippery elm, and supercharged Love Your Gut Synbiotic Powder,” she said.
She also advised cutting back on caffeine, alcoholic beverages, and refined sugar and staying hydrated.
Lee added that including prebiotics and probiotics in your diet helps to shift the balance of unhealthy microflora to a microbiome.
“Probiotics are live microorganisms in yogurt, kimchi, and sauerkraut that add healthy microbes to the gut,” she says.
‘Prebiotics, found in artichokes, asparagus and chicory root, serve as food for the good gut bacteria. Prebiotics can improve immune function, reduce inflammation and even aid weight loss. Prebiotics and probiotics work in harmony to help the gut microflora survive and thrive.