70-80% of our immune system is located and managed in our gut and our gut microbes use the immune system as one of the main channels of communication between the gut and the skin
Skin From Within: The Gut-Skin Connection
Did you know that the gut and the skin are strongly interconnected? If you experience some type of issue with your gut, your skin can be where you notice the problem. Our Nutritional Therapist, Eve Kalinik gives us the best advice on how to support this close connection.
When it comes to our skin often we look towards using topical creams, lotions, and other potions to address certain skin symptoms and achieve that infamous healthy glow. However, when it comes to our skin health it isn’t necessarily about what we put on our skin but how we nourish it from the inside out. One of the main areas related to this is our gut health and what is known as the gut-skin axis which is the way that our gut and our skin interact with one another.
One of the major parallels between our gut and our skin are the bugs that live in and on us. Our gut houses some trillions of microbes and is the largest collection of these microbes, collectively referred to as the gut microbiome. The second largest of these communities is on our skin. It might feel a little uncomfortable to know that our skin is literally teaming with microbes but these bugs are fundamental to keeping our skin happy and healthy. Having a balanced and enriched gut microbiome is therefore integral to having a healthy skin microbiome and vice versa.
Our gut and skin microbiome also work together to defend us from pathogens that might otherwise cause us harm. In fact, 70-80% of our immune system is located and managed in our gut and our gut microbes use the immune system as one of the main channels of communication between the gut and the skin. Similarly, our skin microbiome can also communicate to the immune system to maintain skin homeostasis and inhibit the growth of pathogenic bacteria and manage local and systemic inflammation. In addition to this certain metabolites that our gut microbiome produces, such as short-chain fatty acids, can also have a more direct impact on the skin as these substances help to promote the growth of beneficial microbes on our skin. Imbalances in our gut microbiome can therefore negatively alter this communication and impair the functioning of the immune system that has been associated with certain skin conditions including psoriasis and atopic eczema as well as rosacea.
"Psychological stress can have a marked impact on the health of the gut microbiome which in turn can impact on how we manage inflammation more systemically that can manifest in skin conditions".
The other way our gut and skin relate to one another is via the gut-brain-skin axis. Psychological stress can have a marked impact on the health of the gut microbiome which in turn can impact on how we manage inflammation more systemically that can manifest in skin conditions. The cruel irony here is that skin conditions and symptoms can be incredibly psychologically distressing and so it is that the more stressed we feel about this the more it can drive heightened inflammation and the symptoms themselves. Nevertheless supporting our gut microbiome can help moderate our stress response so we need to think about managing stress from both an internal and external perspective.
Lastly, absorption of nutrients through our food will undoubtedly have an impact on the health of every system including the skin and this ultimately depends on our gut health as this is our major site of absorption.
Other skin nutrients to consider include..
Omega-3 essential fatty acids provide lipids that support the health of every cellular membrane including skin cells.
Omega-3’s also help to mitigate the effects of inflammation which can often present with skin symptoms. Omega-3 rich foods include oily fish such as salmon, mackerel, sardines and anchovies, organic grass-fed red meat and plant-based sources include seaweeds, flaxseed and chia seeds.
Vitamin A is a crucial nutrient for the replication of healthy skin cells and also for the gut barrier. Vitamin A rich foods include butter, eggs, chicken liver, sweet potatoes, carrots, butternut squash, leafy greens.
Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant and a key component in the production of collagen which is crucial for our skin and gut barriers Vitamin C rich foods include peppers (all types including chilli), broccoli, spinach, cabbage, kiwi fruit, strawberries, raspberries, cauliflower.
Vitamin E is an antioxidant that helps to prevent damage to cells and has an anti-inflammatory effect. Vitamin E-rich foods include sunflower seeds, almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts.
How do we best support this gut-skin link connection?
01 SKIN FOOD
One of the main food sources that we need to consider for the health of our microbiome is dietary fibre. This is vital for our microbes that help them to proliferate and thrive. Furthermore, this allows our gut microbes to produce positive substances such as the short-chain fatty-acids mentioned that directly impact on the skin microbiome, and through nourishing the microbiome we also help to optimise digestion and absorption of nutrients which is vital for our skin health too. Dietary fibre can be found in all plant foods to include vegetables, fruit, whole grains and nuts & seeds and whilst quantity is really important (roughly we need 30g per day) we also need to consider diversity as this is a crucial part of helping to support a diverse and healthy gut and skin microbiome. All of us could likely do with increasing our repertoire of fibre so perhaps think about trying a new type of vegetable or fruit every week could be one way to achieve this and don’t forget about frozen ones too.
