Now, there are some organs we can continue on without. But the liver is not one of them.

The liver performs hundreds of vital functions, including regulating blood sugar and controlling blood clotting, metabolizing nutrients, and, of course, removing toxins and waste from the bloodstream.

We know that alcohol’s harm to the liver is a direct punch. However, new research has revealed that it’s actually a one-two punch…

What I mean is that, while alcohol is directly attacking the liver, it’s also opening the door to invaders that also play an active role in wreaking havoc on the liver.

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Alcohol lets bacteria into the liver

Let’s start with a primer on what alcohol does to the liver…

• Alcohol harms the liver by triggering inflammation and the buildup of fat, kickstarting fatty liver disease (not to be confused with NAFLD or MAFLD).
• The chemical acetaldehyde, which is produced when the liver metabolizes alcohol, accelerates this harmful process. It’s also considered a carcinogen.
• Continued drinking can lead to alcoholic hepatitis, characterized by inflamed and damaged liver cells.
• The most severe stage, irreversible cirrhosis, involves the formation of scar tissue that disrupts liver function and can end in liver failure. 

However, a study at UC San Diego has uncovered a previously unobserved series of events that causes even more damage to the liver…  

When scientists examined human liver biopsies, they found that chronic alcohol use impaired the production of a cellular signaling protein in the small intestine known as mAChR4.

When levels of this protein are lower, it interferes with the formation of cells known as goblet cell-associated antigen passages, or GAPs. These GAPs play a key role in teaching the immune system to respond to microbes that escape the gut.

Without this layer of protection, gut bacteria escape and enter vital organs, including the liver, where they compound the damage already being done by alcohol.

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Added protection for your liver

So when it comes to the liver, the best thing to do it avoid alcohol. But the researchers know that advice is not always easy for everyone.

They hope that by developing drugs that boost levels of mACHR, it may be possible to reverse the series of events that do so much harm to the liver and afford some level of protection.

But ultimately, alcohol is a toxin that directly damages the cells responsible for the tight junctures in the lining of the gut. Alcohol-induced inflammation makes the damage to the lining worse — increasing permeability.

Together, that creates a condition known as leaky gut, which allows bacteria of all sorts to not only reach the liver but also other organs.

The U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans suggest limiting alcohol to one drink per day for women and up to two drinks per day for men.

But it’s important to note that even low amounts are still associated with serious health risks, and for some individuals, especially those over 65, the recommended limit should be even lower. 

Sources:

Vicious Cycle Revealed: How Alcohol Helps Gut Bacteria Attack Your Liver — Science Alert

Alcohol Opens the Floodgates for Bad Bacteria — UC San Diego

The post Alcohol’s hidden partner in the attack on your liver appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Aspartame was touted as both sweeter and safer than saccharine, which was a possible carcinogen. But it didn’t take long for scientists to link aspartame to cancer as well as to anxiety.

And unbelievably, aspartame actually makes your body store more belly fat.

Every time a new sweetener comes on the market, it’s hundreds of times sweeter than the previous one. That’s to convince you to try it and get hooked on it.

But any artificial sweetener you can name turns healthy gut bacteria rogue, making you a sitting duck for disease and deadly infections.

Now the next generation of sweeteners is here. But proceed with caution. This one is not only toxic, you may never even know it’s there…

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Neotame: a clear and present danger to your gut

A study at Anglia Ruskin University in England found that neotame attacks the human gut in a one-two punch.

“Our studies indicate that neotame causes an increase in stress signaling in our human cells which reduces the amount of junctions that hold our cells together in a tight barrier,” Havovi Chichger, PhD, BSC, associate professor in biomedical science at Anglia Ruskin University, said in an interview with Medical News Today. 

Weakening the gut barrier causes the leaking of materials from the gut into the blood. This describes a condition known as leaky gut.

The damage to the gut can lead to irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and because the gut lining becomes permeable, bad bacteria can move into the bloodstream and lead to sepsis.

Not only that, but the disruption it causes in the microbiome could lead to metabolic disease including insulin resistance.

Shockingly, Dr. Chichger stressed that even in concentrations 10 times lower than the acceptable daily intake her team saw the breakdown of the gut barrier and bacteria shift to damaging behavior.

This new research into neotame builds on previous work by Dr. Chichger which discovered that saccharin, sucralose, and aspartame could cause similar damage in the gut.

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Quick and disturbing facts and safer alternatives

You’re probably pretty convinced this sweetener is something you should avoid. But it may not be so easy.

It is sold under the brand name Newtame®. But since it is about 8,000 times sweeter than sugar, such a small amount is used in products that it may not be required to be listed on ingredient labels.

Here are more quick facts about Neotame that may help you…

• It’s found in sugar-free drinks and chewing gum as well as some foods, including yogurts and especially baked goods. It’s also used as a table-top sweetener for hot drinks, like coffee and tea.
• Neotame enhances or extends the sweetening and flavoring properties of some flavors, especially mint — so steer clear of mint-flavored gums, lozenges or candies.
• It often has a mild aftertaste similar to licorice.
• To avoid it, you need to avoid anything advertised as sugar-free.
• Monsanto (yes, that Monsanto!) was behind the discovery and development of neotame.

Instead of reaching for artificial sweeteners that are devoid of nutrition and directly cause damage to your body, lean towards naturally healthier choices…

Stevia. Not only is this plant-derived sweetener 200 times sweeter than sugar (so you don’t need much), it also has been shown to benefit obesity, diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol — all conditions associated with metabolic syndrome. It’s considered safe for diabetics. Just read your label to be sure the brand you buy contains no added erythritol.

Raw honey is honey that’s been taken from the hive, strained to remove beeswax, then bottled and sold. It hasn’t been pasteurized or processed, so it still has all its natural vitamins, enzymes and phytonutrients.

Yacon syrup is derived from a root vegetable similar to a sweet potato. It’s considered good for people with diabetes because is contains fructooligosaccharides (FOS) — a type of starch (inulin) that isn’t digested, so it shouldn’t raise blood sugar. However, people who are on a FODMAP diet should avoid it. It may also cause upset stomach, gas and nausea in some.

Coconut palm sugar has a low glycemic index but should be treated like sugar because it contains the same amount of calories and carbs.

Blackstrap molasses. Perhaps the most nutritious sugar substitute of all, organic blackstrap molasses is rich in copper, calcium, iron, potassium, manganese, selenium, and vitamin B6. It is low glycemic but people with diabetes should only use in moderation. Make your own brown sugar substitute for baking by using 2 tablespoons for each ½ cup of coconut sugar in a food processor.

Bananas, figs, dates, raisins and no-sugar added apple sauce are also great ways to naturally sweeten a recipe, get a little extra fiber and plant nutrition.

Sources:

Artificial sweetener has potential to damage gut — Eureka Alert

The artificial sweetener neotame negatively regulates the intestinal epithelium directly through T1R3-signaling and indirectly through pathogenic changes to model gut bacteria — Frontiers in Nutrition

Artificial sweetener neotame may have potential to damage gut, lead to IBS — Medical News Today

The post The hidden sweetener tied to IBS, sepsis and insulin resistance appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Despite efforts to find alternatives, PFAS are still present in all kinds of products we use and consume — new clothes, takeout containers, cosmetics, personal care products, nonstick cookware and stain-resistant furniture and rugs, just to name a few.

PFAS are linked with numerous health impacts, including celiac disease, liver damage, certain types of cancer, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and decreased fertility. They’re also linked to higher risks for diabetes, obesity, asthma and thyroid disease.

So, what can be done? Even if we stopped using all products containing PFAS today, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, PFAS are detectable in nearly all people living in the United States.

Luckily, a recent discovery points to a possible solution — and it’s one that already resides in your body….

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Gut bacteria help remove PFAS

Bacteria that encounter chemicals like pesticides have mechanisms to deal with them. For example, studies have already seen that gut bacteria can pick up and store unintended targets such as pharmaceuticals. But it wasn’t known if the same could happen with pollutants like PFAS.

To find out, an international team of researchers exposed human gut bacteria to two common forms of PFAS and other pollutants. And the results were encouraging…

Multiple bacterial strains, including E. coli, absorbed PFAS in lab dishes, storing the chemicals in clumps inside their cells, according to Dr. Kiran Patil, a molecular biologist at the University of Cambridge and senior author of the study.

“We found that certain species of human gut bacteria have a remarkably high capacity to soak up PFAS from their environment at a range of concentrations, and store these in clumps inside their cells,” Patil says. “Due to aggregation of PFAS in these clumps, the bacteria themselves seem protected from the toxic effects.”

Even better, the gut bacteria of so-called “humanized” mice, whose intestines have been cleared of existing microbes and replaced with nine kinds of microbes that live in human guts, had more PFAS in their poop than microbe-free mice. This suggests that gut bacteria can carry forever chemicals out of the body in feces.

The researchers also discovered that as the mice were exposed to increasing levels of PFAS, the microbes worked harder, consistently removing the same percentage of the chemicals.

Within minutes of exposure, the bacteria absorbed between 25% and 74% of the PFAS.

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Could probiotics flush out PFAS?

The results are certainly promising. Next, researchers could track differences in gut microbiomes and PFAS levels in people from the same place, to see if the same method is just efficient at clearing these chemicals from our bodies

They are already planning to use these findings to create probiotic dietary supplements that boost the levels of these helpful microbes in the gut to protect against the toxic effects of PFAS.

In the meantime, the researchers suggest several actions we can take to protect ourselves against PFAS, including avoiding PFAS-coated cookware and using a good water filter. While it’s challenging to remove PFAS from your drinking water, some filtration techniques are more effective than others. Granular activated carbon absorption filters, ion exchange resin filters and reverse osmosis filters work the best.

Keeping your gut healthy by promoting a balanced microbiome is always a good idea, if for no other reason than to avoid leaky gut. Over time, the gut lining can become permeable and allow chemicals that would normally be excreted in waste to find their way into the bloodstream.

If you have problems with constipation, be sure to address them. Slow motility — which references the amount of time it takes for waste to leave your body — allows the bad stuff to sit in your colon long enough to be absorbed into your colon walls, where it also can make its way into the bloodstream. To test your motility speed, try this at-home test.

Sources:

Gut microbes may flush ‘forever chemicals’ from the body — ScienceNews

Gut microbes could protect us from toxic ‘forever chemicals’ — University of Cambridge

Human gut bacteria bioaccumulate per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances — Nature Microbiology

The post Could we actually poop out ‘forever chemicals’? appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

This is due to a combination of factors, including decreased digestive enzyme production, slower muscle contractions in the digestive tract and lifestyle choices that have left their mark.

The result: nutrient deficiencies, acid reflux and constipation.

But there’s one outcome of this slowdown in digestion that can be extraordinarily painful and even land you in the hospital.

Luckily, there are five things you can do to prevent this painful and potentially life-threatening condition…

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5 ways to reduce risk for diverticulitis

Diverticulitis is a condition where small pouches, or diverticula, in the wall of the colon become inflamed or infected. Most of the time, diverticulitis resolves without any treatment.

Age is a risk factor you can’t control. Age-related deterioration in the walls of the colon means that by the time you’re 50, you have a 50/50 chance of developing diverticulitis.

But a decades-long observational study by researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital has identified five factors you can control that can dramatically reduce your risk.

After assessing the health records of 179,564 people from the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS), the NHS II and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study (HPFS), the researchers developed a “Healthy Lifestyle Score” (HLS) linked to diverticulitis risk over around 20 years.

Five factors were linked to a lower risk of diverticulitis:

• Healthy body mass index (BMI)
• Being physically active
• Not smoking
• High fiber intake (Women, aim for 25 grams daily; men, 38 grams)
• Low or no red meat intake

One point was given for each of these five factors, and every one-point increase in HLS meant a 12 percent lower risk of diverticulitis.

Those with a “full house” – a point given for all five factors – were 50 percent less likely to be diagnosed than those with zero points.

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Prevention tips, and when to seek medical attention

Of course, scoring a point for all five factors will also make you less of a target for heart disease, stroke and diabetes.

