Getting to the Guts of it all! Part 1
Gut Health, the Microbiome & Inflammation
When recovering from a concussion, it’s easy to overlook how everyday choices can impact your body’s healing process. From medications to dietary habits, these decisions can either support or hinder recovery, particularly when it comes to the delicate balance of your gut microbiome. Let’s explore how seemingly innocuous behaviors can inadvertently perpetuate inflammation and prolong recovery.
The Brain-Gut Axis: Where Concussions Meet the Microbiome
When a concussion occurs, the brain’s inflammatory response sends what could be considered shockwaves through the gut-brain axis, a bidirectional communication system linking the central nervous system to the digestive tract. The direct link between the brain and the gut is through the 10th cranial nerve - the Vagus Nerve. Within hours of injury:
Microbiome dysbiosis develops, marked by a drop in anti-inflammatory bacteria like Eubacterium rectale and Anaerostipes hadrus.
Increased intestinal permeability (leaky gut) occurs (within 6 hours) due to an increase in inflammatory cytokines and stress hormones impacting the mucosal layer
Pathogenic bacteria proliferate, further increasing intestinal permeability and allowing harmful compounds to enter the bloodstream
Systemic inflammation escalates, affecting mood, cognition, and immune function long after the initial injury
Animal and human studies reveal that even mild traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) reduce microbial diversity and shift gut communities toward pro-inflammatory species. These changes correlate with elevated blood markers like GFAP and S100β, which are linked to neurodegeneration.
While inflammation is initially protective, common post-concussion behaviors can push it into chronic territory
While medications are often necessary for managing pain or infections post-injury, they can have unintended consequences on gut health:
Pain Relievers (NSAIDs): These can erode the gut lining, increasing intestinal permeability and allowing toxins to enter the bloodstream. This exacerbates systemic inflammation and oxidative stress.
Antibiotics: Although essential for treating infections, antibiotics can decimate beneficial bacteria, leading to dysbiosis and further inflammation. Protecing the microbiome during and after antibiotic use is beneficial.
Anesthetics: Even during minor procedures, anesthetics may alter gut motility and microbial balance, contributing to post-operative complications or sustaining already dysregulated gut environments.
Isolated protein/glucose-heavy drinks: Common in sports recovery, these contain ingredients that can further exacerbate inflammation. In the presence of increased intestinal permeability, substances can travel through the intestinal lumen that wouldn’t usually go that way - another contributor to ongoing inflammation.
Alcohol: Exacerbates leaky gut and oxidative stress, hindering brain repair.
The Impact of Subconcussive Impacts
For athletes, repeated minor head impacts—those that don’t result in diagnosed concussions—can still cause cumulative damage to the microbiome. This can lead to chronic inflammation and prolonged recovery times. This is a big topic, rarely discussed, and as such, there are likely countless people who have been involved in sports, or been in minor accidents that are experiencing all of the degenerative symptoms of post-concussion, without ever having a concussion injury as such. We’ll cover this in a sperate article, so be sure to check out our full list of resources.
The Vicious Cycle: Inflammation and Oxidative Stress
Concussion-induced inflammation and oxidative stress form a self-perpetuating loop:
Neuroinflammation triggers microglial activation, releasing cytokines that disturb the gut.
Dysbiosis increases intestinal permeability, allowing toxins like LPS to enter circulation, further activating immune cells.
Oxidative stress damages mitochondrial function, reducing energy available for brain repair.
This cycle explains why some patients develop persistent symptoms like fatigue, brain fog, or mood disorders months after injury. Some people may experience IBS type symptoms that they never had before, or an exacerbation in symptoms they already had. It is inevitable that concussion will further disturb a gut that is already in dysbiosis.
Optimising Gut Health for Better Outcomes
At The Concussion Naturopath, we address these interconnected issues through:
Testing the microbiome: By using the gold-standard in mentogenomic sequencing, we can find out exactly what microbial species are present, the state of the terrain and so much more. This allows for very targeted and specific gut repair work.
Anti-inflammatory nutrition: Armed with the detailed information of the microbiome, we can make targeted dietary recommendations to improve outcomes
Getting there quicker: high quality, practitioner only supplements and herbal medcine to support gut healing, resolving inflammatory processes and get you feeling better quicker.
Correcting imbalances in the gut is absolutely crucial at any stage of healing, but by tackling microbiome disruption as early as possible, we aim to prevent acute inflammation from becoming a chronic burden.
Making informed choices that support your body’s healing process and understanding how everyday decisions impact your microbiome, you can take proactive steps toward a faster, more resilient recovery - and we’re here to help you do just that!