- and vice versa
All the different B vitamins are of vital importance to our energy levels, nervous system, skin, hair, and health in general. Our daily diet is the primary source of the vitamins but the intestinal flora is able to synthesize, consume, and compete for vitamin B in the host. Interactions between the body and the gut flora is therefore important for how we absorb and utilize the different B vitamins. On the other hand, lack of B vitamins or supplementation with B vitamins can also affect our gut flora, according to a review article that is published in Frontiers in Nutrition.
Biotin, one of the B vitamins, is essential for numerous metabolic processes, and a biotin deficiency may be associated with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). According to a new study that is published in Nutrients, a biotin deficiency can also have a negative impact on the intestinal flora and result in a suppression of symbiotic bacteria and a replication of harmful, dysbiotic bacteria. The scientists say that a disrupted gut flora caused by a biotin deficiency may contribute to inflammatory bowel disorders.
The rate of inflammatory bowel diseases like ulcerous colitis is growing, and diet plays a major role. Even if you eat a healthy diet, it can be a challenge to get enough selenium because of the selenium-depleted soil in our part of the world. Apparently, selenium supplementation can lower the disease activity and improve quality of life in patients with ulcerous colitis.
Danish scientists from Aalborg University have published a study of mice in which they demonstrate that vitamin D prevents cancer by affecting a particular kind of gut bacteria. A subsequent analysis of 1.5 million Danes shows a similar relation between low vitamin D levels in the blood and an increased risk of several cancer types. What is also worth mentioning is that the official vitamin D recommendations appear to be too low to be able optimize blood levels of the nutrient.