Another easy hack is making up a nut and seed mix that you can sprinkle over porridges, soups or salads.
Alongside fibre we can also include more polyphenols in our diet to have a positive impact on our microbiome. Polyphenols are special plant chemicals that often give plants their colour - think betacarotene in sweet potatoes, anthocyanin in blueberries and lycopene in tomatoes to name just a few. Colour is really the key focus here so just aiming for a rainbow of hues will help us to achieve this. I’m also a massive fan of dried herbs and spices as these pack a punch in terms of their polyphenol content and are convenient store cupboard ingredients. Plus they bring additional flavour to our dishes so its a win win.
Another way we can enhance our microbiome is through including food source of prebiotics that essentially have a more potent feeding effect on the microbiome. These include garlic, onions, leeks, asparagus, oats, and pistachios amongst many others. If you are not used to these go easy as they can create more fermentation (and the resulting gas) initially but can be really powerful in terms of how they support the growth of the bugs in our gut. Resistant starches can also have a similar effect which includes cooked and cooled white potatoes and legumes such as lentils and chickpeas - think about adding some to your salads or mixing through other cooked vegetables.
Whilst the above help to feed our microbiome the other way we can support it is through ingesting fermented foods. These typically contain bacteria and yeasts that are believed to be beneficial for our gut health. You might think of them as probiotics in a food form. There are many different fermented foods to choose from which include yogurt, cheese, sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir and kombucha and like fibre the more we can rotate around these the more exposure we have to various and diverse strains of microbes.
We can also find beneficial bacteria in probiotic supplements such as KÄLLA that can help to support a healthy balance in the gut microbiome. It may also be worth considering the FOR IMMUNE formula for more immune-mediated skin conditions or FOR REPAIR if stress is more of a trigger. And of course remember that this is just part of how we support our skin health and we need to think food first.
Check out Eve Kaliniks Sweet potato, kale, and feta frittata recipe HERE that includes some of these ingredients and is designed to help nourish the gut-skin connection.
02 PRIORITISE REST
Almost every person I have seen in my clinical practice over the past decade with skin conditions or symptoms has some level of psychological trigger and/or chronic stress. To help mitigate this it is really important that we help to manage the stressors in our life as much as possible. Meditation can be an incredible practise to help with this and to support the gut-brain connection. Using various apps can be a good way to start and/or provide some tutorials and guides. If traditional meditation is not your thing going for a walk every day can also really help us to reduce feelings of anxiety and stress. ‘Walk your way calm’ is a great book on this subject. Or even more simply breathing exercises on a daily basis that form the basis of mindful practises such as yoga can have incredibly positive cumulative benefits.
The four-part breath that means breathing in for a count of 4, holding on full for 4, releasing for a count of 4 and holding on empty for 4 is something that we can easily bring into our day-to-day routine. This helps to shift our nervous system into the rest & digest mode that is conducive to alleviating stress and anxiety.
Find a breathing exercise on our Instagram HERE
Sleep is also something that we might not prioritise in a world that is perpetually switched on but a good nights rest is probably one of the best ‘beauty’ treatments we can do for our skin. Practising some sleep hygiene and creating a proper bedtime routine is a crucial part of this. Start with the hour before going to sleep to switch off all devices and non-negotiably have them out of the bedroom entirely. Instead of endless scrolling use this hour to run a bath, light a candle, read a book, listen to a podcast, journal, and use the breathing exercises above to set the tone for rest.
03 FACE VALUE
Whilst we are really focusing on the gut-skin internal link in this post it is definitely worth highlighting how some of the more harsh ingredients in skin care products can impact on our skin microbiome. This has lead to the rise in topical probiotic skin care brands designed to work with the ecosystem of the skin microbiome. I particularly like Esse for this and their pioneering as well as effective products.
Eve Kalinik, Gut Health Specialist
Nutritional Therapist, Author and Podcaster, Eve Kalinik believes that having a healthy gut is fundamental to our overall well-being. She is a registered member of (BANT)(CNHC) and accredited by (IFM).