But aiming for three or four will lower your risk dramatically. You can do that by:

• Staying away from red meat
• Eating plenty of high-fiber fruits and vegetables
• Moving your body daily (even a daily walk counts!)
• Don’t smoke, or get help with quitting
• Keep your weight within healthy limits

But doing these things isn’t an iron-clad guarantee, so it’s crucial that you know the symptoms of diverticulitis. If you don’t seek help, complications can be life-threatening and require immediate medical attention.

If you experience severe abdominal pain (usually on the left side), fever, chills, nausea, vomiting, or difficulty passing stool, you should seek emergency medical care.

Left untreated, an attack of diverticulitis can lead to life-threatening complications:

• Peritonitis – an infection of the abdominal lining
• Abscess – a collection of pus in the abdomen
• Bowel obstruction – a blockage in the colon
• Colon perforation – a tear in the wall of the colon

But don’t let this scare you. Even if you’re 50 or beyond, if you follow these guidelines, you stand a good chance of never developing diverticulitis.

Unfortunately, some chronic conditions are associated with an increased risk for diverticulitis. Those include:

• Polycystic kidney disease
• Hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid)
• Irritable bowel syndrome
• Inflammatory bowel disease

Omega-3 supplements are sometimes suggested to reduce inflammation, flare-ups and improve the intestinal barrier in people with diverticulitis. In addition, probiotics, vitamin D and glutamine may also be beneficial.

If you’re on medication for the condition, let your doctor know if you take supplements.

Sources:

These five things halve your risk of common age-related gut pain — New Atlas

Lifestyle factors, genetic susceptibility and risk of incident diverticulitis: an integrated analysis of four prospective cohort studies and electronic health records-linked biobank — Gut

The post 5 ways to slash risks for painful diverticulitis appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

In fact, a leaky gut lining could be behind your uncomfortable and even dangerous health issues and yet it could go completely ignored by your doctor.

Sadly, the incidence of undiagnosed celiac disease — an autoimmune condition that damages your gut lining and allows all of the bad stuff from your intestines to leak out — has skyrocketed in the United States over the past 50 years.

Luckily, researchers are now shining a light on just exactly how leaks form in the gut lining, which can provide hope for treatment that works.

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The gluten connection to leaky gut

As you may already know, if a person has leaky gut syndrome or celiac disease, gluten is not their friend.

Here’s the issue…

Whether you’re enjoying a hearty sandwich, scarfing down a yummy doughnut or having a pancake breakfast, the gluten in the food you eat must be broken down into proteins by an enzyme known as tissue transglutaminase (tTG).

In people without leaky gut or celiac, these proteins are absorbed.

However, in those unlucky enough to have a real problem with gluten, things don’t work as they’re supposed to.

And that’s where the new research comes in…

Scientists from Bielefeld University found that because your body cannot completely break down gluten proteins if you have celiac disease, large gluten fragments, or peptides, can form in your gut.

This happens because a form of the tTG enzyme called tissue transglutaminase 2 (tTG2) modifies gluten proteins, forming structures or oligomers that then build up in the gut lining.

Once there, these large molecules, which the scientists are calling 33-mer deamidated gliadin peptide (DGP) act as a key, opening the tightly closed junctures of the gut lining and leading to leaky gut syndrome.

What happens when your gut leaks?

According to the study, this is a dangerous prospect since, “If 33-merDGP oligomers are formed, they may damage the epithelial cell network, allowing gluten peptides, bacteria, and other toxins to pass massively into the bloodstream, leading to inflammation and, in celiac disease, autoimmunity.”

Just a few of the problems you can experience include:

• Fatigue
• Diarrhea
• Bloating and gas
• Abdominal pain
• Nausea and vomiting
• Constipation
• Headaches
• Joint pain
• Itchy, blistery skin
• Elevated liver enzymes

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In addition, a leaky gut can set off a cycle of weight gain, since endotoxins that escape the gut and enter the bloodstream interfere with the normal functioning of fat cells. Specifically, these toxins stop the browning process that turns bad white fat into calorie-burning beige fat.

Fighting back against leaky gut

Avoiding gluten is the best answer, but doing so is not easy, unless on the strictest of diets. Even ordering gluten-free at restaurants is a big gamble.

The good news is that you can help strengthen and support the health of your gut to reduce your symptoms and your risks.

My colleague, Virginia Tims-Lawson, has put together a list of five must-have supplements to repair a leaky gut.

It’s a list that includes probiotics, which you may get even more of a boost from, by choosing a supplement that’s spore-based.

Finally, be sure and check out this list of five sinister foods to avoid, along with five foods that can offer help leaky gut syndrome.

Sources:

Celiac disease: New findings on the effects of gluten — ScienceDaily

Celiac Disease — Mayo Clinic

Increased Prevalence and Mortality in Undiagnosed Celiac Disease — Gastroenterology

The post How this sneaky protein triggers leaky gut syndrome appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

There are “good” and “bad” bacteria, and most of the time, the good bacteria are able to keep the bad ones in line.

But you may be surprised to know just how easily that perfect balance can go out the window…

You’re probably well aware that antibiotics can cause dysbiosis, but so can many common prescriptions.

Even if you have indigestion on occasion or eat contaminated food (hey, it happens) or suffer from inflammation (it’s way more common than you think) — you could be at risk of serious infection from harmful bacteria, including E.coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae.

Both E. coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae are known culprits in a variety of infections, including urinary tract infections, bloodstream infections and pneumonia. 

E. coli is also a common cause of gastrointestinal infections like diarrhea, while Klebsiella can lead to more severe infections like meningitis and liver abscesses.

These two nasty bacterial strains are usually present in the gut in low numbers, and as long as they stay that way, all is well. But you can see how easily things can go south.

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How fiber can reduce your risk of infection

An international group of medical researchers has shown that dietary fiber plays a crucial role in preventing the overgrowth of harmful gut bacteria.

The researchers analyzed gut microbiome data from over 12,000 people across 45 countries, trying to identify patterns that predict the gut’s susceptibility to being overrun by harmful Enterobacteriaceae bacteria, including E. coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae.

The good news is that 135 microbial species commonly found in healthy guts seem to protect against “bad” bacteria.

One of these species, known as Faecalibacterium, stood out for its ability to protect the gut by producing short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) that play a critical role in making the gut inhospitable to harmful bacteria.

And how exactly do they produce SCFAs? By breaking down dietary fiber.

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Lots of doctors recommend probiotics to manage “bad” gut bacteria, but these researchers challenge that notion.

Their study revealed that 172 microbial species coexist with these pathogens, competing for the same nutrients.

“Taking probiotics that compete for the same nutrients with the bad bacteria to try and starve them out isn’t going to work,” explained Dr. Alexandre Almeida, senior author of the study.

Instead, he says that altering the gut environment through dietary adjustments offers a more effective strategy.

This is why getting a good amount of fiber in your daily diet is crucial. It’s not just to keep your bowels regular; it’s so that your gut can stay in balance and not be susceptible to E. coli and other bacteria that cause infection, inflammation and disease.

Too little fiber also can lead to a deadly case of sepsis. Sepsis occurs when your immune system releases chemicals into the bloodstream to fight an infection somewhere in your body, such as those mentioned above. However, the immune system goes into overdrive, triggering body-wide inflammation and a significant risk of organ failure and death.

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Fiber: No longer just for regularity

A diet rich in plant-based foods and fiber is crucial for supporting the gut bacteria that produce these beneficial SCFAs. But even if you eat well, the vast majority of Americans get woefully insufficient amounts of dietary fiber.

Here’s some research on how fiber fights heart disease, stroke, and diabetes, along with a comprehensive list of foods and amounts to add to your diet, gradually, so that you’re getting your ideal amount of fiber.

Inulin fiber is especially known for producing SCFAs. You can find a list of foods that provide inulin here.

And if you want to follow a well-rounded diet to up your fiber intake, there’s nothing better than the Mediterranean diet. Here’s the quick and easy version of why this diet is so good for your gut, and how to get started.

Believe me, your taste buds and your gut will thank me!

Sources:

Feeding Good Gut Bacteria Through Diet May Help Prevent Infections — Integrative Practitioner

Ecological dynamics of Enterobacteriaceae in the human gut microbiome across global populations — Nature Microbiology

The post From UTIs to sepsis: Eat this to reduce infection risk appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

But we’re seeing a parallel — younger people developing diseases that used to only strike older individuals.

As it turns out, the same thing that causes cardiometabolic disease earlier in life may also be setting us up for earlier and more aggressive colon tumors.

The Worrisome Trend

Colorectal cancer, also known as colon cancer, has long been seen as a disease that primarily affects older adults. But in the past two decades, something concerning has happened…

The rate of colon cancer in people under the age of 55 has more than doubled. And the sharpest rise is among those under 40. These aren’t isolated cases. It’s a growing trend that has doctors and researchers searching for answers.

So far, no single cause has been pinpointed. But new research is starting to reveal potential contributors, and one of them may be lurking in our gut.

A New Clue: Colibactin and Gut Bacteria

A recent study published in Nature has identified a strong link between early-onset colorectal cancer and a toxin called colibactin, produced by certain strains of gut bacteria like E. coli. Colibactin is a “genotoxin,” which is a compound capable of damaging DNA.

Researchers analyzed tissue samples from nearly 1,000 colorectal cancer patients across four continents and found that most had mutations in their tumors that matched a signature left by this bacterial toxin.

What’s especially noteworthy is that patients under the age of 40 were three to five times more likely to carry these mutations than older patients. Even more surprising? These mutations appear to originate in early childhood — possibly even before age 10.

While this doesn’t prove colibactin causes colon cancer, it’s a compelling clue. And it reinforces something we’re learning again and again: the health of our gut microbiome — the trillions of bacteria living in our digestive tract — can have long-term, far-reaching consequences.

We Still Don’t Know the Full Story

Colibactin isn’t the whole story. Not everyone with colon cancer has these mutations. And not everyone with colibactin-producing bacteria gets cancer. So what’s going on?

Researchers believe it’s likely a combination of factors. Our environment, diet, medications, level of physical activity and other lifestyle choices all shape our microbiome, starting even in childhood. Over time, these factors may work together to encourage harmful bacteria to flourish or behave in damaging ways.

For example, early antibiotic use has been linked to an increased risk of colorectal cancer later in life, possibly because antibiotics can wipe out beneficial bacteria and allow harmful strains to take over. Other possible contributors include how we were born (vaginal delivery vs. C-section), whether we were breastfed, and whether our diets as children included ultra-processed foods.

The Fiber Connection

If there’s one thing nearly all Americans have in common, it’s this: we don’t eat enough fiber. In fact, approximately 95% of us fall short of the recommended daily intake.

That’s a big problem, especially for gut health. Fiber is essential fuel for our beneficial gut bacteria. When we eat a fiber-rich diet full of fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, and nuts, we help the good bacteria thrive and crowd out the bad.

Fiber also reduces inflammation, improves digestion, regulates bowel movements, and may even bind to and help eliminate toxins in the colon.

Fiber also has wide-ranging effects on cardiometabolic health. It helps reduce cholesterol absorption, keeping LDL levels down, modulates glucose absorption for steadier/lower insulin release, and supports natural GLP-1 production. 

On the flipside, a low-fiber diet (especially one high in ultra-processed foods) can leave our gut microbiome undernourished, unbalanced, and more vulnerable to disruption. That low-fiber diet also leaves our cholesterol elevated, our blood sugars high and our appetites unsatisfied.

But here’s the important point — we can modify this! 

Animal studies have shown that changing fiber intake can impact tumor growth and the activity of toxins like colibactin. Meanwhile, adding 10 grams of fiber per day (the equivalent of what’s in 2 servings of Step One Foods) raises natural GLP-1 production by 56%! In a matter of days!

Colon Cancer Screening: When to Start

Because early-onset colon cancer is on the rise, guidelines have shifted. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force now recommends that all adults at average risk start screening at age 45. This can be done through colonoscopy, at-home stool tests, or other approved methods. People with a family history of colon cancer or other risk factors may need to start even earlier.  

So, if you’re over 45 and haven’t yet had your colonoscopy, what are you waiting for? Get screened for this condition. Early detection saves lives. In fact, when colon cancer is found early, it’s one of the most treatable forms of cancer.

