Digestive Health

Research on Gut Bacteria Uncovers New Heart Health, Immune System Benefits

Over the past decade, research on gut bacteria has exponentially increased our understanding of how our gut affects us as a whole. So, what exactly is the gut microbiome, how does it form and what is the link to immune response and heart health?

What is the Microbiome?

Each one of us possesses a complex and completely unique ecosystem of microbes that exist on and inside of our bodies, which is collectively referred to as the microbiome. The human body cohabitates in a symbiotic relationship with these trillions of microorganisms, known as the microbiota, that form communities everywhere from on our skin, in our mouths, in the nasal passage and of course, in our gastrointestinal tract. In fact, the largest number of these microorganisms exist within our guts.

These microbes have evolved over hundreds of thousands of years to form this mutually beneficial relationship. They play key roles in core bodily functions such as immune response, vitamin and nutrient production and uptake, brain function and disease resistance. Any imbalance to this delicate relationship can have adverse health effects.

How Does the Microbiome Form?

No two people share the same microbiota composition, and even within our own bodies, the communities of microbes are vastly different between locations. There are many factors that contribute to the makeup of our microbiome. The moment that we arrive in this world, microorganisms begin to make themselves at home. In fact, even the way that we’re born plays a large role in the types of microbes that take up residence. Our microbiome continues to evolve over our lifetime. There are many factors that contribute to the diversity of microbiota within our microbiome, including:

the composition of our mother’s own gut microbiota
whether we are breastfed or formula fed as infants
disease, trauma or stressful life events early in life
dietary intake and eating regimens
the amount of physical activity we get
personal hygiene habits
alcohol and cigarette consumption
the use of antibiotics or other medications
acute and chronic stress

While there has been increasing research on gut bacteria, very little is known about exactly how a microbiome is established and maintained to begin with. Researchers from Caltech recently set out to form a better understanding of just how these microorganisms make themselves at home.

The team’s research, which was led by graduate student Gregory Donaldson, was recently published in the journal Science. The researchers examined a microbe called Bacteroides fragilis that is typically found in abundance in the intestines of humans. Bacteroides fragilis was of particular interest because though multiple strains of the bacteria exist, most people will form a long-term relationship with a single strain.

According to Donaldson, “studies by other labs have shown that most people carry the same strain of B. fragilis throughout their lives. We wanted to understand at a molecular level how these bacteria are able to colonize the gut in a stable, long-term way.”

What the researchers discovered is that the microbiota had the ability to trigger a tailor-made immune response. Bacteroides fragilis makes itself at home deep within the thick mucus that lines the guts close to the surface of the intestines. The bacteria are encased in a protective capsule made of carbohydrates, the type of which is typically associated with pathogens, the bad bacteria, and is not normally found within the mucosal layer.

Typically, these bacterial capsules trigger an immune response in which the body produces antibodies that attempt to eradicate the pathogens. However, in this instance, the team observed that instead of destroying the bacteria, the antibodies that were binding to the Bacteroides fragilis were in fact helping the bacterium to successfully colonize.

“It is surprising to find that an immune response actually helps beneficial bacteria to thrive, which in turn helps the host thrive. The study of immunology has mainly been in the context of pathogenic bacteria. But there are trillions of bacteria in the gut, and most of the time none of them are making you sick. Our study shows that there is active immune recognition of these bacteria, but it helps rather than hinders them. This suggests that the immune system is more than just a defense system and antibodies are more than just weapons,” said Donaldson.

Resetting the Microbiome

Recent research on gut bacteria and the link to immune response suggests that resetting the gut microbiota composition may have health benefits. Other research has also linked the disruption of the gut flora to improvements in health, particularly cardiovascular health.

Microbes within the gut produce T cells, which are activated by heart failure and are known to progress the disease. These T cells travel to the heart and provoke an immune response which causes inflammation and forms scar tissue. In findings that were presented at the 2018 Experimental Biology conference, Dr. Francisco J. Carrillo-Salinas exhibited that sterilizing the gut decreased the number of available T cells and prevented these detrimental changes from occurring.

“Understanding how the gut microbiota directly regulates the function of distant organs such as the heart will shed new light on potential new therapeutic approaches in patients recently diagnosed with heart failure to prevent progression,” said Dr. Carrillo-Salinas.

