Microbiota-Dysbiosis Cycle

Perpetuates harmful bacterial shifts and metabolic dysfunction

How It Forms

Inflammation creates oxidative stress
Beneficial bacteria cannot survive
Pathobionts thrive in inflamed gut
Butyrate production crashes

Self-Reinforcement

Low butyrate → weakened barrier
Pathobionts produce inflammatory metabolites
More inflammation → more dysbiosis
Healthy microbiome cannot recover

Key Insight

Traditional probiotics often fail because they can't survive the inflammatory environment. Successful intervention requires both reducing inflammation AND providing the right metabolic support.

Breaking This Cycle

BREAK Protocol Interventions

Tributyrin - Provides direct butyrate to compensate for dysbiosis
B. longum - Reseeds beneficial bacteria
DIM - Supports healthy microbiome through IL-22

Back to Cycle 3 Continue to Cycle 5: Immune-Tolerance