And if you’ve not been screened for high cholesterol, high blood pressure or high blood sugar, I’d ask the same thing! 80% of heart disease need not exist. But you can’t possibly know if you’re at risk if you have no data.

The post Young-onset colon cancer and heart disease: A concerning parallel appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

While antibiotics are invaluable for fighting bacterial infections, they can also present serious risks if overused or misused, and it appears that physicians are finally getting that message.

For instance, antibiotic overuse has been linked to gut problems because it destroys much of the friendly bacteria that make up the gut microbiota. One study found that it takes the gut microbiota as long as six months following antibiotic use to recover. Still some species of bacteria may never return.

When this happens, the effects extend far beyond the gut, potentially interfering with healthy aging and metabolic health, for starters.

As if that weren’t bad enough, researchers have discovered another lasting way antibiotics harm the gut — even if you haven’t taken them recently…

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Antibiotics’ effect on the gut lining

While previous research has shown the impact of short-term antibiotic treatment on the intestinal environment, it is less clear how repeated antibiotic use over time affects the gut.

So, researchers at Umeå University in Sweden teamed up with those at Tartu University in Estonia, who had built a deep cohort of individuals who provided stool samples and health records, to learn more.

The research team selected individuals who had taken at least five courses of antibiotics in the past, but not within six months of the stool collection. They then compared the microbiomes of these individuals with those of individuals who had not used any antibiotics within the last ten years.

As expected, analysis revealed changes to gut bacteria composition, indicating that repeated antibiotic use can have a lasting effect on the microbiome that can persist at least months after the most recent treatment, according to Kertu-Liis Krigul, a Ph.D. student at Tartu.

But that wasn’t all…

The researchers transplanted the human microbiota into mice and used specialized methods to analyze the function of the gut’s protective mucus layer. This continuously expanding layer lines the intestines and prevents bacteria from crossing it. However, if the gut microbiome is disrupted, the barrier can lose its ability to function properly.

They observed that bacteria from humans with a history of repeated antibiotic use contained higher amounts of bacteria that damaged the mucus layer, resulting in increased permeability.

That means dangerous bacteria could penetrate the intestinal lining, a symptom of a condition known as leaky gut syndrome, which can trigger inflammation and potentially contribute to the development of diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

“Looking at the bacteria present in the gut in more detail, we could see that bacteria known to feed on the mucus layer were present at higher levels in these mice,” says Rachel Feeney, a Ph.D. student at Umeå. “This further supports a role for the gut bacteria in determining how well the mucus barrier can function.”

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Antibiotics themselves can do damage

In a separate study conducted as part of another international collaboration, researchers administered the antibiotic vancomycin to normal and bacteria-free mice.

By doing so, they discovered that the antibiotics themselves can directly disrupt the mucus lining in a manner independent from gut bacteria. The antibiotic was found to disrupt mucus expansion within a few minutes of application.

“Together, these two studies suggest that antibiotics can damage the mucus layer through at least two independent mechanisms, and that they may have long-lasting effects through an altered gut bacteria,” says Björn Schröder, docent in infection biology in the Department of Molecular Biology at Umeå. “This further supports the notion that antibiotics should be administered in a responsible manner.”

There may be times when you can’t avoid using antibiotics to fight off an infection. When you do have to take them, it’s essential that you pair them with probiotics to help shore up your gut health.

There are plenty of foods that contain probiotics, including yogurt, kefir and fermented foods like kimchi, sauerkraut and miso.

You can also get probiotics from supplements — but if you do, make sure the supplement you take contains live cultures. And be sure to take it two hours apart from your antibiotics.

Sources:

Antibiotic usage can damage the protective mucus layer in the gut — ScienceDaily

Antibiotics damage the colonic mucus barrier in a microbiota-independent manner — Science Advances

Antibiotic Use and Stewardship in the United States, 2023 Update: Progress and Opportunities — U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

The post How antibiotics wreak lasting damage in your gut appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

It’s a trend, they say, that cannot be explained by genetics alone.

So, what’s to blame?

Could it be due to higher rates of obesity? Maybe it’s lack of exercise?

Or is it something more sinister, such as the chemicals our government allows manufacturers to add to products that come into contact with the food we eat?

Recent research points to the latter…

Potential to cause breast cancer and beyond

As far back as 2007, an organization called Silent Spring published a list of 216 chemicals that can cause breast cancer in rodents.

Of course, if there’s anything the U.S. Food and Drug Administration doesn’t do when it comes to protecting the public, it’s to act quickly.

So, researchers, writing in the journal Frontiers in Toxicology, set out to compare the Silent Springs list with another database known as Food Contact Chemicals Monitored in Humans, or FCChumon, which is a list of food contact chemicals detected in human breast milk, blood, urine, and tissues.

They found that nearly 200 chemicals connected to breast cancer are used in the making of food packaging and plastic tableware, and dozens of those carcinogens can migrate into the human body.

Among them were 642 endocrine-disrupting chemicals that may stimulate estrogen or progesterone production, another known risk factor for breast cancer.

While the study focused on breast cancer-causing toxins, the team found the dangers of the products we use every day to store and eat our food span the cancer universe.

“There is strong evidence that 76 known or potential breast carcinogens from food contact materials recently purchased all over the world can be found in people,” said study coauthor Jane Muncke.

After analyzing different forms of food packaging and tableware, researchers discovered chemicals including:

• Benzene – A known carcinogen linked to breast cancer development
• 4,4’-Methylenebis-(2-Chloroaniline) – Classified as a probable carcinogen that may cause bladder cancer
• 2,4-Toluenediamine – A toxin known to cause breast and other types of cancers in animal studies
•  3,3′-Dimethylbenzidine and o-Toluidine – Dyes used to color plastic and paper, which, according to the EPA, have the potential to metabolize to carcinogenic amines both in and on the human body.
• Forever chemicals – Bisphenols, phthalates or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS, are linked to high cholesterol, cancer and various chronic diseases.

And while researchers determined that most exposure to carcinogens comes from plastics used in food packaging, a whopping 89 suspected carcinogens were found in paper and cardboard containers.

“Paper has additives such as emulsifiers and adhesives, say if papers are glued together, or there’s a plastic layer glued to the paper,” Muncke points out.

Protect yourself from lurking carcinogens

All of those plastic storage bags, containers, and dinnerware, as well as paper plates, that we use because they are so convenient, present a real and present danger to our health.

So, what can you do to combat this danger?

First, banish the plastic from your kitchen. This includes discarding plastic containers and opting for glass containers to store your food.

Also, be sure always to use a glass dish when putting food in the microwave instead of plastic.

Next, replace any plastic water bottles with glass or stainless steel.

For added protection, toss your non-stick pans, which are coated in cancer-causing forever chemicals.

Most importantly, support your body’s natural detoxification processes, which involve your colon and liver.

The liver, of course, is the body’s primary detox organ. But considering this onslaught of toxins, it’s often overworked, especially if you are overweight. Read here about 8+ ways to relieve your liver’s detox load.

Next, check your transit time. That’s the amount of time your colon processes waste to leave the body. If it takes longer than 24 hours, you’re allowing chemicals to sit in your colon up against the intestinal endothelium, where they can leach into your bloodstream.

Sources:

Chemicals linked to breast cancer leach into our foods, study finds — CNN

Risk Management for Benzidine Dyes — EPA

The post The chemical exposure behind early onset breast cancer appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

The bacterial “soup” in your gut (more technically known as the gut microbiome) helps facilitate communication between the gut and the brain via a two-way network known as the gut-brain axis.

That communication includes biochemical signaling that occurs between the gastrointestinal tract and the central nervous system, with impacts throughout the body — including how well, or how poorly, we age.

People who are destined for Alzheimer’s disease have a distinctly different gut microbiome from people who will not end up with the disease.

In fact, research has concluded that your body’s entire aging process may be linked to age-related changes in your gut microbiome.

Now, a large-scale study provides further evidence that this is indeed the case…

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Gut bacteria get less diverse as we age

Scientists from the Agency for Science, Technology and Research Genome Institute of Singapore conducted the first large-scale study of over 200 octogenarians (people aged 80 to 89) to investigate how the gut microbiome changes with age.

Unfortunately, they observed a significant decrease in the diversity of bacteria living in the participants’ guts, including strains that play a key role in aging and could be targeted to promote healthy aging.

An important find was the decline of a specific bacterium, Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, which produces butyrate, a crucial short-chain fatty acid essential for maintaining gut health. Butyrate reduces inflammation, supports the gut barrier and immune function and facilitates gut-brain communication.

They also discovered specific bacteria that may act as markers for inflammation, blood sugar and vitamin levels, including B12. For example, Parabacteroides goldsteinii is a probiotic associated with fasting blood glucose levels.

These bacteria could be used to monitor, with the help of non-invasive testing, whether a person is aging healthily or leaning towards chronic disease and frailty.

Associate Professor Niranjan Nagarajan, Associate Director, Genome Architecture, and Senior Group Leader, Laboratory of Metagenomic Technologies and Microbial Systems at A*STAR GIS, added, “Our findings lay the groundwork for future research aimed at developing targeted probiotic and prebiotic therapies to enable healthy aging through gut microbiome modulation.”

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Improve your gut, improve how you age

Clearly, the more diverse your gut microbiome is, the better your chances are of aging healthily into old age.

But how do you make sure that happens? Luckily, it’s not hard. It all comes down to what you feed your gut.

Basically, there are three key players that keep a gut microbiome healthy:

• Fiber. Want to grow old without the burden of disability, depression, dementia, heart disease or other chronic diseases? Fiber can make this happen. Australian researchers found that people with the greatest fiber intake had close to an 80 percent higher chance of living a longer, healthier life than those who weren’t consuming much fiber. Eat more fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
• Prebiotics fiber from carbohydrates is what feeds gut bacteria. Reach for bananas, flax seed, lentils and beans.
• Probiotics help replenish the good bacteria. You can take a probiotic supplement that contains live bacteria or consume fermented foods like yogurt, kefir, kombucha, sauerkraut and others.

To specifically improve your chances of retaining those helpful bacteria that produce butyrate, reach for polyphenols.

A polyphenol-rich diet improved intestinal permeability (supported the gut’s barrier) in older people, according to a European study published in September in the journal Clinical Nutrition.

They saw that consuming up to three daily portions of apples, cocoa, dark chocolate, green tea, cranberries, oranges or pomegranate juice improved intestinal permeability by making specific changes in the intestinal microbiota.

“A higher intake of fruits, vegetables and foods such as those described in this paper provide fiber and polyphenols that could help counterbalance the damage of permeability due to aging,” notes Cristina Andrés-Lacueva, lead author of the study.

Sources:

The secret of healthy aging may lie in our gut — Eureka Alert

Gut metagenomes of Asian octogenarians reveal metabolic potential expansion and distinct microbial species associated with aging phenotypes — Nature communications

Gut microbiome — Cleveland Clinic

The post The secrets to healthy aging found in your gut appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

And it wasn’t long ago that a review of 50 studies proved what most of us have known all along… that the tart little berries really do kick UTIs to the curb.

But then there was that research that found dried cranberry powder decreased LDL (bad) cholesterol and improved heart and blood vessel function, brain blood flow and memory.

It turns out that may have just been the tip of the iceberg for what we’re learning cranberries can do for cardiovascular and metabolic health…

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Cranberries bring out the best in your gut

Mounting evidence indicates cranberries have tons of polyphenols and other bioactives known to improve gut health, strengthen the immune system, keep hearts healthy and balance blood sugar.

In a more recent study, researchers in Canada sought to confirm these findings by administering a cranberry extract capsule (the equivalent of ingesting about half a cup of fresh cranberries) to 40 participants in the morning and evening. The researchers collected blood, urine and stool samples at the beginning of the experiment and after four days of consuming the cranberry supplements.

The results reinforced the findings that cranberry extracts appear to improve intestinal microbiota and help prevent cardiometabolic disease — an umbrella term that includes:

• Heart disease
• Stroke
• Insulin resistance
• Diabetes
• and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

But what’s really shocking is beneficial effects were reported after only four days of use.