Meal Timing and Diet Alter Gut Health

May 11 by Ewcopywriting Leave a Comment

Every time we consume food, we’re also feeding the bacteria that call our bodies home. The human body plays host to trillions of microorganisms, including thousands of species of bacteria, fungi and viruses. These microorganisms actually outnumber our own cells, and the vast majority of them reside in our digestive system.

Referred to as the gut’s microbiota or gut flora, the microorganisms that live in the gastrointestinal tract play fundamental roles in immunity, nutrient absorption and vitamin production. The microbiota influences cardiovascular health, blood sugar and hormone regulation, brain development and even has the ability to affect our mood and behavior. Every individual has a microbiota that is completely unique to them, and any imbalance in these microbes can potentially lead to sickness, disease and mental decline.

Researchers have uncovered links between our gut flora and diseases and illnesses such as:

Alzheimer’s Disease
asthma
autism Spectrum Disorder
cancer
cardiovascular Disease
depression
diabetes
Multiple Sclerosis
obesity
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

There are many factors that can contribute to the composition and continual balance of the gut microbiota. Among the most important and easiest factors to address are diet and meal timing.

How Diet Affects Gut Health

Different species of bacteria have been found to thrive on different types of foods, and even if you take a probiotic supplement, what you eat can vastly alter your gut flora. Where we live and the regional foods we consume even play a large part in our microbiota composition. For instance, a recent study published in the journal Frontiers in Nutrition found that a Mediterranean diet promoted a healthier gut than a Western diet.

In their study, the researchers demonstrated that a Mediterranean diet, which is typically higher in plant fibers, whole grains, fish and poultry than a Western diet, increased the amount of the beneficial bacteria Lactobacillus by up to seven percent. The Western diet, which tends to be lower in fiber, with higher amounts of fat and refined carbohydrates, only increased the number of beneficial bacteria by 0.5 percent.

Refined carbs and high-sugar foods are known to cause inflammation of the gut and promote the growth of bad bacteria. Research also indicates that the amount of and types of protein we consume alters the microbial diversity of our guts. For example, studies found that consumption of whey and pea protein increase the presence of certain beneficial gut bacteria while decreasing particular strains of pathogenic or bad bacteria.

How diet affects gut health is a large factor in our microbiota, but what we eat isn’t the only thing to consider when looking to improve your gut flora. Increasing research indicates that the size of meals and their frequency also impacts the gut’s microbial balance.

Meal Timing and the Effects on Your Gut

Most living organisms operate off innate circadian rhythms, and as it turns out, this includes our gut bacteria. A research article published in the scientific journal PLOS ONE demonstrated that bacteria commonly found in the human gut possess their own circadian rhythm and respond to fluctuations in the presence of hormones such as melatonin and tryptophan.

Our biological clocks are extremely sensitive to both the intake and restriction of energy. Research has shown that a disruption of these circadian rhythms can lead to numerous detrimental health effects such as diabetes, hypertension and irregular hormone levels. Structured eating regimens may provide the best way to avoid these disruptions and ensure optimal gut health.

Sometimes disrupting these internal clocks could prove beneficial, however. According to a recent study that was led by researchers from MIT and published in the journal Cell Stem Cell, it may be possible to shock our guts back to good health through fasting. In their study, the researchers discovered that a 24-hour fast in mice caused a metabolic switch that boosted the regeneration and reparation of gut stem cells.

In a study that was recently published by the American Diabetes Association, this reset of the gut microbiota that occurs with fasting was shown to have the added benefits of preventing blindness and promoting longevity. Yet another recent study, which was released by Experimental Biology, has shown that fasting may also improve heart function and help to slow the cardiac damage that accompanies heart failure.

The Bottom Line?

Our bodies are essentially more bacteria than they are human, and a proper balance to this bacteria is vital to our overall health, well-being, and longevity. The good news is that being more mindful of what we put into our bodies and when we do it are easy steps to correcting and maintaing the balance of this symbiotic relationship.

Gut Bacteria and Autoimmune Disease Linked

Apr 18 by Ewcopywriting Leave a Comment

Rates of autoimmune diseases are increasing in the developed world. These diseases, which include diverse illnesses such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis and Crohn’s disease, can be devastating to one’s health, even causing lifelong disability or death. There are many theories about why these illnesses are increasing in prevalence. According to several new studies on gut bacteria and autoimmune disease, our internal microbiome may play an important role.

