“The right treatment for dysbiosis is changing diet and lifestyle”: How the microbiome affects the whole body

What people eat, how they sleep and the amount of stress and exercise they experience can shape the intestinal microbiome, a vast ecosystem of microorganisms living mainly in the large intestine. Its effects may extend well beyond digestion, influencing metabolism, immunity and communication between the gut and the brain.

Dr. Andrei Haidar, a gastroenterologist and endoscopy specialist at Hyperclinica MedLife Medical Park, said the microbiome can be viewed as an organ in its own right. It includes bacteria, viruses, fungi and other microorganisms, and changes within it can affect the wider body.

An imbalance known as dysbiosis may contribute to digestive conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis and colorectal cancer. It has also been linked to metabolic disorders including obesity and type 2 diabetes.

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From what has been researched so far, we can say that the intestinal microbiome is very important for the health of the body.

Haidar stressed that medical research has not yet answered all the questions. “Research is still underway, and that is why we cannot draw final conclusions yet,” he said. For now, he argued, the microbiome should be considered as part of the body's wider system, rather than treated in isolation.

His advice was familiar but deliberate: eat healthily and regularly, avoid excessive alcohol, sleep enough and on a regular schedule, and exercise. He also referred to a large, long-term study that found morbidity and mortality were 49% higher among people who skipped breakfast than among those who ate three meals a day at the same time.

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Research is still underway, and that is why we cannot draw final conclusions yet.