Did you know that a possible source of urinary tract infections (UTIs) is from your gut?
The Gut Microbiome: Your Internal Ecosystem
As you may already know, your gut is home to trillions of microorganisms collectively known as the gut microbiome. These bacteria, fungi, and viruses play a pivotal role in your overall health, influencing everything from digestion to immune function.
And believe it or not, your gut and bladder are closely connected. The gastrointestinal, vaginal, kidney, and bladder microbiota all affect urinary diseases because they work with their respective organs to control the growth and operation of the immune, metabolic, and nervous systems through dynamic bidirectional communication along the bladder-centred axis. Disruptions in the gut microbiome can send signals that affect the bladder, potentially increasing the risk of UTIs.
The Immune System’s Role
A healthy gut microbiome is essential for a robust immune system. When the balance of bacteria in your gut is disrupted, it can compromise your immune response, making you more susceptible to infections like UTIs.
How Gut Health Affects UTIs
Furthermore, certain bacteria in the gut, like Escherichia coli (E. coli), can cause UTIs when they migrate from the gut to the urinary tract. When the gut microbiome is imbalanced, it can lead to an overgrowth of harmful bacteria like E. coli, increasing the likelihood of UTIs.
Restoring Gut Health to Prevent UTIs
Therefore, improving gut health can be a game-changer in reducing the frequency of UTIs for some people, especially when other treatments you may have tried, like eating cranberry based products help, but don’t completely resolve your UTI infection.
This is why by identifying your microbial composition through cutting edge microbiome analysis and working out whether or not a dysbiosis in your gut could be contributing to the recurrent UTIs you are experiencing could really help to reduce of stop your UTI infections in their tract.
At the Microbiome Group we use stool testing to determine if a client's gut microbiome may be contributing to their ongoing UTI infections and suboptimal immune response. We then develop individual treatment protocols that focus on food, probiotics, prebiotics, and herbal remedies.
By nurturing your gut health, you’re not only supporting better digestion and overall well-being but also fortifying your body’s defences against recurrent UTIs.
Picture of a bowl of dried cranberries
References:
Colin et al (2022). Establishing the role of the gut microbiota in susceptibility to recurrent urinary tract infections. J Clin Invest. 2022 Mar 1; 132(5): e158497.doi: 10.1172/JCI158497
Magrunder et al (2019). Gut uropathogen abundance is a risk factor for development of bacteriuria and urinary tract infection. Nat Commun. 2019; 10: 5521. doi: 10.1038/s41467-019-13467-w
Melody Mackeown is registered Nutritional Therapist and Microbiome Analyst. Please click on the link below if you would like to find out more about Melody or to book an Exploratory Call or Initial Appointment with her:
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