Okay, so you’re well aware of the key symptoms for COVID-19, from a loss of your sense of taste and smell, to a new, continuous cough. One less typical sign I’ve mentioned before though?
Studies suggest that just under 20% of people who are infected experience gut symptoms, including nausea (10%), diarrhoea (12.5%) and abdominal pain/discomfort (9%) for example.
Now, a new review has speculated that because COVID-19 can directly and indirectly influence your gut, it is also may be a TRIGGER for functional bowel disorders, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
The suspected mechanisms?
1) Dysbiosis (an imbalance in your GM, more on this in Eat More, Live Well)
2) Disruption of the intestinal barrier
3) Microinflammation in the inner lining of the intestinal tract
4) Psychological stress
5) Immune dysregulation (a negative change to immune system processes.)