Gut-Skin Connection Uncovered

Microbial imbalance ages your skin.

Microbial health is intimately connected to age-related physical and intellectual decline, but the relationship between the gut microbiome and how your skin ages is less known. New studies show a direct link between cellular senescence and microbial imbalance (dysbiosis). Cellular senescence is simply the process of getting older. As cells age, they stop dividing, but they don’t die. Over time, a large number of aged (senescent) cells can accumulate in body tissue and contribute to age-related diseases. The skin is one of the commonest sites for senescent cell accumulation.

When intestinal dysbiosis (bacterial imbalance) occurs, it can increase the permeability of the gut, which allows bacterial metabolites associated with cell aging to leak through into the bloodstream, leading to inflammation and impairment of the skin barrier – both of which contribute to senescent cell accumulation and in turn, aging of the skin.

While research on precisely how our guts impact skin aging is in its infancy, we can safely say there’s a direct relationship between the two. So how can we use this knowledge to cultivate younger, healthier, and overall better skin? Taking care of your gut microbes is key, and the best way to do this is to focus on the lifestyle practices that we know promote microbial balance: #DirtSweatVeg

• Get outside, surround yourself with nature, and expose your skin to a diverse array of soil microbes
• Break a sweat through whatever exercise feels best for your body
• Eat lots of fibrous vegetables with every meal to feed your beneficial gut bacteria