What Causes Autoimmune Disease?

Autoimmune diseases are a broad class of illness that can attack any organ in the human body. Although these diseases and their effects can vary widely, all have one key thing in common. These diseases result when our immune systems begin to see our own tissues and cells as a foreign invaders and attack them. Most people notice that the effects come in flares with periods of remission.

There are several new medications for autoimmune diseases that can help calm the immune system to extend the length of time that people are in remission. However, most people using these medications still suffer symptoms of their disease, as well as side effects from medication. In addition, suppressing the immune system leaves people at risk of developing infections.

The best treatment for autoimmune diseases, as with almost all disease, is prevention. According to several new studies, maintaining a healthy GI tract may be part of the puzzle.

New Connections Between Gut Bacteria and Autoimmune Disease

Mice also can develop autoimmune diseases similar to those of humans, making them an ideal research animal. Researchers infected mice with a common bacteria found in less balanced GI tracts of humans. This bacteria actually traveled out of the intestine and into the bloodstream, where it caused autoimmune inflammation in a variety of organ systems. Most notably, it caused inflammation in lymphoid tissue, which is where key components of our immune systems develop and mature. A sizable proportion of mice in this study developed autoimmune diseases after this.

Can this bacteria produce the same effects in humans? Although it is more ethically complicated to experiment on humans, there appear to be several links. This exact bacteria has been found in the liver of humans that suffer autoimmune disease. In addition, studies on human cells raised in labs show that it causes inflammation in our cells that is similar to that seen in mice.

Could the Right Bacteria Treat Lupus?

While some bacteria appear to cause autoimmune diseases, others have exactly the opposite effect. In another study, scientists noted that mice with lupus had lower levels of Lactobacillus, a healthy gut bacteria found in yogurt and other fermented foods. In addition, keeping healthy levels of Lactobacillus appeared to reduce the severity of symptoms in mice with this disease. Lactobacillus, a bacteria found in most probiotic foods and supplements, may soon be used to help people with autoimmune diseases to safely reduce the effects of their illness.

Intestinal Flora and Your Immune System

Although we do not currently understand how different bacteria can interact with the immune system, one thing is clear, maintaining a healthy microbiome is important to keeping a healthy immune system as well as good whole body health. Having the right balance of gut bacteria can not just prevent autoimmune illness, but prevent serious infections as well. It also has been found to contribute to good mental health, cardiovascular health and to help maintain good health in a variety of ways.

However, this may not be good news for many modern people. The contemporary Western diet is far from ideal in many ways, but especially so in its effects on GI bacteria. Our prepared and processed foods lack not just healthy bacteria, but also the types of fiber that help to feed and sustain them.

Maintaining a Healthy Microbiome

Because our diets do not generally support a healthy GI tract, most modern people need to actively seek out foods that keep our microbiome well-balanced. Experts recommend taking a probiotic supplement or choosing foods high in healthy bacteria such as yogurt. In addition, it is best to combine these foods with soluble fiber, also known as prebiotics. Prebiotic supplements contain the types of fiber that “fertilize” healthy gut bacteria much like we fertilize a garden, providing the foods and nutrients that they need to thrive. In addition, it is important to avoid antibiotics unless they are necessary for our health, both in medical care and in the products that we use to clean our homes.

Could the rise of modern chronic diseases be partially due to our sanitized diets and lives? Although we do not understand all of the ways that our microbiome can interact with our immune systems, research suggests there is a definite connection. Maintaining the right balance of gut bacteria appears to be one of the most important, and easiest, things we can do to stay healthy.

New Evidence Shows That Antibiotics Shorten Lifespan

Apr 05 by Ewcopywriting Leave a Comment

Due to the rising threat of antimicrobial resistance, antibiotics have received an increasing amount of attention in recent years. It is well-known that antibiotics interrupt the millions of microorganisms that make up our body’s natural gut flora. Recent research has shown that the microbiota in our gastrointestinal tract plays a crucial role in maintaining immune function, hormonal balance and even mental health. With this in mind, researchers set out to determine whether this link could mean that antibiotics shorten lifespan. According to their preliminary findings, the effects of long-term use of antibiotics by women later in life may be linked to an increased risk of death from heart disease or other causes.

