This is an area that is already well studied, and we know that without our gut microbes we cannot digest complex polysaccharides such as carbohydrates and proteins in meat and vegetables. The short chain fatty acids which include acetate, propionate, and butyrate, produced by bacteria in the gut during the fermentation of insoluble fibre, have been linked to health promoting effects, including a reduced risk of inflammatory diseases, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.

Diabetes, allergies, depression, IBS, certain cancers and also skin disease (atopic dermatitis and psoriasis) have all been shown to be linked to the presence of certain pathogens brought about by microbial dysbiosis. The gut is home to most of our immune cells and as such such there is continuous communication between them and our microbiome. If these lines of communication are broken, the door opens for pathogens that will benefit and disrupt. This very same imbalance can often invoke inflammation which exposes the intestinal wall to increased permeability, also known as “leaky gut” which is also associated with Crohn’s and Celiac disease.