In addition to their high polyphenol content, cranberries contain high concentrations of oligosaccharides, small fibers believed to contribute to their bioactivity.

The research team showed that the polyphenols and oligosaccharides in cranberry extract boost Bifidobacterium, a bacterium in the gut associated with a reduced risk of cardiometabolic diseases.

“Normally, these bacteria are stimulated by dietary fiber consumption,” says Jacob Lessard-Lord, a postdoctoral fellow at the Institute of Nutrition and Functional Foods (INAF). “We observed the same effect with cranberry extract with a dose almost 20 times lower.”

The cranberry extract was also found to stimulate Akkermansia muciniphila, a bacterium that helps reduce inflammation of the intestinal mucosa and strengthen the intestinal barrier. This could help counter the harmful effects of a Western diet, which compromises the intestinal barrier’s integrity and can lead to leaky gut.

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“Alteration of the intestinal barrier allows the passage of lipopolysaccharides (LPS) derived from the intestinal microbiota, known as metabolic endotoxemia, and is a crucial factor in the onset and progression of inflammation and metabolic diseases,” says Yves Desjardins, research lead and professor at Université Laval.

But when Akkermansia muciniphila bacterium and Bifidobacterium are stimulated, the microbiota regenerates and recreates an anti-inflammatory environment. This strengthens the connections between cells in the intestinal barrier, reinforcing it.

Cranberries + healthy bacteria = less chronic disease

The researchers plan to explore the long-term effects of the cranberry extract. But for now, there seems to be enough evidence supporting the addition of cranberries to your diet.

Unfortunately, it’s almost impossible to eat raw cranberries, given how tart they can be. And a lot of commercially prepared cranberry juice cocktails, cranberry sauces and cranberry fruit snacks are loaded with added sugar. And we know how sugar can ruin a good thing.

If you aren’t a fan of the taste of cranberries, a cranberry extract supplement may be the right choice for you or a dried powder mix (like those used in some studies).

If you want to give your gut an extra boost and protect against cardiometabolic diseases, make sure to eat foods rich in Bifidobacterium, like yogurt and cheese. Akkermansia muciniphila is a little harder to come by, as it’s not really present in foods. However, you can encourage your gut to make more Akkermansia muciniphila by consuming fiber-rich foods and foods high in polyphenols. Luckily, some of these foods have both, including:

• Blueberries
• Raspberries
• Apples
• Black beans
• Chicory root
• Almonds
• And of course cranberries

Sources:

Cranberry extracts could boost microbiota and counter cardiometabolic diseases —  Université Laval

Short term supplementation with cranberry extract modulates gut microbiota in human and displays a bifidogenic effect — NPJ Biofilms and Microbiomes

Cranberries – Cup Measurements — CookItSimply

The post What cranberries can do for heart disease, stroke, diabetes and more appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

You can be feeling good, but suddenly, your symptoms flare up. Maybe you experience abdominal pain. But what if you know diarrhea is next?

There are times when this can be more than just inconvenient.

What if there were a way to predict your next flare-up so you don’t find yourself in that situation?

That’s the promise of a study by researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, who found that wearable devices may help sound the warning on IBD flares up to seven weeks in advance.

Getting ahead of uncomfortable situations and IBD flares

The researchers followed over 300 adults with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis, who were equipped with wearable devices – including Apple Watch, Fitbit or the Oura Ring.

The devices certainly proved their value far beyond counting steps!

By measuring signals in the body associated with an imminent flare, the devices helped predict an IBD flare 7 weeks out. These signs included:

• Longitudinal heart rate (or changes in heart rate over time)
• Resting heart rate (the number of times your heart beats per minute at rest)
• Heart rate variability (the variation in time between  each of your heartbeats) or regularity
• Number of steps  (an indication of the amount of daily physical activity)
• Oxygenation (also known as pulse ox, which indicates how much oxygen the hemoglobin in your blood is carrying)

According to Rudolph Bedford, MD, a board-certified gastroenterologist, these findings provide hope for IBD control, since up to this point, there has been no way to predict symptom flare-ups, unless you just so happened to get a stool or blood test right before one occurred.

But by leveraging these easy-to-use devices, “(IBD patients) may be able to make some changes in what they’re doing before that occurs, whether that’s an adjustment of medication or an adjustment of diet.”

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Improvements for the long haul

Knowing when your next flare could occur could certainly help keep you from ending up in an uncomfortable situation. But let’s take it further…

Inflammation is a hallmark of irritable bowel disease. That means learning to lessen its grip could be a better tool for managing flares and improving your health over the long haul.

Following the autoimmune disease protocol (AIP), a diet focusing on foods that help tamp down inflammation, is a good place to start.

Begin with a six-week elimination phase, removing grains, legumes, nightshades, dairy, eggs, coffee, alcohol, nuts and seeds, refined sugars, oils and food additives from your diet. These foods are considered triggers for intestinal inflammation, microbiome imbalances and food intolerances.

In addition to avoiding these gut-irritating foods, choose more gut-supporting foods like fresh, nutrient-dense foods, bone broth and fermented foods.

After the elimination phase, you can add back foods one at a time to determine which ones adversely affect your

Finally, I recommend taking a krill oil supplement daily to provide your gut with the omega-3s it needs to douse inflammation without the stomach upset that comes with fish oil.

Research has demonstrated that higher levels of essential fatty acids can help guard against chronic or uncontrolled inflammation through two important mechanisms.

• First, high levels of omega-3s in cell membranes trigger the release of an elevated level of omega-3-derived metabolites. This helps switch off the inflammatory response and switch on the body’s natural healing powers.
• Second, these fatty acids positively influence the types and amounts of microorganisms that live in the gut, called the gut microbiota.

It’s a one-two punch to help knock out symptoms and avoid flares.

Sources:

Wearable devices like Fitbit can predict IBD flares 7 weeks in advance — Medical News Today

How can you tell if your IBD is getting worse? — UchicagoMedicine

Omega-3 Fatty Acids And Inflammation — You Are What You Eat! – NIH

The post Wearable devices help predict IBD flare-ups appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

For decades, researchers have associated these changes with two markers in the brain: beta-amyloid and tau.

However, in recent years, scientists have explored a new wrinkle in Alzheimer’s research: Discovering that the gut and the brain communicate through neurons in both organs. They’ve found evidence that dysfunction in this gut-brain axis is linked to brain disorders, including Alzheimer’s.

Now scientists led by the Institute of Nanotechnology in Italy have unveiled more clues that link gut and brain neurons — and how these processes may trigger Alzheimer’s…

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Zooming in on gut dysbiosis

“There are already many studies that support that changes in the gut composition can contribute to Alzheimer’s onset and progression,” says Alessia Cedola, a researcher from the Institute of Nanotechnology in Italy and corresponding author of the published study.

Where things go wrong is when dysbiosis, an imbalance in microbial diversity, sets in. Dysbiosis allows for the prevalence of dangerous bacteria that promote inflammation, which can then result in the breakdown of the gut-brain barriers.

How is gut dysbiosis linked with Alzheimer’s? “The main hypothesis is that changes trigger the escape of bad bacteria from the gut [a condition known as leaky gut], entering the circulation, reaching the brain and triggering Alzheimer’s, but evidence is still poor,” Cedola says.

To better look at this gut-brain connection, the researchers used nano- and micro X-ray phase-contrast tomography (XPCT) to study structural and morphological alterations in the gut. This powerful tool eliminates the need for tissue manipulation.

The data found changes in cell abundance, tissue structure and organization in mice affected with Alzheimer’s. Specifically, there were relevant alterations in the gut structure and cells within the gut that, when working correctly, maintain gut health, support digestion and protect the intestinal lining from damage.

“This technique represents a real breakthrough for the thorough analysis of the gut, and it could be pivotal in early detection and prognosis of the disease,” Cedola says.

The researchers will next use XPCT to study how the gut communicates with the central nervous system and investigate the enteric nervous system and its role in Alzheimer’s.

“By gaining a deeper understanding of these processes, we hope to identify new therapeutic targets and develop innovative treatments for this devastating disease,” Cedola says.

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Support your gut’s integrity and diversity

While there is still research to be done to confirm the gut’s link to Alzheimer’s, there are already documented reasons to support the integrity of your gut lining and the diversity of your microbiome.

Both leaky gut and dysbiosis are linked to causing or worsening Celiac disease and chronic fatigue syndrome, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, irritable bowel (the disease and the syndrome) and metabolic disorders.

Previous research has also linked leaky gut to inflammation along the brain’s right hemisphere.

Some steps you can take include:

• Following a gut-friendly diet, such as the Mediterranean diet, which features dementia risk-lowering olive oil
• Avoiding sugar and processed foods, which can negatively alter gut bacteria
• Getting plenty of prebiotics and probiotics, which you can do through diet or supplementation
• Exercise more, as it has been shown to boost gut health

If you want to get probiotics from diet, you’ll want to consume cultured dairy foods like yogurt or kefir and/or fermented foods like sauerkraut and kimchi. Prebiotic foods include chicory root, Jerusalem artichoke, dandelion greens, garlic, leeks, onions, asparagus and green bananas.

Probiotic supplements are also readily available. Look for one with multiple bacteria strains, which are more diverse and effective than single-strain varieties. Also, make sure the supplement contains 1 million to 1 billion CFUs (colony-forming units), which research shows are the minimum amount necessary to reach your intestines.

Sources:

The gut-brain connection in Alzheimer’s unveiled with X-rays — EurekAlert!

Investigating gut alterations in Alzheimer’s disease: In-depth analysis with micro- and nano-3D X-ray phase contrast tomography — Science Advances

The post A closer look at the gut’s connection to Alzheimer’s appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

This has long been confirmed. And sweetened soda is one of the worst culprits.

A typical 12-ounce can of soda contains around 39 grams of sugar, roughly the equivalent of 10 teaspoons of sugar. Enough sugary sodas and blood sugar spikes eventually make cells less responsive to insulin, and before you know it, insulin resistance sets in, followed eventually by type 2 diabetes.

It turns out there’s much more to it than that…

For the first time, a study has “connected the dots,” showing how drinking soda causes your gut to produce chemicals that are directly connected to the onset of type 2 diabetes.

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Drinking sugary drinks causes gut changes linked to diabetes

Scientists from nine different universities came together to examine data from more than 16,000 Hispanic/Latino individuals in the U.S. They chose to focus on this population because they have both high soda consumption and a high prevalence of type 2 diabetes.

They discovered that sugar-sweetened beverage consumption is linked to changes in nine species of gut bacteria and that these changes are linked to the onset of type 2 diabetes.

Four species of gut bacteria that produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) were reduced among those who drank sweetened drinks and soda.

SCFAs improve insulin sensitivity and reduce blood glucose levels, so producing fewer SCFAs leaves a person more vulnerable to diabetes.

Other metabolic compounds affected by drinking sugary soda are glycerophospholipids, fats that build cell membranes and appear to be linked to diabetes, and branch-chained amino acids (BCAA), which are thought to play a role in insulin resistance.

“Our study suggests a potential mechanism to explain why sugar-sweetened beverages are bad for your metabolism,” according to senior author Qibin Qi, PhD, from Albert Einstein College of Medicine, NY. “Although our findings are observational, they provide insights for potential diabetes prevention or management strategies using the gut microbiome.”

He added that the sugar in soda “might be more easily absorbed because they’re just sugar and water.”

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How to support your gut microbiome

Now that you understand the profound connection between your gut microbiome and the risk of diabetes, it’s empowering to know that you can take steps to enhance your gut health and reduce this risk.

First of all, give up the sweetened beverages. A large study you can read about here determined the 2 worst ultraprocessed foods for our health. And you’ve probably guessed that sweetened beverages were one of them.

