DO YOU HAVE LONG COVID SYMPTOMS? It might be because of your gut microbes. A new study suggests that the gut microbiome is associated with an individual’s chances of developing “long Covid” symptoms many months after the initial infection.
The new research is the first to show an association between changes in the gut microbiome composition and persistent symptoms in those with COVID-19 up to six months after clearance of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
Let’s look at this fascinating research from Hong Kong. Researchers enrolled 106 patients with COVID-19. The patients had symptoms that were mainly mild to moderate.
Long Covid and the Microbiome
At three months, 81 percent of the patients with COVID had post-acute COVID-19 syndrome (PACS), or long COVID. In other words, the affected subjects had at least one persistent and otherwise unexplained symptom.
At the six-month mark, 76 percent still had long-COVID symptoms. The most common symptoms included anxiety, trouble sleeping, fatigue, and poorer memory.
The researchers examined stool samples, discovering the quantity and diversity of bacteria…
