8 common signs of dysbiosis: what to look for.

8 Common Signs of Dysbiosis: What to Look For

Gut health is closely tied to digestion, mood, immunity, and even skin health. When the balance of bacteria in the gut shifts, it can trigger a wide range of symptoms that shouldn’t be ignored.

What is Dysbiosis?

Dysbiosis is a condition that occurs when the gut microbiome (the community of trillions of bacteria living in your digestive tract) becomes unbalanced. This often involves an overgrowth of harmful bacteria or yeast alongside a reduction in short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) producing bacteria that normally support gut health. At the same time, toxin-producing microbes can increase, disrupting the gut environment further.

A weakened intestinal barrier is another consequence of dysbiosis, allowing bacteria or bacterial products to “leak” through the gut lining into the bloodstream — a process known as bacterial translocation. This can drive systemic inflammation (a long-lasting, body-wide immune response that can cause low-level irritation and affect overall health) , which may affect not only digestion but also energy levels, mood, and skin health.

1. Digestive Disturbances

If you're frequently experiencing:

• Gas

• Bloating

• Constipation

• Diarrhoea
  
  

These could be signs that your gut flora is out of balance. Healthy digestion relies on beneficial bacteria to process food and eliminate waste. When these good bacteria are reduced, your gut struggles to break food down efficiently, leading to discomfort.

2. Craving Sugar

Do you find yourself craving sugar more often than usual? When there’s an overgrowth of harmful bacteria or yeast, they feed off sugar and thrive on it, creating a cycle where you crave more sugar to satisfy the bacteria’s needs. This can lead to excessive sugar consumption, which in turn can starve out beneficial bacteria, worsening the imbalance.

3. Food Sensitivities

If you’ve developed new food sensitivities or allergies, your gut might be the root cause. Dysbiosis is often linked to “leaky gut”, a condition where the intestinal lining becomes damaged, allowing toxins and food particles into the bloodstream. This triggers an immune response which can make you more reactive to certain foods over time, leading to food sensitivities or allergies. The cycle continues because the sensitivities maintain the leaky gut condition, making it a challenge to break the cycle. 

4. Fatigue

A diverse gut microbiome is key for maintaining energy. This is because the gut plays a critical role in producing serotonin, a hormone that supports both your sleep and mood. Probiotics also produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), which your body uses as a source of energy. If your gut is out of balance, serotonin production and SCFA availability may be impaired, leaving you feeling you feeling fatigued, foggy, and drained despite adequate rest.

5. Skin Reactions

If you’re noticing more breakouts or irritations than usual, your gut health might be contributing to the problem. Skin flare-ups are often associated with gut inflammation caused by dysbiosis. When the balance of good bacteria in the gut is disrupted, it can lead to systemic inflammation, which may manifest on your skin in the form of dull skin, acne, rashes and sometimes eczema. Improving your gut health may help calm inflammation and support clearer skin.

6. Weight Gain

When your gut is out of balance, it can affect blood sugar control and lead to insulin resistance. This makes it harder for the body to process sugar and can contribute to weight gain.

This can result in weight gain or difficulty losing weight. Additionally, the desire to eat more than necessary can increase due to reduced nutrient absorption, leaving you feeling unsatisfied and prompting overeating. If you’re gaining weight despite eating well and exercising, dysbiosis might be contributing to the issue.

7. Mood

The gut is often called the “second brain” because it produces neurotransmitters that regulate mood. Dysbiosis can interfere with serotonin and dopamine production, increasing the risk of anxiety, low mood, and even depression. If you’ve noticed sudden emotional changes, your gut may be influencing your mental health.

8. Getting Sick More Often

If you’ve noticed that you're catching colds more often, or experiencing frequent infections, your gut could be struggling to protect you. Around 70% of immune cells are housed in the gut. When dysbiosis occurs, it can weaken your immune defences, making you more prone to colds, infections, and slower recovery times. Restoring balance with probiotics and gut-friendly foods may help support immunity.

Why Synbiotics Can Support Gut Health

Synbiotics (a combination of probiotics and prebiotics) such as Epetōme, may provide complementary support for the gut microbiome in cases of dysbiosis. Probiotics can help maintain microbial diversity by introducing beneficial strains, while prebiotics selectively stimulate their growth. This dual action has been associated with improvements in short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production, which plays a role in maintaining the integrity of the intestinal barrier. A healthier barrier function may in turn reduce the passage of bacterial products into the bloodstream, which is linked with systemic inflammation. 

Conclusion

Dysbiosis is more than just a digestive issue and it can impact energy, mood, weight, skin, and immune health. Recognising the signs early is key to restoring balance in your gut microbiome. By supporting your gut with fibre-rich foods, probiotics, and healthy lifestyle habits, you can strengthen your digestion.

References

Alagiakrishnan, K., Morgadinho, J., & Halverson, T. (2024). Approach to the diagnosis and management of dysbiosis. Frontiers in Nutrition, 11, 1330903. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2024.1330903

Carding, S., Verbeke, K., Vipond, D. T., Corfe, B. M., & Owen, L. J. (2015). Dysbiosis of the gut microbiota in disease. Microbial Ecology in Health and Disease, 26, 26191. https://doi.org/10.3402/mehd.v26.26191

Carías Domínguez, A. M., Rosa Salazar, D. de J., Stefanolo, J. P., Cruz Serrano, M. C., Casas, I. C., & Zuluaga Peña, J. R. (2025). Intestinal dysbiosis: Exploring definition, associated symptoms, and perspectives for a comprehensive understanding – a scoping review. Probiotics and Antimicrobial Proteins, 17(1), 440–449. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12602-024-10353-w

Li, C., Niu, Z., Zou, M., Liu, S., Wang, M., Gu, X., Lu, H., Tian, H., & Jha, R. (2020). Probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics regulate the intestinal microbiota differentially and restore the relative abundance of specific gut microorganisms. Journal of Dairy Science, 103(7), 5816–5829. https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2019-18003