Next, try these steps:

• Increase your intake of inulin fiber, which boosts short-chain fatty acids in your gut. You can find inulin in garlic, leeks, asparagus, beans, legumes, bananas, apricots, carrots, oranges and chicory root. These are considered prebiotic foods.
• Eat fermented foods: Fermented foods like yogurt, sauerkraut and kefir all contain healthy bacteria that reduce inflammation and support healthy bacteria.
• Avoid or limit your intake of artificial sweeteners: Some evidence has shown that artificial sweeteners like aspartame increase blood sugar by stimulating the growth of unhealthy bacteria like Enterobacteriaceae in the gut microbiome.
• Eat whole grains: Whole grains contain beneficial carbs like beta-glucan, which are digested by gut bacteria, and help prevent diabetes.
• Eat fruits rich in polyphenols: Polyphenols are plant compounds that shield us from insulin resistance and diabetes. Think stone fruits and berries.
• Take antibiotics only when necessary: Antibiotics disrupt the gut microbiome, possibly contributing to weight gain and antibiotic resistance. Thus, only take antibiotics when medically necessary.

Sources:

How might soft drinks lead to type 2 diabetes — Medical News Today

Sugar sweetened beverage intake, gut microbiota, circulating metabolites, and diabetes risk in Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos — Cell Metabolism

Consumption of sugar sweetened beverages, artificially sweetened beverages, and fruit juice and incidence of type 2 diabetes: systematic review, meta-analysis, and estimation of population attributable fraction — The BMJ

The implication of short-chain fatty acids in obesity and diabetes — Microbiology Insights

The post Soda, sugar and the other reason it leads to diabetes appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

However, your gut health is not just a matter of occasional discomfort. It plays a crucial role in your overall health — from regulating your mood to boosting your immunity and even controlling your blood pressure.

But unless you’ve recently been scoped or had a colonoscopy, figuring out why you strain to go #2, or maybe go too often, can be a guessing game.

Not anymore…

There’s a straightforward way to test a significant marker of gut health at home. And it’s easier than you might think. But don’t say I didn’t warn you…

Transit time: A window into your gut health

Gut problems are often first revealed by changes to your transit time. That term refers to how long it takes for food to be digested and pass through your intestines to be voided.

While transit time varies (from 12 to 73 hours), the average is 23 to 24 hours. In a healthy, balanced gut, that’s helped along by bacteria that produce metabolites from the food you eat to help your intestines move things along.

Without that balance, gut motility can swing from too fast to too slow — and both can cause trouble…

#1 – Long transit time

Long transit time is a way for your body to tell you that the bacteria in your large intestine aren’t getting enough fiber — or the right kind. When this happens, they switch to devouring protein, which can leave you gassy and inflamed.

When this goes on too long, slow gut transit can lead to abdominal pain, nausea and bloating from partially digested food that’s overstayed its time in the small intestine. A clue this is going on inside is spending too much time on the toilet and suffering from constipation.

#2 – Fast gut transit

You may suffer from loose stools when food moves too quickly through the gut. But worse is the big picture — that digested food is traveling out of your body too fast. That can lead to diarrhea, malabsorption of nutrients, dehydration, abdominal discomfort, and further gut microbiome disruption.

Some things that can cause fast transit are an overactive thyroid, gastrointestinal disorders, stress or poor diet.

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Take the sweet corn test

So, how can you know if your transit time is the reason for your toilet troubles?

Well, you’ll have to bear with me because this is where it gets kind of corny…

You can test your transit time by taking the sweet corn test.

Just eat sweet corn — and then watch for it to show up next time you go #2.

Start by avoiding sweet corn for 7-10 days. Then, note the day and time you eat a small serving. After that, keep an eye on your stool. Your body can’t digest the corn’s outer shell, so it should be easily visible.

If it takes 12 hours or less to pass the corn, your transit time is too fast. If this finding is consistent, you may want to see your doctor to rule out any health issues.

On the other hand, if your gut transit time takes 48 hours or more, it’s considered slow.

The good news is, if you’re not experiencing other GI symptoms, like bloating, severe abdominal pain, lack of appetite or nausea, you can take steps to improve your transit time…

Moving, moving, moving — No more raw hide

One of the first steps should be checking your water intake. If you’re not drinking enough, stool gets dry, and waste won’t move smoothly and easily.

Next, eat more fruits and vegetables, and a variety of them to ensure you take in both soluble and insoluble fiber so your waste is formed but soft. The two types of fiber will also support your gut’s microbiome.

For many people, these two steps may be enough. But if you still aren’t experiencing normal transit time or predictable bowel movements, these supplements can help you go #2…

• Magnesium — Attracts water into your stool, stimulates bowel contractions and relaxes the anal muscles.
• Potassium — Helps keep stool hydrated for comfortable elimination.
• Slippery Elm® — Coats the colon’s inner lining and eases swelling and discomfort associated with hemorrhoids.
• Dandelion — Helps stimulate bile production, the fluid that breaks down fats during digestion.
• Collinsonia canadensis extract — Reduces tension and uncomfortable swelling in the small anal opening.
• Fennel — Stimulates the secretion of digestive enzymes, which helps break down food and form healthy stools.
• Senna Leaf — An FDA-approved, over-the-counter, nonprescription natural laxative.
• Inulin — A prebiotic to support healthy microbiome balance and promote a comfortable, passable stool consistency.
• Ancient Aloe — Lubricates the colon’s lining and stimulates colon muscles for smooth transit without uncomfortable cramping.

Sources:

How Well Is Your Gut Working? There’s a Grossly Simple Way to Check. – Science Alert

The post Eat this food to see why you can’t go #2 appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Psoriasis manifests as scaly, red and itchy skin, but is far more than just skin-deep. It can cause unseen damage, affecting the joints, blood pressure and heart health.

And according to researchers at Uppsala University, psoriasis even has an invisible gut connection to Crohn’s disease.

Here’s how…

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Inflammatory activity, impaired intestinal barrier function and Crohn’s disease

The scientist studied 18 patients with mild levels of psoriasis, along with 15 healthy controls as subjects, comparing samples from both their small and large bowel.

According to the researchers, “It turned out that psoriasis sufferers had higher numbers of certain types of immune cells in their small intestine, and the cells showed signs of pro-inflammatory activity. Interestingly, we found the same type of immune cells in skin flare-ups from psoriasis patients, suggesting that the inflammation of the skin may have an impact on the gut, or vice versa.”

But that wasn’t all…

Half of the psoriasis patients in the study had increased intestinal barrier permeability, also known as leaky gut.

The problem with leaky gut is that when the intestinal mucosa, which is supposed to act as a protective barrier, isn’t functioning properly, it allows bacteria and harmful substances to leak through.

As these substances spread through your bloodstream, your body experiences widespread inflammation.

“Previous research has also shown that people with psoriasis have more gastrointestinal problems than the general population. However we didn’t know much about why this is the case. With our study, we can now show that people with psoriasis often have invisible inflammation in their small intestines, with an increased risk of what’s called leaky gut,” says Maria Lampinen, researcher at Uppsala University.

The researchers say these results are significant, stating that, “Given that the psoriasis patients in our study had relatively mild skin disease and showed no visible intestinal inflammation in a gastroscopy, they had surprisingly clear changes in their small intestine compared to healthy controls. These changes could explain why psoriasis sufferers often have gastrointestinal problems and an increased risk of developing Crohn’s disease.”

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Reducing psoriasis symptoms and supporting the gut

This means that if you’re living with psoriasis, it’s vital to not only work to reduce psoriatic inflammation but also to promote a healthy gut.

Steps to take to slay psoriasis issues include:

• Losing any extra weight since higher BMI may contribute to increased inflammation of the skin
• Add in a vitamin D supplement because multiple studies have connected vitamin D deficiency to psoriasis
• Eat your way to clear skin with the diet that’s been shown to by eating the Mediterranean diet (which has been shown to reduce the likelihood of severe psoriasis symptoms by 29%), with its high levels of fresh fruits and veggies, olive oil and fatty fish

The Mediterranean diet also leans anti-inflammatory and nutrient-rich, making it a good choice for healing a leaky gut.

In addition to diet, these five supplements are the most recommended to help the gut lining heal. One, of course, is a daily probiotic.

Researchers at the University of North Texas found that people who took a spore-based probiotic benefitted from a 42 percent reduction in the amount of toxins that seeped into their bloodstream after meals.

I also have to give a shout-out to the black seed oil of the Nigella sativa plant. An immune system that overreacts is part and parcel of autoimmune conditions. The plant’s black seeds have anti-inflammatory properties and contain a compound called thymoquinone, considered to be an immune system modulator for a more balanced immune response.

Sources:

Inflammation may explain stomach problems in psoriasis sufferers – ScienceDaily

Gassy, bloated and tired? You’ve got a leaky gut – Easy Health Options

The one supplement that truly plugs a leaky gut – Easy Health Options

My psoriasis vanished when my extra weight did – Easy Health Options

The vitamin that squashes psoriasis symptoms – Easy Health Options

Don’t let psoriasis destroy your arteries – Easy Health Options

The diet that slays stubborn psoriasis symptoms – Easy Health Options

The post An invisible connection between psoriasis and Crohn’s disease appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

They’re most revered for their reputation in supporting heart and brain health. That’s because they contain a powerful antioxidant that rivals resveratrol, called pterostilbene.

But as researchers dig deeper into the little round wonders, they’re learning more every day — including how they can support the gut against painful and debilitating conditions by going after their root cause…

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Blueberries soothe inflammatory bowel symptoms

Blueberries, like some other dark blue and purple foods, are chock-full of anthocyanins — a special group of polyphenols well-known for preventing the damaging inflammation behind so many diseases, including gut-related conditions like hemorrhoids, colitis, and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

In a recent study, researchers have been able to pinpoint exactly how anthocyanins support the gut by zeroing in on a common anthocyanin known as malvidin-3-O-galactoside (M3G).

In studies using mice, the scientists found that M3G regulated key proteins that enhance the protective function of the colon’s mucosal barrier.

This mucosal barrier is essential for maintaining digestive health, protecting against pathogens, and preventing inflammation. When it’s damaged the colon can become an open door for leaky gut syndrome.

The scientists were able to mimic the symptoms of ulcerative colitis in mice and then treated some of the mice with M3G.

Supplementing with M3G increased mucous thickness, which indicated an improvement in the intestinal barrier’s function. Food intake in the mice improved and their body weight significantly increased, a sign that it was having a protective effect against colitis symptoms.

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Cell-to-cell communication that protects the colon

Another interesting benefit from supplementing with the anthocyanin was the regulation of something called the Notch signaling pathway, a cell-to-cell communication system that controls many cellular processes.

The Notch pathway is crucial in determining the life cycle of cells, including cell maintenance, renewal, proliferation and apoptosis (natural cell death). This means the pathway can also promote and inhibit tumor development.

Upon deeper analysis, the scientists found evidence that much of the regulation of the colonic barrier is mediated through its interaction with this pathway.

Blueberries for your gut’s sake

As if this superfood’s reputation wasn’t strong enough, the research clearly demonstrates the dietary anthocyanins they contain enhance the integrity of the colon’s barrier — suggesting its potential as a natural therapeutic agent for intestinal health, researchers say.

If you follow nutritional health like I do, none of this is really surprising. Blueberries have already been found to help lower blood pressure and reduce risks for cognitive decline.

And in some studies that focused on the compounds responsible for their health-promoting properties, they’ve found eating the berries in their entirety was most beneficial.

How ever you choose to enjoy them, adding a cup of blueberries to your daily diet could lead to benefits too numerous to count.

Best of all, blueberries are considered a low-glycemic food, ranking around 53 on the glycemic index (GI) scale. They won’t give you a “sugar high,” but they sure are sweet!

Sources:

Blueberry-derived compound shows promise in enhancing colonic mucosal Barrier function — Eureka Alert

Malvidin-3-O-galactoside ameliorates colonic mucosal barrier function via the Notch signaling pathway — Food Innovations and Advances

Recent Research on the Health Benefits of Blueberries and Their Anthocyanins — Journal Advances in Nutrition

The post The berry powerful enough to treat bowel inflammation appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

That meant drinking that awful prep liquid, spending hours on the toilet and suffering from a raw backside. And that’s before your dignity was ignored if not destroyed during the procedure.

But since colon cancer diagnoses among younger patients — those 40 to 49 — have risen 15 percent over the past two decades, the medical community lowered the age for that first routine colorectal cancer screening to 45.

No matter what age you were fortunate enough to have your first colonoscopy, you may be dreading the fact that you’re supposed to repeat the procedure every 10 years.

