Image by Elias from Pixabay
Can a single bout of food poisoning lead to chronic illness in the long-term?
Unfortunately, yes.
Some cases of foodborne illness can have lasting effects. In some cases, it can take weeks, if not months for normal bowel behavior to resume. However, in some cases, the situation is much more dire.
Food poisoning can affect the gut microbiome in many ways. Harmful bacteria can take over the digestive system, displacing beneficial bacteria. Antibiotic treatment can temporarily kill off beneficial bacteria. And worse, antibiotic resistant bacteria can result in multiple rounds of different antibiotics, resulting in serious disruption of your body’s microbiome.
However, studies have shown the inflammatory effects of food poisoning can have lasting effects. Even with mild or no symptoms of infection.
Your gut microbiome is the microscopic world within your digestive system. It is an ecosystem comprised of thousands of species of bacteria, yeast, fungi (and even viruses and parasites) that are unique to you. Within your intestines are trillions of these microscopic organisms growing and thriving as a regular (or irregular) part of your digestive system.
Infants become exposed to their very first gut microbes through vaginal delivery, breastfeeding, and later diet and other environmental exposures contribute to you gut microbiome.
The majority of the microorganisms calling our gut home have a symbiotic relationship with us. In exchange for food and shelter, these microbes help our digestive system, immune system, endocrine system, and even the nervous system.
Dietary fibers and complex carbohydrates are difficult for the body to break down on its own. Beneficial bacteria in the gut help this process. As a byproduct, these microbes produce important short-chain fatty acids, enzymes, and even synthesize certain essential vitamins such as B1, B9, B12, and K.
These gut bacteria also help your liver by metabolizing bile sent from your liver into your small intestines to help you digest fats. Without this recycling activity, cholesterol would build up in the blood stream.
About 80% of your body’s immune cells live alongside your gut microbiome in the digestive system. In fact, these microbes help train the immune system to distinguish the helpful microbes from the pathogenic ones. Your digestive system is the first line of defense, so it is no surprise that there is a strong immune system connection there. The majority of the pathogens enter your body through your mouth.
Your gut is the largest endocrine system organ in your body, with enteroendocrine cells lining the walls of your digestive system. These cells secrete hormones affecting your metabolism, including blood sugar, hunger, and feeling full. Imbalances in the gut microbiome may contribute to obesity, insulin resistance, Type 2 diabetes, and even excess fat storage in your liver.
Did you know there is a network of nerves, neurons, and neurotransmitters running through your intestinal tract? It is called the “gut-brain axis” and can actually produce or stimulate the production of certain neurotransmitters (think serotonin), sending signals directly to your brain.
Aspects of your gut microbiome may have both positive and negative effects on the nervous system. Short-chain fatty acids they produce can have positive effects, while bacterial toxins have negative effects and can even damage nerves.
Food poisoning can cause serious damage to the gut microbiome, leading to chronic illness in the body.
But how?
“Food poisoning microbes alter the functioning of the gut, by increasing inflammation and damage to the lining of the gut barrier,” Kim Plaza, Technical Advisor at Bio-Kult, says.
Long-term, growth of these harmful microbes can affect the balance and ratio of the healthy microbiome.
“These microbes may also change the representation of our resident microbes, often called dysbiosis, which has been linked to other health concerns. Some infectious bacteria may also increase antibiotic resistance, which is a public health issue.”
Foodborne illness increases the risk for the chronic illness IBS due to inflammation and altered immune response. “Around 30% of people may develop IBS following a bout of food poisoning.”
One study revealed that patients who were stressed with anxiety or depression that became sick from drinking contaminated drinking water were more likely to be diagnosed with IBS than those not suffering from those conditions. “Therefore, it may be that anxiety and depressive symptoms switch our immune responses and make us more susceptible to longer-term illnesses after food poisoning.”
Even minor bacterial infections can contribute to chronic illness and lasting damage.
One study found that even small, non-symptomatic infections that may go unnoticed in the body and handled effectively by the immune system can start “a chain of events that leads to chronic inflammation and potentially life-threatening colitis.”
A 2017 study out of Sanford-Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute involving low dose Salmonella infections in mice was the first of its kind.
Investigators administered a Salmonella dose so low that no significant symptoms were observed. The bacteria were successfully eliminated by the host.
“We observed the onset of a progressive and irreversible inflammatory disease caused by previous infections. That was quite surprising because the pathogen had been easily cleared by the host,” said lead author Won Ho Yang, Ph.D.
By the fourth infection, separated by months, inflammation steadily increased, and colitis developed in all subjects. Even after all infections resolved, the disease did not improve – “indicating that the damage was already done.”
Your best bet to reduce the risk of post-infection chronic illness is to do whatever you can to prevent food poisoning.
Keep food safety at the forefront of all food handling activities. Wash your hands before and after preparing food. Keep raw foods separate from ready-to-eat and cooked foods. Observe proper temperatures for storing food and cooking food. The usual safe food handling practices.
Feeding your body healthy pre-biotic fermentable fibers is part of a healthy diet. Foods like garlic, leeks, Jerusalem artichoke and brightly colored fruits and vegetables helps grow the healthy gut microbiome.
Support your gut health by incorporating traditionally fermented foods and live bacterial supplements into your routine. These live, beneficial microbes help to balance the diversity of bacteria in your gut. This optimizes digestion, the immune system, and keeps your body running smoothly.
If you’d like to know more about food safety topics in the news, like “Can a Single Bout of Food Poisoning Result in Chronic Illness by Altering the Gut Microbiome?,” check out the Make Food Safe Blog. We regularly update trending topics, foodborne infections in the news, recalls, and more! Stay tuned for quality information to help keep your family safe, while The Lange Law Firm, PLLC strives to Make Food Safe!
By: Heather Van Tassell (contributing writer, non-lawyer)
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