As surprising as it may seem, your intestinal flora has a say in the health of your skin.
Swarming with micro-organisms, some of which are beneficial to your body and others that are pathogenic, your digestive system is the site of a permanent territorial struggle.
The more “allied” bacteria are present, the less room there is for “enemy” bacteria.
But what exactly do we think of when we talk about bacterial allies? What is their role ? How can you help them in their task and what impact does the reduction in their number have on your skin health?
(Re)discover the benefits of galacto-oligosaccharides and how to maintain intestinal flora so that it does not… damage your skin!
Allergies, aging and probiotics
Yogurt, cheese, natto, kimchi... From the West to the East, probiotics are present in most cultures and appear in dishes as varied as they are geographically distant.
It is because the human body is the result of an evolution spanning millions of years that its composition is so disparate.
Much more than a homogeneous monolith, each individual is in fact the result of cohesion, cooperation, wars and predations which constantly punctuate a microbial life whose drama we ignore on a daily basis.
However, as silent as this adventure is, it is not indifferent to us since it is in part this incessant ballet of micro-organisms which determines our state of health.
From cooperation to symbiosis: your digestive system is a colony of diverse partners
Probiotics are a group of microorganisms made up of bacteria of diverse origins but sharing one thing in common: they thrive in your digestive system.
This development is explained by the cooperation that was established during human evolution between the functions of certain of our cells, the nutritional needs of our organs and the danger represented by certain pathogenic agents that we ingest during our meals. .
More than cooperation, the relationship between the probiotics in your intestines and the cells that line it actually has a special name: symbiosis.
In other words: once in our digestive system, probiotics need us to survive and we need them to process certain ingredients.
Allergies and their prevention
The appearance of allergies is a complex and multifactorial phenomenon, but one of its prevention levers lies in the health of your intestinal flora.
The inability of immune cells to recognize the nutritional nature of certain foods we ingest and the absence of certain enzymes capable of processing them are among the reasons explaining allergies.
By offering the digestive system the ability to extend its processing capabilities of the constituent elements of ingredients, probiotics improve its adaptability and therefore its ability to extract nutrients and energy from the food bolus that contains them.
Reduction of inflammatory episodes
The corollary of the inability of the immune system to recognize a foreign body as useful food is the triggering of an inflammatory reaction.
This is what leads, for example, to the appearance of redness, swelling, and even skin lesions. Eczema is therefore a particularly common reaction in all types of allergies.
By extending the skills of the digestive system, it becomes possible to reduce inflammatory episodes and therefore “allergy attacks”.
In a very recent meta-analysis (2023) published by Sung-Il Ahn's team (1), we find confirmation of this logic.
In its conclusions, we understand that adults declared lactose intolerant and exposed to dairy products saw their ability to digest them significantly improved during concomitant consumption of probiotics.
The symptoms, in particular, associated with their chronic indigestion decrease both in frequency and intensity.
Age-related allergies
In another study, published in 2019 by Massimo De Martinis and colleagues (2), we understand that the pathogenesis of many allergies (their mechanisms of appearance) is closely linked to two periods: childhood and aging.
Often considered as “childhood illnesses”, allergies generally appear early, in the first years, and tend to decrease in intensity over time when they are medically supervised appropriately.
However, we also see that these can return among seniors. Worse still: allergies that did not previously exist can appear during the aging process.
The immune and digestive systems resist senescence
Aging is characterized by various changes visible to the naked eye: loss of elasticity, firmness, homogeneity of complexion, etc. All these common places have an explanation at the level of your cells. It is because your production of collagen, elastin or even hyaluronic acid decreases that your skin withers.
However, the changes are not just in your skin but throughout your body. This is what leads to a reduction in muscle mass, joint flexibility, vitality and even... the quality of your digestion.
As reported in the findings of Martinis' study, allergies can appear during the aging process but their extent, frequencies and intensities are not set in stone.
To understand this, we must look at the reasons for these changes.
Remodeling of the immune system during aging
As Martinis explains, food allergies are most common as we get older.
At the origin of this phenomenon: a mechanism called “immunsenescence”. In other words, it is the aging of the immune system.
