How are you feeling? Are you worn out? Anxious? Suffering from allergies? If you’ve been experiencing some strange goings on with your body, these signs may simply be symptoms of an intestinal flora imbalance.

Believe it or not, there are countless ways your gut affects your entire body.

And it’s no surprise why when you consider that there are trillions of bacteria in your gut. Of these trillions, most of the bacteria fall into 30-40 different species and these guys are always fighting each other.

The battle of the gut bacteria has a major impact on your overall health. In fact, the diversity and balance of these bacteria species can affect every bit of your body from head to toe.

When the bio-dome in your belly is full of a diverse array of beneficial bacteria, you have a strong immune system, improved digestion and all around better health.

On the other hand, an overgrowth of bad gut bacteria can lead to a number of unwanted healthy issues.

The recent trend with probiotics started when experts realized just how profoundly your body is affected by the bacteria inside of your gut.

Countless studies have been done on the link between gut bacteria and more than 170 different health issues. Researchers have found that a massive range of health issues from depression to diabetes to food allergies are all impacted by your gut health.

Think that your gut might be wreaking havoc on your health? You might be on to something! Here are 7 intestinal flora imbalance symptoms to be on the lookout for.

You’ve got gas

Poor digestion isn’t normal! Neither is constantly dealing with a whole host of digestive issues like…

• Gas
• Bloating
• Heartburn and acid reflux
• Diarrhea
• Constipation

So many of us have been living with digestive issues like bloating, gas and diarrhea for so long that we forget what it’s like to have a well-functioning digestive system.

When your gut is bubbling or feeling like a tightened fist, that’s a sign that your body is suffering from gastro-intestinal distress. Don’t ignore it!

Digestion should happen in the background. If your digestive process is a distraction, you have an unhealthy gut.

You’ve got chronic bad breath

Been avoiding onions and garlic for ages but still dealing with terrible breath? You may have your gut to blame.

When you have an imbalance in good and bad bacteria in your gut, things can start to smell less than fresh. It has nothing to do with how often you brush your teeth, the problem stems much deeper. Unfortunately for those of you with a sweet tooth, sugar only makes the problem worse by supplying energy to yeast and bad bacteria in your gut.

There is some good news though! You can drop those breath mints. A diet rich in probiotics can leave you with fresh breath every morning. Once you restore the balance between good and bad bacteria in your gut, your breath will make a change for the better.

You have a lot of food allergies

The life inside of your gut is totally unique. Nobody else on the planet has the exact same diversity level in their gut bacteria. Your gut bacteria is determined by your diet, activity level, genes and even where you live.

Fortunately, or unfortunately for some of us, that exact bacteria makeup can be the cause of serious frustration.

Researchers recently found that the common gut bacteria Clostridia is closely linked to food allergies and sensitivities. People who lack in this bacteria are significantly more like suffer from food allergies than those who have a healthy level of Clostridia.

If you’ve been dealing with sensitivity to an array of foods that you used to be able to eat, chances are good that your gut bacteria is currently out of whack.

You’re anxious and depressed

A study done on mice showed that a lack of beneficial bacteria in their guts had a profound effect on their interactions with other mice.

Mice with unhealthy guts struggled with social interactions. They tended to isolate themselves and displayed anxiety when interacting with other mice.

When healthy bacteria was introduced back into their guts, the mice become happier and more social.

If you are suffering from mental issues, it could be related to a lack of healthy bacteria in your gut. While your stomach might seem unrelated to your brain, it’s important to always remember how interconnected everything in your body is!

Your hormones are off balance

There is no magic formula to hormones. In a normal, healthy person, hormones don’t just suddenly go out of balance. If you have a hormone imbalance, it is a sign that something else isn’t working properly in your body.

If you have an imbalance in the good and bad bacteria in your gut, there are countless different ways that it might present itself. You could be dealing with cramps, infertility, PMS or any other countless number of ailments that connect to your hormone levels.

Your skin is giving you grief

Way back in 1930, doctors began to think that there was a relationship between gut health and skin. In the past century, this connection has been clearly proven.

In fact, researchers have found exactly which imbalances in your gut affect which skin conditions. For example, scientists have learned that people who suffer from acne rosacea have ten times more small intestine bacterial overgrowth than others who don’t suffer from acne rosacea.

These imbalances within your gut have a massive impact on your overall skin condition so if you want glowing skin, start with your gut!

You can’t shake the brain fog

Having trouble staying focused? Does perpetual brain fog have you struggling to remember even the most basic things?

It’s time to listen to your gut! Experts have found that there is a sweet spot for gut bacteria. For optimal health, your gut should have somewhere around 85% good species of bacteria and 15% bad species bacteria.

This balance is so critical that it even affects your brain. From the moment that you’re born, the bacteria in your gut shapes the development of brain. This balances will have a daily impact. In fact, those who gut bacteria imbalances are significantly more like to develop Alzheimer’s diseases.

You have frequent vaginal infections

Having an overgrowth of candida albicans can lead to a candida yeast infection. This phenomena can then leads to something that gut pros like to call “leaky gut syndrome.”

This unfortunately named issue is all about the permeability level of your intestine. When you have a candida overgrowth, the candida yeast grows roots. These roots push tiny little holes in the wall of your gut that causes it to leak. This ultimately can create all kinds of issue throughout your body, including chronic yeast infections.

You’re nutrient deficient

You’re eating plenty of richly nutritious foods so why is the doctor’s physical showing you to be nutrient deficient?

Well, your gut may be to blame. A healthy gut does a lot for you, including helping your body to produce and synthesize vitamins and minerals.

So if your gut bacteria is unbalanced, your body will have a harder time getting enough essential vitamins and minerals like…

• Vitamin D
• Vitamin K
• Vitamin B12 and B7
• Magnesium

If you’re eating plenty of good, nutritious food and your body still isn’t getting enough of these vital nutrients – it’s time to heal your gut!

Gynecomastia, aka male breasts

This has been a terribly embarrassing issue for way too many guys! In technical terms, gynecomastia is a swelling of the breast tissue that can happen in boys or men.

The condition is caused by an imbalance between the oestrogen and testosterone hormone levels in your body. Because your gut bacteria plays a major role in regulating your hormone levels, especially your oestrogen level, an imbalance between the good and bad bacteria in your gut can result in the development of male breasts.

You just got off antibiotics

We’re not going to knock antibiotics. There are plenty of times when they’re necessary and when used correctly, they’re one of the most useful innovations of modern medicine.

But they do come with drawbacks: antibiotics may wipe out bad bacteria, but they also kill many of the good guys in the process.

Research shows that the good bacteria that gets wiped out by antibiotics don’t automatically replace themselves so if you’re coming off a round of antibiotics, so your gut some TLC by replenishing the good bacteria that was lost.

Disclaimer: While our team of medical expert writers makes every effort to convey the correct, relevant, and most up-to-date information, you should never disregard advice given to you by your medical practitioner or delay seeking medical assistance because of something you have read on Gutsify or received in correspondence from Gutsify. Please refer to our Terms and Conditions.