What Lives In Your Gut Could Fix Your Liver Disease!

Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a serious condition that highlights the intricate connection between the gut, live, and brain. This develops when toxins, especially ammonia, accumulate in the body due to liver malfunction. It is defined as a spectrum of neuropsychiatric abnormalities. As per the American Liver Foundation, 70% of individuals with cirrhosis may develop symptoms of HE. The gut microbiome is a diverse community of microbes living in the digestive system. It plays a vital role in maintaining overall health. But when the balance is disrupted, certain microbes can overproduce ammonia and it could convert into urea, which is excrete through urine.

So when does the problem occur? The real problem arise when the liver is damaged due to cirrhosis. It is a chronic liver disease that occurs when healthy live tissue is replaced by scar tissue. Under such condition, the liver struggles to remove excess ammonia and it allows it to circulate in the bloodstream and reach the brain. This also creates a cascade of symptoms, which also leads to confusion, disorientation, mood swings, hallucinations, and personality changes.

What Causes HE?

It exists at the intersection of gut, liver, and brain, also referred to as the gut-liver-brain axis. When the liver fails to act as the primary detoxifier of the bodies and fails to remove the toxins from gut it can lead to a "leaky gut". This happens when bacteria and toxins pass through the intestinal lining and trigger inflammation. This then impacts the blood brain barrier (BBB), which is designed to protect the brain from harmful substances. As a result, cognitive and behavioral impairments occur.

READ: The Connection Between Your Diet And Your Digestive Health

How Can It Be Treated?

Traditionally, there were antibiotics which were in use to treat HE, which targeted ammonia, producing microbes in the gut. However, as and when the studies have improved, less invasive approach involved probiotics.

So does it mean what lives in your gut could fix this? This might be true. Probiotics by restoring balance in the gut microbiome promotes the growth of microbes that produce less ammonia. However, here too, there are chances of relapses.

But the answer is still in your gut!

A new treatment involves fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT), which transplants gut microbes from a healthy donor into the patient. Though it is not the most conventional method, it has shown success in treating recurrent HE.

Also Read: Fecal Treatment Can Treat Cancer: Know Everything About It

What happens in FMT is that it allows beneficial bacteria to establish dominance in the gut. It also reduces ammonia production and restores balance.

FMT works by introducing anti-inflammatory microbes such as Bifidobacteria, Lachnospira, and Ruminococcus into the patient’s gut. These microbes produce butyrate, a compound that nourishes the gut lining and reduces inflammation. They also help displace harmful ammonia-producing microbes, breaking the cycle of toxin buildup and inflammation.

The results too are while positive, but could be dramatic as the patients who were previously impaired by HE also experienced rapid improvements in cognitive function and mood.