Since the immune system plays a central role in distinguishing between food and unwanted foreign bodies, it is understandable that a dysfunction of immune function can lead to a deterioration of digestive function.
The deterioration of the digestive system with age
Furthermore, the digestive system as such is also directly affected by the aging process.
Indeed, as we age, the gastrointestinal mucosa (the innermost layer of the gastrointestinal tract) is altered and its properties change accordingly.
External factors contribute to the intensity of this process but it is invariably cells present on the said mucosa which are concerned.
Dendritic cells ( neurons present in the digestive system) fall prey to dysfunctions linked to systemic deficiencies (micronutrients and vitamins) whose absorption becomes more difficult.
This bioavailability problem is explained, among other things, by cellular aging, which takes with it the integrity of the occlusive junction (that is to say the properties of the structure constituted by the cell walls, in contact with each other). others in the basal lamina or in an extracellular matrix).
Furthermore, these mechanisms inter-nourish each other, leading to a more or less rapid decline in gastric function, digestive function and the scope of the intestinal microbiota (which probiotics make up).
Supporting the intestinal flora to help it overcome aging
While it may be difficult to directly regulate cellular aging, controlling our diet generally remains an affordable task.
This is why a sufficient understanding of the principles of good nutrition is vital to live better and age healthier by limiting the risks of allergies and other systemic diseases.
Building on this constant, certain brands of dairy products do not hesitate to offer consumers the provision of probiotics to the digestive system to increase the arsenal at its disposal in the fight against dysfunctions.
However, as pointed out by regulators in many Western countries, such as Great Britain through the NHS in the United Kingdom (3), probiotics can help in certain specific cases but their effectiveness in the face of skin diseases and their symptoms (example of eczema) have not been demonstrated.
Prebiotics to nourish the intestinal flora
Rather than trying to “replace” the intestinal flora, nutricosmetics from MyPureSkin suggests using a proven approach: preserving and maintaining the one you already have.
Certain dietary fibers are not naturally digestible by your body but are the main sources of nutrition for your intestinal microbiota. This is the case for molecules such as GOS (Galacto-OliggoSacharides).
Galacto-oliggosacharides in the scientific literature
In a study published in 2017, Yang Hee Hong and his team noted a significant improvement in skin hydration after 12 weeks of treatment with GOS consumed orally (4).
A few years later, a publication explored the prebiotic effect of galacto-oliggosacharides on the skin microbiota (5).
But we only need to go back to 2016 and read the research conclusions of A. Monteaguado-Mera and his collaborators (6) to understand the potential of GOS.
As the researcher specifies in his report, the consumption of galacto-oliggosacharides offers health benefits not only in a sick body but also in a healthy body.
The most interesting property of GOS is the possibility of modulating the population of the intestinal microbiota as well as its metabolites. The most notable consequences are a reduction in pathogenic bacteria and the promotion of life expectancy and the effectiveness of probiotic bacteria already present in the body such as Bifidobacterium but also Lactobacillus.
GOS and their synergies for skin protection
Previous studies have mainly shown the indirect effect of GOS on the maintenance of skin quality through the maintenance of the intestinal microbiota.
However, GOS are also capable of synergizing with other active ingredients to directly benefit skin health.
In the results of a study published recently (2022) by Kisoo Han and his team, we note that the combination of collagen and galacto-oligosaccharides made it possible to very clearly:
- Improve the homeostasis of endogenous collagen (produced by the human body);
- Increase the effectiveness of the skin as a barrier against pathogens from the outside world;
- Modify, through the expression of a gene, the levels of cytokines and modulate the composition of the intestinal flora (as an extension of the Monteaguado-Mera study);
- Consequently improve the level of photo-protection of the skin (resistance to UV rays).
GOS: an ingredient to consume with other active ingredients for greater effectiveness
What emerges from all of this research (and that in progress) is that your skin, digestive and general health could benefit daily from the consumption of galacto-oligosacharides simultaneously with other active ingredients. such as collagen.
This conclusion is all the more true for seniors who are entering an accelerated phase of the aging process, compared to younger people.