Researchers Examine How Antibiotics Alter Gut Health

In collaborative efforts between Tulane and Harvard universities, researchers evaluated the link between antibiotic usage and cause-specific risk of death. Previous studies have shown that antibiotics can cause significant changes in gut microbiota, the microorganisms that live in the digestive tract. Researchers hoped to investigate whether these microbiota change in a way that can increase a person’s risk of developing cancers, heart disease, or other serious illnesses.

“Gut microbiota alterations have been associated with a variety of life-threatening disorders, such as cardiovascular diseases and certain types of cancer,” according to the lead author of the study, Dr. Lu Qi, professor of epidemiology at Tulane University in New Orleans. “Antibiotic exposure affects balance and composition of the gut microbiome, even after one stops taking antibiotics; so, it is important to better understand how taking antibiotics might impact risks for chronic diseases and death.”

One of the first observational studies to quantify how antibiotics can affect gut and heart health, the research findings were presented at the American Heart Association’s Epidemiology and Lifestyle conference.

The team followed more than 37 thousand US women who were aged 60 years and older. The women, who were free of heart disease and cancer at the study’s start, reported their antibiotic usage and were then classified based upon this frequency of use. Researchers followed the study group from 2004 until the study’s conclusion in June of 2012.

Researchers analyzed the data and took into account risk factors for heart disease, such as diet, blood pressure, the presence of diabetes and the use of medications. The study found that women who took antibiotics for two or more months in late adulthood had a 27 percent higher mortality rate than women who did not take antibiotics. Taking antibiotics for two or more months in late adulthood was associated with a 58 percent higher risk of death from cardiovascular-related issues than compared to no use of antibiotics. This association was most pronounced in women who reported having also used antibiotics between the ages of 40 and 59. No associations were found between antibiotic use and an increased risk of cancer-related death.

Researchers caution that despite the strong correlation between long-term antibiotic usage and an increased risk of death, more research is needed to determine if the link is causal and what the triggers may be. According to the team, “although we observed a notable association between long-term antibiotic use and risk of death, it isn’t yet clear whether long-term antibiotic use is the specific cause of the association. For example, women who reported antibiotic use might be sicker in other unmeasured ways.” They concluded, “these results, however, contribute to a better understanding of risk factors for all-cause and cardiovascular death. We now have good evidence that people who take antibiotics for long periods during adulthood may be a high-risk group to target for risk-factor modification to prevent heart disease and death.”

Why Gut Health Is so Critical to Overall Health

There are over 100 trillion bacteria in the human body, and most of them reside in your gastrointestinal tract. These beneficial bacteria play an important role in our well-being by aiding digestion, vitamin and mineral absorption, hormone regulation and immune response.

Along with these microbes, the human gut is home to millions of neurons that are embedded along the walls of the gastrointestinal tract, which communicate directly with our brain to control well-being. This “second brain,” the enteric nervous system, fires off of the same neurotransmitters, such as serotonin and dopamine, as our brain and is responsible for the majority of our immune function and mood balance.

How the Gut Microbiome Can Negatively Affect Your Health

The complex communication link between the gut and the brain is a bidirectional feedback loop. Any microbial imbalance of the gut, a condition known as dysbiosis, will wreak havoc upon our brains and our bodies. Gut microbiome imbalance has been associated with health issues such as:

Intestinal diseases like irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease and ulcerative colitis
High cholesterol and an increased risk for heart disease
Blood glucose imbalance and an increased risk of diabetes
Neuropsychological disorders such as schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder
Depression, anxiety and insomnia
Inflammatory diseases such as multiple sclerosis

Ways You Can Improve Your Gut Microbiome

There are a number of different measures you can take to promote a healthy gut. Here are just a few:

Limit usage of antibiotics unless absolutely necessary. Antibiotics kill both the good and bad bacteria in the gut and can have an effect on gut balance for up to a year.
Eat a varied whole-foods based diet that is full of fruits and vegetables and high in fiber and whole grains. High-fiber foods such as legumes, whole grains and oats contain beneficial fiber that promotes healthy bacterial growth
Eat plenty of probiotic- and prebiotic-rich foods. Fermented foods such as kefir, sauerkraut, and yogurt are good sources of healthy bacteria like Lactobacilli, while foods such as apples, artichokes, oats and bananas are rich in prebiotic fiber that stimulates the growth of these healthy bacteria.
Take prebiotic and probiotic supplements. Probiotic supplements contain live strains of the beneficial bacteria that help to restore gastrointestinal stasis. Prebiotics help the good bacteria do their job.
Limit your intake of highly-processed foods, sugars and artificial sweeteners. These are well-known to feed the bad bacteria in our guts.

