Gut Health and the Battle Against COVID-19

COVID-19 has infected over 600 million people, resulted in over 6.54 million deaths worldwide, and caused job losses, school closures, and challenging social distancing from friends and family.

Doctors still don’t understand why some seemingly healthy people experience severe symptoms. Significant questions also remain as to why some patients experience long-term symptoms after they’ve recovered from an active infection. The community of bacteria that live in our gut, our microbiome, might play a role.

Read on to learn: 

1. How the bacteria in our gut affect the health of our lungs.
2. What impact of gut health on COVID-19 infection and outcomes.
3. The steps you can take to improve your gut health and why that’s an essential step in the fight against COVID-19

Gut Microbiota and Respiratory Disease: The Gut-Lung Axis

“Our gut microbiome really massively affects our immune system and its ability to defend itself against disease, especially respiratory pathogens.”

Dr. Paul Wischmeyer, on Quacks and Hypochondriac’s  podcast

Researchers have known for decades that the bacteria in our gut are necessary for disease prevention and the proper functioning of our digestive system. Recent evidence has also shown that our gut microbiota contributes to the health of other seemingly unrelated body systems. 

The “Gut-Lung Axis” is the relationship between gut bacteria and our respiratory health. Researchers are using the concept of the “Gut-Lung Axis” to investigate how healthy gut microbiota contribute to the ability of our lungs to fight off and recover from respiratory diseases like COVID-19.

Our understanding of the  “Gut-Lung Axis” is still new. One study in Nature Partners Journals explores how the interaction between the respiratory and digestive systems might impact the disease process of COVID-19. 

Inflammation is an essential process in our bodies that helps to repair damage and fight disease. However, when inflammation occurs over long periods, it often has a damaging result on our health. This unhealthy inflammation plays a significant role in developing severe COVID-19 symptoms and complications.

Chronic inflammation is especially damaging to our gut microbiome. Our body reacts to inflammation by increasing the space between our gut cell walls. Our cells are making room for disease-fighting and tissue-repair substances to reach potential injury. But, when those inflammatory cells travel to other areas of our body, like the lungs, it becomes a problem. 

This process starts a downward spiral. Poor gut health can lead to increased inflammation and poor immune response in your lungs. Because your lungs are already experiencing inflammation, it makes them more vulnerable to diseases like COVID-19. 

If you get COVID-19, your lungs will experience even more inflammation, affecting your gut microbiota.  It’s a vicious cycle, which may also explain why many patients with severe COVID-19 experience gastrointestinal and respiratory symptoms. 

In addition to inflammatory effects, other antiviral properties of our gut microbiota may contribute to respiratory immunity. One study published in the journal outlines how healthy gut bacteria can protect us from infections. 

Healthy gut bacteria inhibit the survival and growth of viruses by fighting them “one on one.” Our microbiome produces substances that have antiviral properties and stimulate our body’s natural immune response.

Gut Health In COVID-19 Patients

Dr. Paul Wischmeyer of Duke University conducted a clinical study of COVID-19 patients, the effects of the disease, and the effect of probiotics on disease severity and recovery. Speaking to Betr’s founder Dr. Ferro on the Quacks and Hypochondriac’s podcast in 2020, Dr. Wischmeyer shared some of his observations of COVID-19 patients in the intensive care unit. 

 “Even after a day or two, they can end up with one bacterial species, usually a pathogen, making up 95% of their gut.” 

A study from the University of Hong Kong examined the role and impact of COVID-19 on gut bacteria. As with Dr. Wischmeyer’s observations, they found patients had less healthy bacteria in their gut. In many patients, this altered gut environment was still present 30 days after recovery from COVID-19. 

They also found that the species of bacteria remaining in these patients’ gut was associated with an increase in inflammatory substances, which was associated with increased severity of COVID symptoms. The more severe the disease, the less healthy bacteria and the more indicators of inflammation the patients exhibited.
Dr. H.S. Kim of the American Society of Microbiology makes other interesting connections in his 2021 paper Do an Altered Gut Microbiota and an Associated Leaky Gut Affect COVID-19 Severity? He points out that patients at high risk for severe cases of COVID-19 are elderly, obese, diabetic, or have high blood pressure. All these pre-existing conditions are also linked to unhealthy changes in the gut microbiota.

Can a Healthy Gut Help Prevent COVID-19?

In all modern medicine, there is rarely a single pill or “magic bullet” that will be 100% effective against any disease. COVID-19 is no different. Even with vaccines and antiviral medications, experts continue to debate how long COVID-19 will remain a part of our lives.

So, what can we do about it? Maintaining a healthy gut to reduce inflammation and bolster our immune system is one key strategy. 

Dr. Paul Wischmeyer and other researchers are studying the impact of probiotic supplementation in treating COVID-19 and other respiratory diseases. Though there are no large-scale studies, there is mounting evidence that probiotics might have a role in COVID-19 treatment.

However, in the words of Dr. Ferro, taking probiotics alone is “like throwing seeds in the desert.” It’s vital to support healthy gut bacteria with proper nutrition. 

The evidence shows our gut bacteria need fiber to produce anti-inflammatory, immune-supporting substances. Betr’s experience and research-based Level 1 protocol is packed with delicious, healing foods.

Gut Health and COVID-19: An Important Piece of the Puzzle

Here’s a recap:

•  An unhealthy gut bacteria can contribute to inflammation and reduced immune function in the lungs. These effects may make individuals more vulnerable to COVID-19 and more likely to experience severe or long-term symptoms.

• Evidence suggests that gut health plays a significant role in contracting and recovering from severe COVID-19. Significant, unhealthy microbiome changes have been observed in patients with severe COVID-19 for at least 30 days following recovery. Many pre-existing risk factors for severe COVID-19 are also associated with poor gut health.

• Probiotics may have beneficial effects in fighting respiratory disease. Probiotics, though, need to be supported with a gut-healthy, high-fiber diet to support the production of anti-inflammatory, immune-supporting byproducts of our gut microbiome.

There are still many questions to be answered about COVID-19. While medicine has made significant strides since the pandemic, prevention and long-term effects are still unclear. Strategies such as social distancing and wearing masks remain essential in battling the pandemic. 

A healthy immune system not only reduces your chances of contracting COVID-19 but can also reduce your chances of passing the virus to other members of your community. Building a healthy gut is an action you can take in the fight against COVID-19. 
If you want more information on COVID-19, gut health, and strategies to improve overall wellness, subscribe to the Quacks and Hypochondriacs Podcast featuring Dr. Paul Wischmeyer of Duke University and hosting Dr. Ferro and news anchor and fitness fanatic Erin O’Hearn.

After reading this article, you may be asking yourself if your own health hurdles could be related to an unhealthy gut.

Explore Betr's risk-free trial to see if you could benefit from using food as medicine to rebuild your microbiome and realize the healthy potential you never knew you were missing!