However, the good news is some of us may get a reprieve…

Risk level matters

Researchers at Harvard Medical School took stock of colorectal cancer screening results and colorectal cancer incidence across more than 195,000 people, specifically comparing the rate of colon cancer between two groups: people who received negative results on their initial colorectal cancer screening and those who had no colon cancer screening at all.

The initial results showed that those who had a negative cancer screening were at significantly lower risk of developing colorectal cancer than those who had not yet been screened.

The researchers also discovered that among people who underwent a colonoscopy and received a negative screening result, it took 16 years for participants at an intermediate-risk of colorectal cancer (due to negative lifestyle factors) to experience a similar cancer incidence as the high-risk group at 10 years.

Even better, the research showed that participants at low risk of colon cancer thanks to a healthy diet and regular exercise wouldn’t reach the 10-year cancer incidence experienced by the high-risk group for a full 25 years after their initial negative colonoscopy results.

In other words, as long as your first colonoscopy was clear of any signs of cancer or polyps, you may not have to do the deed every 10 years. The researchers believe that colonoscopy guidelines could be altered to be more individualized rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach.

The colonoscopy guidelines that are right for you

Of course, they also point out that it’s likely that any changes in the guidelines themselves will take time. Therefore, they recommend talking to your doctor about whether or not it’s safe to extend your personal screening interval beyond the recommended 10 years.

According to the researchers, it’s certainly an option if you live a low-risk lifestyle and have had a negative screening (no cancer or polyps) on your previous colonoscopy. A low-risk lifestyle for colon cancer involves maintaining a healthy weight, regular exercise, a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, limiting red and processed meats, moderate alcohol consumption and not smoking.

However, make sure your doctor knows the extent of your family history with colon cancer — and no matter what you and your doctor decide, be alert to signs of cancer that need attention between colonoscopies.

These include:

• Persistent changes in your normal bowel habits
• Constipation or diarrhea
• Blood in your stool (you might experience either dark stools or see bright red blood)
• Rectal bleeding
• Narrowed or pencil-thin stools
• Abdominal discomfort or pain, which can include bloating or cramps
• Unexplained weight loss
• Fatigue or weakness
• Feeling as if your bowels won’t completely empty

It’s also important to note that in addition to a colonoscopy, there are four additional ways to screen for colon cancer, three of which are completely non-invasive, making it a much easier and more comfortable process.

Sources:

Time for a rethink of colonoscopy guidelines? — The Harvard Gazette

Colon Cancer: 8 Early Warning Signs & 4 Stages — MedicineNet

What to know about colonoscopies and cancer risk — Easy Health Options

The post Colonoscopy: Is every 10 years really necessary? appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

It’s long been considered the culprit behind gastritis — a condition that causes pain under the ribs, indigestion, nausea, sometimes vomiting and weight loss. It’s also the most common cause of peptic ulcer disease.

On the mild side, it can cause bad breath. But left untreated, this bacteria can be responsible for gastric cancer.

But the latest on this nasty bacteria indicates it’s capable of even more harm…

According to research published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, H. pylori could also dramatically raise your risk of developing deadly colorectal cancer.

More than just a stomach bacteria

Although H. pylori is known for its ability to make its home in the stomach and cause all of those issues we talked about, the truth is that the stomach is simply one stop on a long trip through the digestive system which includes the gastrointestinal tract.

This means that H. pylori can spread and cause problems throughout the bowels.

That fact got doctors at the University of California San Diego and VA San Diego Healthcare System wondering if H. pylori could also play a role in colorectal cancer.

To test the association, they conducted a retrospective cohort study among U.S. military veterans who completed H. pylori testing from 1999 through 2018. In all, the researchers followed 812,736 individuals, 205,178 of whom tested positive for H. pylori.

And sure enough, the bacteria known for its role in stomach cancer showed a clear link to cancers lower down the gastrointestinal tract.

They found that people with an H. pylori infection were not only at an 18 percent higher risk of developing colorectal cancer, but they also experienced a 12 percent increased risk of dying from that cancer.

That’s a big risk increase, especially when you consider that colorectal is already one of the deadliest forms of cancer.

Treatment reduces threat of cancer

An H. pylori infection is treatable — and doing so is key to downgrading that cancer risk.

Their results showed that antibiotic treatment of H. pylori infection reduced the risk of colorectal cancer and colorectal cancer death by a magnitude similar to that afforded by regular colonoscopy screening.

This means that if you have an H. pylori infection, getting treatment as soon as possible could not only help with any stomach discomfort and ulcers, it could potentially protect you from colon cancer.

Additionally, there are natural options for making H. pylori less welcome in your entire gastrointestinal tract…

• Research published in the World Journal of Gastroenterology says that some of the best natural remedies to reduce this bad bacteria include probiotics, broccoli sprouts, green tea, honey, licorice and red wine. The last two on that list should be used only in moderation.
• Scientists at the Department of Cancer Epidemiology at Peking University Cancer Hospital found that drinking cranberry juice twice daily for eight weeks resulted in a 20 percent reduction in the rate of H. pylori infection.
• Kefir, is rich in both a beneficial bacteria (Lactobacillus kefiri) and a carbohydrate (Kefiran) with proven bacteria-fighting abilities, can help cut down on H. pylori.

Sources:

More Evidence Linking H. Pylori Infection to Colorectal Cancer – MEDPAGETODAY

The post The bacterial infection with a growing colon cancer reputation appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

After all, our moms tell us not to talk about it. Society says it’s completely off-limits.

And the older we get, we also realize there’s absolutely nothing funny about poop. Still, many of us are hesitant to discuss problems with regularity with anyone, even a doctor.

But the truth is, your regularity, or how often you “go” can offer an important window into your overall health.

In fact, scientists have even discovered a so-called “Goldilocks Zone” when it comes to weekly poop schedules — and if you can stay within the zone, it will help you keep your health at its best.

Here’s what you need to know about how often you should be pooping and what happens if you’re not in the Goldilocks zone…

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The good, the bad and the ugly poop schedule

To find this Goldilocks Zone, researchers collected clinical, lifestyle, and biological data – including blood chemistry, gut microbiome, genetics and more — from over 1,400 healthy adult volunteers.

They then classified each participant’s bowel movement frequencies into four groups: constipation (one or two bowel movements per week), low-normal (three to six per week), high-normal (one to three per day) or diarrhea.

And after comparing frequency to overall health, it became very clear that pooping regularly, but not too often, is vital. In fact, if you’re not, it can lead to serious health problems…

• The team found that in people who are constipated, where stools linger too long in the gut, microbes exhaust all the available fiber and begin to ferment dangerous toxins that can damage the kidneys.
• On the other end of the spectrum, diarrhea causes the body to excrete excessive bile acid, which the liver would otherwise recycle to dissolve and absorb dietary fats.
• This can lead to disease-causing inflammation and liver damage.

On the other hand, fiber-fermenting gut bacteria associated with good health thrived in the Goldilocks Zone of one or two poops a day.

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Getting your poop schedule on track

So who do researchers say are most likely to land in this Goldilocks Zone?

People who eat more fruits and vegetables!

Other secrets include drinking plenty of water, getting regular physical activity and eating a more plant-dominant diet.

But if regularity is your problem, steer towards natural remedies to promote predictable, regular and comfortable bowel movements. I can recommend 7 little helpers that can help you “go” the way nature intended — stress and strain-free — including:

• Ancient aloe – Microbiome-friendly aloe lubricates the lining of the colon and stimulates colon muscles for transit without uncomfortable cramping.
• Inulin – A potent prebiotic, this special plant fiber helps friendly bacteria thrive in the gut.
• Cascara sagrada bark – Rich in natural anthraquinones, this bowel mover helps promote the urge to “go”.
• Senna leaf extract – This FDA-approved over-the-counter, nonprescription natural laxative, signals the muscles of the colon to relax and contract while pushing stool through the colon.
• Potassium – A vital mineral, potassium helps keep stool hydrated for comfortable elimination.
• Slippery elm – A natural soluble fiber, it helps coat the inner-lining of the colon to ease discomfort.
• Black walnut hull – Its active compounds — juglone, tannins and natural iodine — support healthy digestion and regularity.

Sources:

Your Poop Schedule Says a Lot About Your Overall Health, Study Suggests  — ScienceAlert

The post How your poop schedule impacts your liver and kidneys appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

That’s more than 40 percent of Americans afflicted with a condition that carries numerous health risks, including heart disease, “diabesity,” cognitive decline, chronic inflammation and more.

Of course, diet and exercise are the twin pillars of any anti-obesity strategy…

But when it comes to diet, some foods are more effective than others at “melting the fat off” — including one that is a staple in Korean culture…

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Kimchi could fight obesity

In response to the global epidemic of obesity, the World Institute of Kimchi in South Korea has been publishing a series of articles based on studies into the anti-obesity effects of the traditional fermented food, most often made with cabbage.

And its reputation for taking off weight is getting lots of momentum…

• Previous preclinical studies in animal models of obesity revealed a stunning 31.8 percent reduction in body fat among those fed a kimchi diet.
• An extensive analysis of data collected over 13 years from the Korea Genome and Epidemiology Study (KoGES) found kimchi intake was associated with a 15 percent reduction in body mass index (BMI) and a 12 percent decrease in obesity among middle-aged males.

In the most recent study to come out of the World Institute of Kimchi, researchers gathered data on 55 overweight adults including blood biomarkers, gut microbiome makeup and body composition.

They had one group of participants consume three freeze-dried kimchi capsules per meal equivalent to 60 g of kimchi per day for three months, while the control group did not take the kimchi capsules.

After analyzing the changes in body fat composition and other markers, the researchers found:

• The group that consumed kimchi showed a 2.6 percent decrease in body fat — and a reduction in triglycerides.
• The control group exhibited a 4.7 percent increase in body fat — and an increase in triglycerides.

But those weren’t the only compelling improvements…

The participants’ gut microbiome analyses showed increased Akkermansia muciniphila, a species of beneficial gut bacterium known to reduce inflammation and improve markers of metabolic syndrome and obesity through the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs).

In addition, those taking kimchi showed a reduction in the number of Proteobacteria, which are associated with obesity.

In short, this clinical trial indicates that steady consumption of kimchi can alleviate obesity symptoms by positively modifying the gut microbiota.

“The results of a preclinical study and a clinical trial have systematically verified the anti-obesity effects of kimchi, and present scientific evidence that would help to make the excellent properties of kimchi widely known, thereby laying the foundation for the growth of kimchi as a health food well recognized around the world,” says Dr. Hae-Choon Chang, director of the World Institute of Kimchi. 

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Adding this pickled wonder to your diet

You can make kimchi at home — just be advised that the process can be a little time-consuming. There are dozens of recipes online, but here’s one to get you started.

If you’re short on time or simply don’t have the space to make and store it, you can buy prepackaged kimchi at Asian grocery stores or even in some supermarkets. For maximum health benefits, look for it freshly prepared in the refrigerated section.

You may wonder exactly what it tastes like — it’s sort of a spicy pickled flavor. You can eat it plain or make it a tasty addition to sandwiches (try a kimchi grilled cheese), burgers or burritos. You can even mix it into a salad to give it a tangy, spicy kick.

But if a spicey pickled cabbage dish just isn’t your thing, you can still support your microbiome and help it produce SCFAs by adding prebiotic inulin fiber from other food sources. Previous research has shown it can help suppress appetite and decrease body weight.

Sources:

New clinical study confirms the anti-obesity effects of kimchi — EurekAlert!

Kimchi intake alleviates obesity-induced neuroinflammation by modulating the gut-brain axis — Food Research International

Fermented kimchi may help combat obesity by regulating gut microbiota — News Medical Life Sciences

The post The ‘pickled’ food that took down weight and triglycerides appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Even when disease is present, eating well may help control symptoms, manage progression and keep the need for medications (that often come with nasty side effects) to a minimum.

Well, score another point for food vs. medication, thanks to recent research proving once again that food is the best medicine…

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What is IBS?

It’s not unusual to have the occasional bout of stomach trouble — stomach pain, gas, diarrhea or constipation can happen to anyone from time to time.

But if you’re dealing with these symptoms on a regular basis, it could be a sign of a gut disorder known as irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS.