Gut Bacteria Influence Diabetes Risk

Mar 15 by Ewcopywriting Leave a Comment

There was a time when bacteria were seen by the medical community as unwanted invaders and causes of serious disease. While some microbes are dangerous, there are several species that we actually need for optimal health. Our skin, our gastrointestinal tract and many areas of our bodies flourish when colonized in large numbers by certain kinds of bacteria. A new study suggests that these gut bacteria influence diabetes risk and have a variety of positive effects on our metabolism.

Type 2 Diabetes: A Growing Threat

Type 2 diabetes is a serious illness in which the body becomes resistant to insulin, the hormone needed to let glucose out of our bloodstream and into our cells. People gradually become overweight from this excess sugar even as some cells starve for energy. The excess sugar in the bloodstream can lead to cardiovascular disease, nerve damage, blindness and, over time, even cause death.

There is no cure for diabetes, although there are ways to manage it. Eating a low-carb, high-fiber diet has been found to reduce the effects of the disease. There are also several medications that can reduce blood sugar, although these often have unwanted side effects. As with all diseases, prevention is the only real cure.

Rates of type 2 diabetes are increasing steadily, becoming one of the greatest public health threats of our times. This is partially due to a less healthy diet and a lack of exercise in our population. According to a new study, a lack of beneficial gut bacteria may also be contributing.

How Can Gut Bacteria Influence Diabetes?

Researchers examined the lifestyles of several sets of twins, including their diet, exercise habits and other risk factors for metabolic disease. They also took stool samples over a long period of time to identify the different bacteria present in the participants’ GI tracts as they aged.

None of the people studied had type 2 diabetes when the study began. However, those who developed this disease had changes in gut bacteria before it was diagnosed. In particular, they had decreases in Akkermansia muciniphila, a probiotic bacteria that has been found to prevent inflammation. Although more research is needed, scientists believe that type 2 diabetes risk may actually be predicted in part by whether this and other beneficial bacteria are present in adequate numbers.

Another study found that the presence of a microbe called Prevotella Copri can contribute to the development of type 2 diabetes. This bacteria is normally not present in the gut, but may grow in colonies in the absence of other, healthier populations. Clearly it is important to our metabolic health to have flourishing bacterial populations, but only certain types of bacteria.

Your Microflora and Your Health

Our gut bacteria contribute to health in a variety of ways. First, they help to breakdown nutrients so they can be more easily absorbed and metabolized. Some nutrients, such as vitamin K, cannot be absorbed without the right bacterial influence. Second, our gut bacteria release different amino acids and bioactive substances that can have a huge impact on health. In particular, many of these substances can either increase or reduce inflammation. This is likely the reason that colon cancer and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have been linked to imbalances in our microbiome.

Having large colonies of beneficial bacteria can prevent disease-causing pathogens from flourishing. There simply are not enough nutrients and space to support negative bacteria. This is the reason that people are more prone to infections from Clostridium Difficile, or C. Diff, after being given antibiotics that kill healthy GI flora.

Clearly, having healthy GI flora is crucial to our whole body health. However, the modern diet is often lacking in the fiber and beneficial bacteria needed to sustain healthy gut bacteria populations.

Building a Healthy Microbiome

There are several ways to promote healthy gut bacteria. First, consider eating foods with probiotic bacteria such as yogurt or kefir. If these foods do not appeal to you, probiotic supplements also are a great way of getting a steady intake of beneficial microbes. Second, avoid antibiotics as well as antimicrobial cleaning products unless they are needed for health reasons. These substances often kill off good bacteria, allowing disease-causing bugs to flourish.

Eating fiber also appears to be important to maintaining gut bacteria. Prior studies have found that eating fiber can reduce diabetes risk directly. We now know that this may be due to the fact that fiber helps beneficial bacteria to grow. Taking a prebiotic supplement containing soluble fiber known to support GI flora also is a good way to help sustain healthy gut bacteria.

