Are Intestinal Bacteria The Cause Of Joint Pain?
Is there any kind of correlation between joint pain and intestinal bacteria? Rheumatoid arthritis is a disease that occurs when cartilage wears down, resulting in inflammation and stiffness in one or more joints.
Although many of the risk factors for these diseases are known, experts still do not know 100% what the direct cause is.
While researching the overriding cause of joint problems, a group of researchers focused on a potential subject: gut bacteria .
Recent studies have found that these bacteria can be the source of several joint pains, including the pain caused by rheumatoid arthritis. In addition, they may also have a relationship with diseases that alter the immune system, causing other chronic problems.
Intestinal bacteria: a cause of joint pain
In a study conducted in 2013, Dr. José Scher, a rheumatologist at the University of New York (United States), found that people with rheumatoid arthritis are more likely to harbor an intestinal bacterium known as Prevotella Copri.
In other studies published in October of the same year, Scher found that psoriatic arthritis patients also reported significant levels of gut bacteria.
These studies are part of efforts by many researchers around the world to understand and explain the important role that the microbiome (the collection of microbes that live in the gastrointestinal tract) plays on health.
It is estimated that up to a thousand species of different bacteria live in the intestine , which can weigh between 1 and 3 kilos. In recent years, researchers have sought to demonstrate the correlation with health, both as triggers of disease and as body protectors.
Gut bacteria compromise the immune system
Immunologist Veeda Taneja, of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, says that “it is increasingly clear that these microorganisms can compromise the immune system and that joint pain is linked to intestinal bacteria.”
The researchers were surprised by the results of the studies, as the effect of gut bacteria on the immune system exceeds expectations.
In recent decades, cases of autoimmune diseases have increased and many microbiome experts argue that, at least in part, the problem is due to changes experienced by the microbial ecosystem as a result of the modern lifestyle.
Prevotella copri bacterium could be responsible for joint pain
Microorganisms affect the health of the gut, the area of the body where two thirds of the body’s immune cells are found. During the digestion process, the gastrointestinal tract struggles with a constant stream of unknown microbes. They also come from food and must be monitored to identify harmful ones.
In order to carry out this function, the gut has developed an extensive immune system, the effects of which extend to other organs outside the gut itself. Immune cells living in the gut are able to activate inflammatory cells throughout the body, including those in the joints.
According to the expert Josè Scher, the Prevotella copri bacterium can trigger an immune reaction which then affects the tissues, causing pain in the joints. Another theory holds that it can remove good microorganisms from the gut, which weakens the immune system.
The latest theory states that in people with high levels of Prevotella Copri, the levels of Bacteroides fragilis (“good” bacteria for the immune system) are reduced.
The results of these studies have paved the way for further research aimed at establishing new strategies for using bacteria against immunological diseases.
Many experts, in fact, already recommend the consumption of probiotics (good bacteria) to restore the intestinal flora and fight health problems such as acne, insomnia and other ailments that affect the health of the intestine.