No one really knows why IBS strikes some folks and spares others. Unfortunately, it’s fairly common, and can take over your life, leaving you afraid to ever be far from a bathroom… just in case.

But the “inconvenience” of IBS isn’t the worst of it: if you suffer from IBS, you’re not absorbing the important nutrients you need to maintain your health.

Treating IBS

Your doctor may prescribe medications that address the symptoms of IBS by relaxing muscle contractions of the colon to ease diarrhea or by increasing fluid secretion in your small intestine to help you pass stool and avoid constipation. 

Research has shown that following a low FODMAP diet can go a long way in reducing the bowel troubles of IBS and the discomfort that comes along with it.

FODMAP is an acronym for Fermentable Oligo-Di-Monosaccharides and Polyols.

FODMAP works because it decreases the consumption of different carbohydrates (sugars) found in foods — specifically fructose, lactose, fructans, galactans and polyols. They are hard to digest and end up lingering in the gut where they ferment and cause the uncomfortable and unpleasant symptoms of IBS.

But which works better, medication or a change in diet?

A recent study found the answer…

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FODMAP is the clear winner

Researchers at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden gave three different treatments to three groups of 100 people each — all of whom had moderate to severe IBS symptoms.

The first group was instructed to follow a FODMAP diet. The second group received a dietary treatment low in carbohydrates and high in protein and fats.

The third group received the best possible medication based on the patient’s most troublesome IBS symptoms.

At the end of the four-week treatment period, 76% of those in the FODMAP group saw a reduction in symptoms. In the group receiving low carb and high protein and fat, 71% saw reduced symptoms. The medication group had a reduction of only 58%.

This is good news since traditional medications for IBS can produce side effects ranging from headache, fatigue and heartburn to diarrhea, gas and abdominal pain — the very symptoms they’re meant to eliminate.

How to eat FODMAP

If you or a loved one are living with IBS, you’ll want to give the FODMAP diet a try before turning to medication.

Here are the basics.

Some foods to avoid are:

• High fructose corn syrup
• Dairy items that are high in lactose like milk, ice cream, buttermilk and sour cream
• Grains that contain gluten like wheat, barley and rye
• Certain fruits like apples, mangoes, peaches, pears, plums and watermelon
• Some vegetables like artichokes, cauliflower, mushrooms and sugar snap peas
• Beans and lentils

What you should eat:

• Meat, fish and eggs
• Nuts and seeds
• Corn, oats and rice
• Healthy fats and oils (like EVOO)
• Herbs and spices
• Lactose-free dairy products, as well as hard cheese

Fresh fruits and vegetables that are safe to eat on this diet, include:

• Peppers
• Carrots
• Cucumbers
• Eggplant
• Potatoes
• Sweet potatoes
• Tomatoes
• Unripe bananas
• Cantaloupe
• Oranges
• Strawberries
• Blueberries
• Pineapple
• Grapes

People who suffer from IBS also tend to have certain triggers that cause their symptoms to kick up. Watch out for these 4 things that can cause an IBS flare.

Sources:

Dietary treatment more effective than medicines in IBS — Science Daily

A low FODMAP diet plus traditional dietary advice versus a low-carbohydrate diet versus pharmacological treatment in irritable bowel syndrome (CARBIS): a single-centre, single-blind, randomised controlled trial — The LancetFODMAP Diet: What You Need to Know — Johns Hopkins Medicine

The post Study confirms an IBS treatment better than medicine appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

But recently, this sour, fermented apple liquid has found itself in the spotlight — and not just for its cleaning power. ACV is now being touted as a health elixir, with claims that it can aid in weight loss, control diabetes, improve cardiovascular health, and more. 

But how much of this is hype, and how much is backed by science?

Let’s dive into what the research says about apple cider vinegar’s health benefits…

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What the Science Shows

Lowering Blood Glucose Levels

One of the best-supported claims about ACV is its potential to help manage blood sugar.

Several studies have found that consuming apple cider vinegar daily may slightly reduce fasting blood glucose and A1C levels in people with Type 2 diabetes. 

A 2021 meta-analysis of 9 studies showed a reduction in fasting blood glucose by about 8 mg/dL for those with Type 2 diabetes. In a more recent intervention trial, people who consumed 2 tablespoons of ACV daily for eight weeks saw a reduction in their A1C, provided they also followed a healthy diet.

While these results are promising, it’s important to note that all of these studies were relatively small and more research is needed before we can call ACV a game-changer for diabetes management — especially since the blood sugar reductions were relatively minor.

Still, the possibility that incorporating ACV could be helpful as part of a comprehensive approach for managing blood sugar elevations cannot be excluded.

Lowering Cholesterol Levels

Another area where ACV has been touted as a solution is in cholesterol management. The same 2021 meta-analysis also suggested that ACV consumption could help reduce total cholesterol, particularly in people with Type 2 diabetes.

The intervention trial found that diabetic individuals who drank ACV while also adhering to a healthy diet saw improvements in both LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and total cholesterol.

However, we should view all these findings cautiously given that they were seen in the setting of Type 2 diabetes and in combination with dietary modification.  Whether the cholesterol improvement was related to better blood sugar control, a direct effect on cholesterol metabolism, or the dietary changes themselves is unknown.

My best advice would be that if you’re going to try apple cider vinegar as a cholesterol-lowering intervention, don’t just accept it on faith that it’s going to work.

Objectively test your response with a repeat lipid profile evaluation after at least 30 days of consistent use — ideally without changing anything else about your diet or exercise routine.  

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Weight Loss and Appetite Control

There are also claims that ACV can promote weight loss by reducing appetite, slowing gastric emptying, and curbing cravings. However, the studies behind these claims have been small and short-term.

Real, sustained weight loss comes from consistent healthy habits — like eating a nutrient-dense diet, incorporating physical activity, and lowering overall calorie intake. It won’t come from consuming ACV alone.

Supporting Gut Health

Because apple cider vinegar is a fermented product, so long as it is not pasteurized it will contain natural probiotics that can help support a healthy gut microbiome.

Probiotics boost the amount of beneficial bacteria in your gut, which in turn can promote better immunity, digestive health, and even mental well-being.

Including ACV in your diet, whether as part of a salad dressing or marinade, can be one way to add a probiotic boost. 

Downsides of Apple Cider Vinegar

If the above discussion has you thinking – “What do I have to lose?” — just remember that ACV is VINEGAR. That means it can irritate your stomach, worsen gastric reflux, and even strip tooth enamel. “Miracle” cures are often not entirely miraculous. At the very least, in the case of ACV, please never drink it undiluted.  

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Yogurt is packed with probiotics such as Bifidobacterium animalis that help keep the gut in tiptop shape. And when the gut is healthy, your digestion, mood and cognition are supported — and you can worry less about risks for obesity, diabetes and colon cancer.

As for honey, it also has been found to support a healthy gut, a healthy mouth, cut down on strep and bladder infections, upper respiratory infections and coughs as well as relieve seasonal allergies.

But there is one thing I worry about when I have this snack. I’ve heard that adding sweeteners like sugar to yogurt can disrupt yogurt’s probiotics. Is the same true of honey?

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A perfect pair for your gut

Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign wanted to explore the impact of the yogurt-honey combination on the gastrointestinal microbiome. They were particularly interested in whether honey could help probiotic bacteria survive the onslaught of digestive enzymes in the gut.

To do so, they conducted two separate studies. In the first, they did laboratory tests of four different kinds of honey to see whether they had any effect on the viability of B. animalis in yogurt as it went through the digestive process. The types of honey were alfalfa, buckwheat, clover and orange blossom. The yogurt and honey were put in solutions that mimicked the composition of saliva, stomach acid, intestinal bile and enzymes.

When mixed with saliva and stomach fluids, there were no differences in B. animalis survival between any of the honey types and control samples of yogurt mixed with sugar or water. But in the intestinal phase of digestion, yogurt with honey — particularly the clover variety — helped support probiotic survival.

The second study was a clinical trial involving 66 healthy adults who were asked to consume two different items for two weeks each: yogurt with clover honey and pasteurized, heat-treated yogurt. In addition to stool samples and information about their bowel movements, the participants filled out questionnaires and performed tasks evaluating their mood, cognition and overall well-being.

“Our findings showed that pairing honey with yogurt supported the survival of the yogurt’s probiotic bacteria in the gut, so the lab study results did translate to real-world application in humans,” says study co-author Hannah Holscher, a professor at Illinois.

The researchers did note there were no changes in intestinal transit time, frequency of bowel movements, mood or cognition. However, Holscher says this likely is because the participants were already healthy and had regular bowel movements.

The researchers also conducted a smaller follow-up study with 36 participants who consumed a third item: yogurt with sugar. Once again, yogurt with honey proved to preserve the most probiotics, but there were no effects on health measures.

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Good in moderation

Judging from the results of these studies, it looks like mixing yogurt with honey is a great way to preserve as many of the probiotics in the yogurt as possible.

In addition, Holscher suggests incorporating fiber-rich toppings such as berries and seeds or nuts to give your yogurt an extra boost of gut-protecting power.

One tablespoon of honey in a serving of yogurt seemed to be the magic number in the study. One thing to remember, however: as healthy as honey can be, it is still an added sweetener and a source of extra calories.

Holscher recommends keeping a close eye on the amount of sugar in your diet to maintain a healthy body weight “But adding a little bit of honey to unsweetened yogurt is a nice culinary pairing to incorporate into your menu rotation,” she says.

One final tip: Though it’s hard to separate myth from fact on this, many honey experts suggest using a wooden spoon instead of a metal one to dip out your honey. Some metals interact with acids in honey and that may kill enzymes that are part of honey’s health benefits.

Sources:

Honey added to yogurt supports probiotic cultures for digestive health — EurekAlert!

Honey Varietals Differentially Impact Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. lactis Survivability in Yogurt through Simulated In Vitro Digestion — The Journal of Nutrition

Honey Added to Yogurt with Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis DN-173 010/CNCM I-2494 Supports Probiotic Enrichment but Does Not Reduce Intestinal Transit Time in Healthy Adults: A Randomized, Controlled, Crossover Trial — The Journal of Nutrition

10 Foods with More Calcium than a Glass of Milk — EatingWell

Why Does Yogurt Contain Sugar? — The Candida Diet

Metal vs. Wooden Honey Spoons — Vickiesbees.com

The post  The sweet truth about yogurt, honey and your gut appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

And while approximately 50 percent of people living with IBD can find relief from their chronic fatigue simply by taking vitamin B1 (thiamine), the other half are left to wonder why the treatment didn’t work for them.

But that’s all changed thanks to researchers at Aarhus University who discovered the gut secret that turns thiamine into an energy-generating machine for people with IBD.

Here’s what makes B1 work…

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The single most important gut bacteria

“We know that about half of the fatigued patients benefit from treatment with vitamin B1, but we haven’t been able to find anything that distinguishes those who had an effect from those who did not,” said Professor Christian Lodberg Hvas, lead author of the study.

So his team of scientists set out to examine 40 patients with inflammatory bowel disease and chronic fatigue. Each patient received both vitamin B1 and a placebo in two periods of four weeks so that the researchers could determine if the vitamin treatment affected their exhaustion.

At the same time, the researchers analyzed every patient’s gut bacteria to see if a connection existed between specific gut bacteria and whether or not vitamin B1 worked to eliminate fatigue.

And sure enough, the team found exactly what they were looking for…

The scientists were able to determine that the only way a person with IBD could get relief from their fatigue by taking vitamin B1 was if their gut microbiome had enough of one single gut bacteria…

Known as Faecalibacterium prausnitzii or FP, “the bacterium is largely present in people with good health and only present in low numbers in people with chronic diseases. We don’t know if it’s just a marker for health or if it’s part of the reason why healthy people are indeed healthy,” explained Hvas.

“But the more studies that point to a beneficial effect of FP, the more it suggests that the bacterium is involved as a cause of health and not just as a bystander,” he added.

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The path to a cure

Because of their results, the researchers recommend vitamin B1 treatment for anyone who’s living with IBD-caused fatigue.

However, as the study showed, only 50 percent of people (those who actually have the FP bacterium in the gut) will respond to the treatment.