There is no way to completely eliminate risk of disease. However, having healthy gut flora appears to reduce our risk immensely. Eating the right foods, including probiotics and the fiber needed to feed them, appears to be crucial not just to your GI tract, but to the health of your entire body.

New Study Discovers Gut Bacteria Protect Against Sepsis and Other Serious Infections

Mar 07 by Ewcopywriting Leave a Comment

There have been numerous studies linking gut bacteria and human health. The modern Western diet and wide availability of antibiotics have changed the number and variety of bacteria that live in our gastrointestinal tract, which appears to have poor overall health effects. Surprisingly, even our immune systems are affected by this global shift in gut flora. According to a new study, gut bacteria protect against sepsis and other serious infections by interacting with an important immune protein called IgA.

Infectious Disease: A Global Threat

Many people think of infectious illness as a declining issue in the modern world. With the advent of antimicrobial treatment, vaccination programs and modern sanitation, infectious diseases have become far less common throughout most of the globe.

However, infectious disease still remains a sizeable risk. Many people in the developing world remain at risk of catching a deadly microbial infection. In addition, infants, elderly people and the immune compromised are at risk even in the developed world. Last, many pathogenic bacteria are becoming resistant to antibiotics and other treatments, creating an increase in deadly infections.

Despite these challenges, there is still one important line of defense against infectious disease: a healthy immune system. Our body has a complicated system of cells and proteins designed to seek out and attack bacteria and viruses that can cause illness. According to new research, our gut bacteria play an important role in supporting a healthy immune system.

Gut Bacteria and the Immune System

Although most people do not realize it, our gut bacteria — and thus our diet — can have far-reaching effects on the immune system. Certain types of gut bacteria that are becoming increasingly common can cause inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract, which can eventually lead to colon cancer. In addition, certain types of gut bacteria can actually protect against inflammation and disease.

Most of the research on gut bacteria and the immune system have focused on the interaction between our flora and immune activity in the gastrointestinal tract. However, a new group of studies suggests that our immune system as a whole may be affected as well. Your risk of infections in the lungs, bloodstream, and other areas of the body may be impacted by what you eat and how this affects your gut flora.

How Some Gut Bacteria Protect Against Sepsis

A recent study looked at infants at high risk of developing sepsis, a dangerous and potentially deadly condition in which the bloodstream is infected with pathogenic bacteria. One group of infants was given a synbiotic supplement, which contains both probiotic bacteria and the prebiotic foods needed to feed them, while the other did not receive the supplement. The infants who were given the synbiotic supplement had a 40 percent reduction in sepsis and sepsis-related deaths.

How can gut flora affect the chance of getting a blood infection? Another study, this time looking at mice, found that mice were more resistant to sepsis when they had a large number of a species called Proteobacteria. In fact, their blood levels of IgA, an important immunoglobulin, rose when they took supplements with this species of bacteria. This is significant because IgA is crucial in combatting bacterial sepsis.

On the other hand, the wrong balance of GI flora may contribute to disease and even death. Mice that had large numbers of pathogenic bacteria in their guts had more inflammation, even in areas of the body outside of the gut. In addition, these disease causing bacteria were likely to be found in their lings and bloodstream, contributing to both sepsis and acute respiratory distress.

The Importance of Prebiotics and Probiotics

Clearly it is important to keep your gut flora balanced. However, this can be a challenge in modern industrial civilizations. Our foods are often deficient in the healthy bacteria needed to maintain optimal health. This allows less beneficial bacteria to take over the GI tract, creating inflammation. Many people take a probiotic supplement or make an effort to eat foods rich in positive GI bacteria. This may not be enough on its own. Researchers and medical scientists are increasingly recommending that people also take a supplement with prebiotics, which are the soluble fiber and other foods that help to feed healthy GI flora so they can flourish.

There is a great deal of conflicting information about healthy lifestyle. However, research is clear that having the right GI flora can be important and even crucial to our health and well-being. The bacteria that live in our guts can have effects on our immune system, our bloodstream, and even our mental health. Taking a supplement with both probiotics and prebiotics may help to make us healthier in a variety of ways.