Tag Archives: gut

Questions & Answers

The Connection Between The Gut, Heart Disease, And Stroke

Stroke and heart disease continue to be serious public health problems.

New research conducted by Dr. Brunch at the University of Colorado has something exciting to say about those conditions. This study demonstrated that when you change of microbiome of older mice, you reduce the production of a toxic compound (TMAO) in their gut. TMAO is associated with higher rates of heart disease and stroke.

Trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) is a very toxic compound. By the time you’re sixty years old, you’ve got a 70% chance of having TMAO in your body. By the time you’re in your 80s, only about 10-15% of people are free of this toxin. The change in TMAO levels comes along as the gut ages, and the composition of the GI flora starts to shift. In particular, there is a loss of beneficial bacteria. As TMAO levels increase, so does your risk of stroke and heart disease.

The lead investigator in this study worked with a group of young mice and a group of older mice. She wiped out their gut flora using a broad-spectrum antibiotic. As a result of wiping out their GI bacteria, the older mice no longer produced the same amount of toxic compounds in their gut. Their circulatory and cardiac healthy improved so much, it was almost equivalent to that seen in young mice.

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The researchers went on to document that the gut bacteria of the older mice had changed after it was wiped out by the antibiotics. Now, I’m not suggesting for one minute that antibiotics are the fountain of youth. In fact, in my opinion, antibiotics do more damage than good.

But the take-home point from this study is that altering your gut bacteria can alter your health. Even heart health is connected to the gut.

If you want to combat the changes that occur to the gut flora with age, include things n your diet that can improve your gut health. Foods like kefir, yogurt, and kombucha can all be helpful.

So there you have it. To keep your gut in great shape as you get older, consider cultured and fermented foods, keep active, and you may well have a chance of staving off some of the biggest killers of older people – circulatory problems, heart disease, and stroke.

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Questions & Answers

What You Should Know About Garlic and Your Gut

Let’s talk about garlic and bacteria.

Many websites are good at bashing garlic, and saying that it indiscriminately kills good and bad bacteria. They suggest avoiding garlic in your diet. Some sites claim that garlic is too pungent and contains chemicals that have an overly powerful effect on the body. A lot of these websites are Ayurvedic websites that don’t like onions or garlic in the diet in general. But, there are generally no scientific links to support the negative opinions of garlic.

Instead, some studies demonstrate garlic having beneficial properties when it comes to GI health. Garlic has not been shown to destroy beneficial gut bacteria. It turns out that various strains of Lactobacillus are resistant to fresh, raw garlic. There is also evidence from studies that garlic is a prebiotic.

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Of course, everything in moderation. If you eat a pound of raw garlic daily, you’re going to wipe everything out, including your relationships. No one is going to come near you. But, if you eat one or two cloves of garlic per day mixed into your food, you’ll be fine.

Garlic can help keep the blood thin, regulate blood pressure, and increase resistance to viruses in the blood. It’s a superb food but should be used carefully.

It’s not uncommon to read studies that completely contradict each other. When it comes to garlic, I think it helps to look at how it was used for hundreds of years by many different populations. It was used so extensively because of the benefits it generated. This is one of the reasons garlic is still around today.

In my opinion, science has validated garlic as a superfood in terms of its positive effects on the body. I put garlic in the same category as fresh salmon, avocados, blueberries, black currents, and 90% dark chocolate. Regularly consuming small amounts of these superfoods will have a profound effect on your health. Eaten in moderation, I have no concerns about garlic killing beneficial gut bacteria.

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Questions & Answers

Dairy Products And Your Gut: What You Need To Know

Do fermented and non-fermented dairy products have an impact on gut health?

I often get Youtube comments labeling fermented dairy products as bad for your health. In my opinion, many people want to believe things that just aren’t true.

I read a study out of France that looked at 539 women and the impact of fermented dairy products on the gut. The researchers split the group into two, with the control group eating a non-fermented dairy product and the other group getting 125 grams of a fermented dairy product containing probiotics. Both groups were given the food twice a day for between two and four weeks.

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Compared to the subjects who had non-fermented dairy products, the women who ate the fermented dairy product had a significant improvement in their digestive system in terms of bloating, gas, and other mild symptoms.

Adding a good quality, sour, organic yogurt to your diet can have a significant and positive impact on your gut.

If you find that your gut reacts to eating yogurt or kefir with bloating, gas, and abdominal discomfort, take a break from eating fermented dairy products. Work on improving the health of your gut and then re-challenge yourself with those foods. You don’t have to write them off forever.

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Questions & Answers

Gut Flora And Weight Loss

Which gut bacteria is the best for facilitating weight loss?

Well, it’s more complicated than that. Let’s look at fiber as an example. It’s the bacteria in our gut that actually digest the fiber we eat. The fermentation process that breaks down the fiber really powers us up. Bacteria also help us access the B vitamins and folate in food.

In one study of 62 people, the subjects were given a considerable amount of fiber to eat. When they conducted stool testing on the participants, they found that some people had higher levels of Prevotella bacteria. Prevotella is particularly adept at breaking down fiber and resistant starch.

Another group of bacteria, Bacteroidetes, were found in higher levels in people who ate diets high in meat and fat. If you follow the keto diet, we’d expect that you would have more Bacteroidetes than Prevotella in your gut. In contrast, vegans would have more Prevotella.

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Prevotella levels have a stronger association with weight loss than Baceroidetes. The people who lost the most weight during the study period were those with the highest level of Prevotella. This group of subjects lost an average of 5.1 pounds.

The authors of the study concluded that it isn’t so much what you’re eating that determined weight loss; it’s what you’re digesting. Digestion also has an impact on your metabolic rate.

To my mind, this study proves the point that eating large amounts of meat and animal fat is not going to provide long term health benefits. It will also shift your gut flora towards including groups that are less adept at fermentation and digestion.

I know the body can make energy from ketones obtained from fat and protein, but I still don’t see a high-protein diet as a healthy approach for the long term. I recommend eating foods high in fiber to build up the Prevotella and other bacteria that increase your metabolic rate.

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Questions & Answers

Your Gut And Exercise: What You Need To Know

Exercise can impact your gut and digestive health in several different ways.

One study I read compared the bowel flora between people who were exercising and those who were not. Over the six week study, exercisers dramatically increased the amount of short-chain fatty acids in their bowel. Increased SCFA is associated with lower rates of inflammatory diseases like heart disease, cancer, and metabolic syndrome.

The researchers also found that after the six weeks when people stopped exercising, the short-chain fatty acid population slowly dropped and went back to the pre-exercise baseline. In other words, the impact of exercise may only endure for as long as the exercise. Nevertheless, this study certainly provides another reason for incorporating regular physical activity into your life.

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The mechanism for the positive effect of exercise on gut flora hasn’t yet been determined. But, I can tell you from my clinical experience that people who exercise a lot tend to rarely get constipated. They also don’t get gas or bloating that much as people who sit around all day watching Netflix or TV.

Active people have better digestion, better appetite control, and better bowel movements. They also tend to eat more reliably and regularly on time. I’ve also noticed that my physically active clients don’t have the same rate of fatigue and sleeping issues as sedentary people.
I believe that exercise has a massive influence on overall health and well-being, not just on the bowel flora.

Exercise improves blood, stool, and other medical test results. The tests also improve with more exercise.

Whether it’s being active around the house or going to the gym or walking or cycling regularly, the benefits of physical activity are clear.

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