Indeed, if the aging process slows down the production of collagen, hyaluronic acid, elastin and many other molecules from the age of 25, this phenomenon tends to gain speed as the years pass.
This is why optimizing hope and quality of life requires targeted nutrition, making it possible to take care of the intestinal flora and its players.
Synergy of galacto-oligosaccharides: how to take care of your intestinal flora and your skin?
This approach unfortunately proves to be more and more difficult as we age with a traditional diet.
Indeed, the reduction in the functions of the gastrointestinal mucosa, as exposed in one of the previous studies, is a direct obstacle to good nutrition.
In this sense, the level of bioavailability of the ingredients you consume is essential as well as the synergies that may exist between them.
Knowing how to choose a food supplement to help you achieve well-being at any age
This is why it makes more and more sense to use nutricosmetics. Choosing a formula based on 100% natural ingredients remains ideal, but you also need to ensure the synergies involved.
Your body will appreciate the cocktails based on hydrolyzed collagen, low molecular weight hyaluronic acid, galacto-oligosaccharides but also antioxidants and other micronutrients working in concert.
Another essential point of practical interest lies in the shape of the product you choose. Indeed, a product in liquid form will tend to let its ingredients in solution interact with light, humidity or particles suspended in the air.
Powder-based products are therefore preferred, but a jar to be used with a spoon could also damage the integrity of the formula by introducing external impurities, in addition to exposing the contents to the open air each time it is opened.
Therefore, prefer a product in the form of multiple powder sticks, pre-dosed for easy and optimal use of the product.
MyCollagenGlow: glow with a cleverly thought-out formula
It is precisely with this in mind that MyPureSkin deploys its skin and anti-aging expertise by offering you MyCollagenGlow.
A wellness concentrate in the form of powder sticks, its formula contains active ingredients that reflect our team's philosophy: “Science and Nature at the heart of our formulas”.
Respectful of your health in the long term, MyCollagenGlow is composed as follows:
- Galacto-oligosaccharides, one of the key roles of which is the maintenance of a central element of your immune system: your intestinal flora (much more important than we believe in maintaining the quality of the skin, leather hair and nails);
- Marine collagen peptides with very high bioavailability;
- Hyaluronic acid whose colossal storage capacity allows it to carry nearly 1000 times its weight in water (in order to guarantee your body excellent hydration);
- Biotin (vitamin B8), whose concomitant action with that of the other active ingredients of MyCollagenGlow stimulates the production of keratin by your body (contributing to the health of the skin, nails and scalp) and above all offering skin support against the appearance of dermatitis;
- Vitamin B6, whose medical use is increasingly common in the treatment of various skin disorders;
- A complex of vitamins B5 and B12 whose synergistic integration with vitamin B8 significantly increases the results that only vitamins B6 and B8 can offer;
- Zinc, whose role in maintaining the quality of your skin and hair has been highlighted by numerous studies;
- Vitamin E whose anti-oxidant action helps protect your cells from oxidative stress (and therefore premature aging);
- Beta-carotene, precursor of vitamin A, whose benefits range from the ability to maintain clear vision to the preservation of cognitive functions and helping to protect your cells from oxidative stress.
If you are looking to let your beauty shine through a nutritional approach supporting your body from digestion to the skin, you have found your ally.
By integrating MyCollagenGlow into your beauty routine, you give yourself the means to enjoy your life tomorrow, thanks to an initial 3-month treatment.
- Meta-analysis by Sung-Il Ahn's team on the effects of probiotics consumed orally by lactose-intolerant adults: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37225575
- Study by Massimo De Martinis and his collaborators on the relationships between food allergies and the aging process: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6888073/
- Opinion from the British regulator on the limits of health claims linked to the consumption of probiotics: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/probiotics/
- Study by Yang Hee Hong on improving skin hydration by consuming galacto-oliggosacharides: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/probiotics/
- Exploration of the prebiotic effects of galacto-oliggosacharides on the skin microbiota: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35428999/
- Analysis of the effects of galacto-oliggosacharides on bifidobacteria and their metabolic activity in vivo: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4974821/