This link is even more intricate than we could have ever imagined.

We are now understanding that even the health of our lungs is dependent on the health of our gut microbiome.

Beneficial microbes in the gut lead to the fermentation of dietary fibre and in turn generate health-promoting metabolites, such as short chain fatty acids, as well as amino acids and essential vitamins.

These metabolites are absorbed by the gut and travel through circulation to the lungs, and other distant locations, where they have a profound effect on homeostasis and the maintenance of lung health, mostly due to their ability to regulate the immune system and levels of inflammation.

Disturbances in the gut-lung axis are now being implicated in the development of various lung conditions and poorer health outcomes.

When the composition of the gut microbiota is disturbed, it changes the type of metabolites being produced and the messages being sent from the gut to the lung. This can have a negative effect on levels of inflammation in airway tissue, and has also been demonstrated to contribute to immune dysfunction implicated in poor lung health.

Yet again we’ve found another crucial reason why you should tend to your gut health. It’s an ever growing list.