Headaches, heavy digestion<\/strong>, bloating or abdominal distension, changes in bowel habits, repeated infections, food intolerances<\/strong>… These are the most common symptoms associated with intestinal dysbiosis. The gastrointestinal tract is inhabited by trillions of bacteria, fungi, viruses and yeasts that serve a metabolic, immune, neuronal and protective<\/strong> purpose and are essential for optimal health and well-being.<\/p>\n As Ana Mayor, an internist and expert in Digestive Health<\/strong> at SHA explains, \u201cdifferent types of bacteria have different roles. For example, Bifidobacterium adolescentis performs a fibre-degrading<\/strong> or muconutritive function; Lactobacillus plantarum, a neuroactive one, and Enterobacter is a type of facultative pathogenic microbiota with a proteolytic function\u201d.<\/p>\n All these micro-organisms form an ecosystem that is kept in delicate balance<\/strong>. The above symptoms appear when this balance is disrupted by an unhealthy diet, a sedentary lifestyle, poor sleep hygiene, medication or poor management of stress<\/strong> and emotions. But, as Ana says, \u201cdiagnosing dysbiosis is not an easy task because it manifests itself in different ways. Moreover, depending on the type, some symptoms may be more prevalent than others. That is why reversing it to get our microbiota back in balance is a complex strategy<\/strong>\u201d.<\/p>\n