When we talk about diabetes, most people think of high blood sugar levels, insulin resistance, and obesity as primary contributing factors. Recent research,* however, also looks to the gut microbiome as both a breeding ground– and potential healing source– for these and other diabetes-related complications. 

So what is the gut microbiome, and how can you take action to support yours today?

Good Metabolic Health Begins In The Gut

Your gastrointestinal (GI) tract contains a vast and complex assortment of microorganisms that are unique to you, developing and changing with you since birth. These intestinal bacteria are responsible for a wide range of vital metabolic processes, like helping you digest food, generating energy, and protecting your body from pathogens that cause infection, inflammation, and disease. In addition to all of the food that will pass through your system over your lifetime, your gut’s microbiome is also affected by environmental influences like the air you breathe, the water you drink, and even the soil your food is grown in. 

When healthy, the gut microbiome is integral for functions related to metabolism and immunity, but in an unbalanced (or dysbiotic) state, this incredibly nuanced and intricate system can facilitate dangerous conditions for diseases to thrive in. By understanding how microbiome dysbiosis impacts diabetes, we may also be able to learn how optimal microbiome health can help slow, and even reverse, the development of this and other diseases. 

The Microbiome’s Role In Glucose Regulation And Insulin Resistance

Certain gut bacteria have been shown to directly influence glucose metabolism. Through a hormonal and neural messaging pathway known as the gut-brain axis, the microbiome signals the brain to initiate the biological processes necessary for responding to the presence of new nutrients, as well as threats, in the gut. This communication also helps facilitate things like appetite control, energy production, and glucose homeostasis. When the gut is imbalanced, however, it can impair this gut-brain axis communication, and several key molecular processes associated with glucose regulation and insulin sensitivity may also suffer. These processes include:

• Incretin secretion. The gut peptides responsible for stimulating insulin secretion in response to nutrients are called incretin hormones. These help control the body’s glycemic response to meals, a vital aspect of glucose management. 

• Short chain fatty acid (SCFA) production. Diet provides the gut with non-digestible dietary fibers which promote the growth of good bacteria. In turn, this bacteria creates organic SCFAs, which the body can use for energy, and to help promote glycemic control. Butyrate is one such SCFA that may even encourage the expression of certain genes responsible for intestinal gluconeogenesis, or the synthesizing of glucose from non-carbohydrate sources. Butyrate is also helpful in preserving the integrity of the gut’s lining.

• Bile acid function. Bile acids are powerful digestive aids that help the body break down and absorb fats and fat-soluble vitamins. They also activate FXR and TGR5, nuclear receptors crucial for metabolism.

• Adipose tissue regulation. An active component of energy homeostasis, adipose tissue helps store any extra nutrients as benign lipids, or fats. If left unregulated by the gut microbiome, however, adipose tissue can create excessive visceral fat that collects around organs, and impairs their ability to function, leading to chronic inflammation throughout the body. 

Dysbiosis in the gut can also disrupt the integrity of the gut lining, which under healthy circumstances, is meant to allow for nutrients and water to pass through while blocking harmful pathogens. If the gut lining becomes too permeable, it may cause “leaky gut,” where harmful bacteria can escape the intestines into the blood more easily and cause metabolic damage that leads to chronic inflammation and insulin resistance over time. 

How Gut Health Relates To Type 2 Diabetes

The composition and diversity of gut bacteria in your microbiome can have a direct impact on your risk for type 2 diabetes. In fact, people diagnosed with diabetes often demonstrate a reduced diversity and altered bacterial makeup in their microbiome, when compared to those without diabetes. They show fewer of those helpful butyrate-producing bacteria, for example, and more of certain toxin-inducing bacteria. Over the last decade in particular, research has shown a direct correlation between changes to the microbiome and risk for type 2 diabetes. Since it’s integral for glucose metabolism, insulin sensitivity, and inflammation regulation– all of which are driving factors in the development of diabetes and other metabolic-related conditions– the microbiome can also negatively impact these processes if its bacteria composition is left unbalanced for too long.   

Supporting Your Gut To Reduce The Risk For Disease

With intentional nutrition and lifestyle changes, certain interventions that target the gut may also be beneficial for reducing the risk for diabetes and other serious metabolic conditions. The microbiome is modifiable, and even one or two adjustments can make a big difference to improve it. The following habits can help balance and fortify the microbiome to better support glucose regulation, reduce inflammation, and improve insulin sensitivity:

• Prioritize foods that are high in fiber, plant-based, and whole-grain, while limiting your intake of fatty foods to help maintain gut balance. 
  

• Incorporate probiotics, prebiotics, and fermented foods to increase incretin secretion, promote bile metabolism, support SCFA production, and nourish good gut bacteria.
  

• Practice good sleep hygiene and stress management to prevent chronic inflammation, and support overall metabolic restoration.
  

• Include quarterly fasting protocols like the Fasting Mimicking Diet (FMD) to improve insulin sensitivity and encourage healthy weight management. 

When used in conjunction with one of L-Nutra’s comprehensive programs, which includes lab testing, personal dietitian guidance, and exercise protocols, the FMD has been clinically proven to improve key biomarkers associated with serious metabolic conditions like diabetes and cardiovascular disease. It may also help reduce chronic inflammation in the body to support healthy gut homeostasis. 

While still best known for its role in digestion and metabolism, the gut and its microbiome may also offer a pivotal solution to slowing, and even reversing, the progression of diabetes and other metabolic dysfunctions. Reach out to our team to book a complimentary consultation call, and learn more about how L-Nutra Health can help support your gut in the fight against diabetes.

*Sources:

MDPI. “The Effectiveness of Intermittent Fasting to Reduce Body Mass Index and Glucose Metabolism: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” Webpage.

National Library of Medicine. National Center for Biotechnology Information. “Fermented foods and cardiometabolic health: Definitions, current evidence, and future perspectives.” Webpage.

National Library of Medicine. National Center for Biotechnology Information. “Impact of Gut Microbiota on Host Glycemic Control.” Webpage.

National Library of Medicine. National Center for Biotechnology Information. “Insulin Resistance is Associated with Gut Permeability Without the Direct Influence of Obesity in Young Adults.” Webpage. 

National Library of Medicine. National Center for Biotechnology Information. “Introduction to the human gut microbiota.” Webpage.

National Library of Medicine. National Center for Biotechnology Information. “Physiology, Gluconeogenesis.” Webpage. 

National Library of Medicine. National Center for Biotechnology Information. “The human gut microbiota and glucose metabolism: a scoping review of key bacteria and the potential role of SCFAs.” Webpage.

Nature. Experimental and Molecular Medicine. “Role of the gut–brain axis in energy and glucose metabolism.” Webpage. 

Nature Communications. “Fasting-mimicking diet causes hepatic and blood markers changes indicating reduced biological age and disease risk.” Webpage. 

Science Direct. “Butyrate generated by gut microbiota and its therapeutic role in metabolic syndrome.” Webpage.

Wiley Online Library. “Evidence for the Gut Microbiota Short-Chain Fatty Acids as Key Pathophysiological Molecules Improving Diabetes.” Webpage.