Luckily, previous studies have shown that inulin-type fructans work to raise FP levels. Fructans are prebiotic fibers that work to nourish good gut bacteria.

You can get them from eating foods like fruits, vegetables and whole grains, including:

• Onions
• Leeks
• Garlic
• Bananas

Additional research shows that another type of prebiotic called human milk oligosaccharides or HMOs – specifically, the HMO, 2’-Fucosyllactose — is capable of boosting the stool count of FP in adults. 2’-Fucosyllactose is also easy to find in supplement form online or at your local vitamin store.

So, by boosting FP and taking vitamin B1, people with IBD still looking for relief from fatigue may find it.

Finally, anyone who suffers from IBD should be aware that researchers recommend taking your diet plant-based with plenty of fiber. If you’re not a believer, be sure to read this man’s story, since by changing his diet, he was able to experience a complete and total absence of symptoms.

Sources:

Vitamin B is an effective cure for many intestinal patients with chronic fatigue — EurekAlert!

Dietary Factors and Modulation of Bacteria Strains of Akkermansia muciniphila and Faecalibacterium prausnitzii: A Systematic Review — NIH

Oral supplementation of healthy adults with 2′-O-fucosyllactose and lacto-N-neotetraose is well tolerated and shifts the intestinal microbiota — NIH

The post The vitamin-bacteria combo that beats IBD fatigue appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

On the one hand, keto has been shown to help with body fat reduction — particularly the visceral fat in your belly that can raise your risk of heart disease. It also has been connected to lower blood pressure and reduced inflammation in the body and brain.

On the other, low carbohydrate diets like keto have been linked to atrial fibrillation and diabetic ketoacidosis. And while it can help with weight loss in the short term, its high fat and caloric content make it difficult to maintain that weight loss over the long term.

Now there’s even more evidence keto isn’t all it’s chalked up to be…

That’s because it can increase the risks of developing high cholesterol and type 2 diabetes — both risk factors for stroke — by disrupting your gut microbiome.

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The triple whammy that links keto and stroke

University of Bath researchers studied 53 healthy adults for up to 12 weeks. Participants followed one of three diets: a moderate sugar diet (the control group); a low-sugar diet where less than 5 percent of calories came from sugar; and a ketogenic low-carbohydrate diet where less than 8 percent of calories came from carbs.

After 12 weeks, the researchers found the keto diet raised cholesterol levels, particularly LDL (bad cholesterol), and increased apolipoprotein B (apoB), which causes plaque buildup in arteries. By contrast, the low-sugar diet significantly reduced LDL particle cholesterol.

Lead researcher Dr. Aaron Hengist noted that if this increase in cholesterol is sustained over years, it “could have long-term health implications such as increased risk of heart disease and stroke.”

The keto diet also altered the composition of the gut microbiome, including a decrease in Bifidobacteria. Often found in probiotics, Bifidobacteria produce B vitamins, inhibit pathogens and harmful bacteria and lower cholesterol. Sugar restriction, by contrast, did not significantly impact gut microbiome composition.

“Dietary fiber is essential for the survival of beneficial gut bacteria like Bifidobacteria,” says Dr. Russell Davies, who led the microbiome research. He noted the keto diet reduced fiber intake to around 15 grams which is half the recommended daily intake.

“This reduction in Bifidobacteria might contribute to significant long-term health consequences such as an increased risk of digestive disorders like irritable bowel disease, increased risk of intestinal infection and a weakened immune function,” Davies adds.

Finally, the keto diet reduced glucose tolerance. This means the participants’ bodies became less efficient at handling carbs.

Javier Gonzalez, who oversaw the research, notes while the keto diet lowered fasting glucose levels, it also reduced the body’s ability to handle carbs from a meal.

“By measuring proteins in muscle samples taken from participants’ legs, we think this is probably an adaptive response to eating less carbohydrates day to day and reflects insulin resistance to storing carbs in muscle,” Gonzales says. “This insulin resistance is not necessarily a bad thing if people are following a ketogenic diet, but if these changes persist when people switch back to a higher carbohydrate diet it could increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes in the long term.”

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Still good for weight loss

Now for the good news: both the low-sugar and keto diets resulted in fat loss. At 12 weeks, the keto diet resulted in an average of 2.9 kg in fat loss per person, while individuals on the sugar-restricted diet had an average fat loss of 2.1 kg. Both these diets achieved fat loss without changing physical activity levels.

Researchers also observed the keto diet shifted the body’s fuel preference from glucose to fat, which resulted in significant changes in lipid metabolism and muscle energy use.

Based on these results, the researchers conclude that if you’re looking to lose weight, a low-sugar diet will be better for most people than a keto diet, since it promotes fat loss without any apparent negative health impacts.

Whichever of these diets you choose, it couldn’t hurt to supplement it with probiotics to protect your gut health. While probiotic supplements in pill form are good for convenience (as long as the bacteria are live), it’s even better to get your probiotics from fermented foods like yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi and kombucha. These foods come with additional nutrients like vitamins, minerals and fiber, which can further support good health.

Sources:

Ketogenic Diet reduces friendly gut bacteria and raises cholesterol levels – University of Bath study — EurekAlert!

Ketogenic diet but not free-sugar restriction alters glucose tolerance, lipid metabolism, peripheral tissue phenotype, and gut microbiome: RCT — Cell Reports Medicine

The effects of probiotics on cholesterol levels — Easy Health Options

Low-carb diet tied to common heart rhythm disorder — Science Daily

The post Keto’s gut changes that raise your stroke risk appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

It’s one that if caught early carries a 93 percent chance of surviving five years — but when caught late, the outlook dwindles to a 90 percent chance of dying within those five years.

The disease is ovarian cancer.

And according to research published in the International Journal of Gynecological Cancer, these are the three symptoms that should trigger immediate testing, so that women can get the early treatment they need to increase their survival chances.

The importance of symptom-triggered testing

The researchers specifically recommend what’s known as ‘symptom-triggered’ testing.

That means that if you have the symptoms, your doctor should order testing right away — not tell you it’s probably nothing or sit around waiting to see if things get better, while cancer could be growing.

And they say that the symptoms to watch for when it comes to ovarian cancer are:

• Pain
• Abdominal bloating/swelling
• Feeling full soon after starting to eat

Their research of over 1,700 women showed that testing triggered by these symptoms can pick up early-stage aggressive ovarian cancer in one in four of those affected. And complete surgical removal of the cancerous tissue was possible in 60 percent of those diagnosed in this way.

In other words, symptom-based testing can help ensure that the most common type of ovarian cancer is caught early when chances of treatment and even complete removal are best.

It’s important to note there are additional symptoms women should bring up to their doctors that should also trigger testing, like changes in bowel or bladder habits and nausea or vomiting.

What should happen if you have these symptoms?

According to the American Cancer Society, about half of women diagnosed with ovarian cancer are 63 or older. So whether you’re younger or on the mature side, regular gynecological visits are also very important, but every woman should see their doctor if they have any of these symptoms.

Two tests are used most often for screening, in addition to a complete pelvic exam. They are transvaginal ultrasound and the CA-125 blood test.

So if your doctor doesn’t pay as much attention to your symptoms as you’d like, remember you can always get a second opinion to pursue testing.

Reducing your risks of ovarian cancer

Additionally, there are lifestyle factors that can help to cut down on your risk of this and other cancers. These include:

• Quitting tobacco
• Reducing alcohol intake
• Increasing exercise (research has shown even concerning a genetic cancer predisposition, high-intensity training enhances how the body fights cancer at its earliest stages)
• Eating healthy foods (especially ones that fight cancer)
• Lowering your body mass index (an increased BMI is associated with a greater risk for ovarian cancer with worse overall survival)

All of these help cut down on the amount of inflammation in your body, which is associated with developing cancer.

Finally, if your symptom-triggered testing does show ovarian cancer, you might consider harnessing the power of hemp, in addition to traditional medical care, to help your body fight back.

That’s because hemp extract has been shown to slow down metastasis of ovarian cancer cells and reduce the secretion of a compound known as interleukin IL-1 beta.

That’s important because interleukins produce inflammation that’s been linked to cancer development and progression. In other words by preventing interleukin secretion, the hemp could protect against the development of ovarian cancer or slow it down if you’ve already been diagnosed.

Sources:

‘Symptom triggered’ testing can pick up early stage aggressive ovarian cancer in 1 in 4 of those affected — EurekAlert!

Key Statistics for Ovarian Cancer — American Cancer Society

How to reduce your risk of ovarian cancer — Indiana University Health

The post 3 symptoms of ovarian cancer you shouldn’t ignore appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

It has that reputation because it often has no obvious symptoms. But all the while, beneath the surface, it’s damaging blood vessels, causing heart disease and raising the risk of heart attack and stroke.

However, it seems like there’s a new threat that may be just as pervasive and sneaky, making up 60 percent of the average American adult’s diet.

From fizzy drinks to cereals and packaged snacks to processed meat — ultra-processed foods are industrially made, using ingredients not normally found in a domestic kitchen and not previously encountered by human physiology.

Not only have these foods been linked to cancer, heart disease and 30 other conditions, but they’re cutting life expectancy short — causing experts who authored a commentary published in The American Journal of Medicine to suggest they may indeed be “the new silent killer.”

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Unnatural digestion makes a body sick

Ultra-processed foods barely resemble real food. The process itself strips away healthy nutrients, then packs in additives — and not just oil, fat, added sugar, starch and sodium.

They use emulsifiers such as carrageenan, mono- and diglycerides, carboxymethylcellulose, polysorbate and soy lecithin, and various other unpronounceable ingredients that lengthen shelf life, stabilize and enhance flavors and textures.

Our bodies realize these products are not real food — and it’s most obvious in how we digest them…

When we eat whole foods, including fruits, vegetables and meat, they are digested slowly. The big benefit here is that we absorb fewer calories and experience lower glycemic and triglyceride loads.

But the digestion of ultra-processed foods is the exact opposite — and how they lead to weight gain and metabolic disease…

According to the authors, one plausible mechanism to explain the hazards is that ultra-processed foods contain emulsifiers and other additives that the mammalian gastrointestinal tract mostly does not digest. They may act as a food source for our microbiota, and as such may be creating a dysbiotic microbiome that can, in the right host, promote disease.

That’s harmful enough, but Allison H. Ferris, M.D., senior author, an associate professor and chair, Department of Medicine, and director of the internal medicine residency program at FAU Schmidt College of Medicine, stated “… even if the troublesome additives were removed from the ultra-processed food, there would still be concern for an over-consumption of these products possibly leading to obesity, diabetes and heart disease.”

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The long-term results of eating ultra-processed foods

Although the scientists say that more research is needed to confirm their biggest fears, they point out that there has been a significant increase in colorectal cancer in the U.S., especially in young adults who shouldn’t have to worry about the disease.

And if we’re wise, we don’t need to wait for some official warning to come down from the powers that be. We all know how long it took before the dangers of tobacco were taken seriously enough to require warning labels on cigarette packs or “no smoking” to be considered a must to avoid not just lung cancer but heart disease.

The time to stop including these ultra-processed ‘silent killers’ in your diet is now.

So instead of picking up that frozen dinner, box of cereal, hot dogs, sandwich meat or any host of foods that are convenient but dangerous, it’s time for all of us to go back to how things used to be done to decide what we should eat for dinner.

It’s time to get back to whole foods and cooking them at home. Reach for blood pressure-lowering spices and the safe salt alternative to make your homecooked meals just as tasty and satisfying.

Sources:

Could ultra-processed foods be the new ‘silent’ killer? – EurekAlert!

The post Move over high blood pressure: There’s a new ‘silent killer’ appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Scientists estimate that people are ingesting an average of five grams of microplastic particles a week. That’s the equivalent of eating a credit card!

And it’s building up in our bodies…

Research shows microplastics can enter the bloodstream and cross the blood-brain barrier. In the human brain, researchers warn this could potentially increase the risk of inflammation, neurological disorders or even neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s.

Microplastics have even been found in the plaques that can clog our arteries.

Now, researchers at the University of New Mexico (UNM) have discovered that microplastics could make their way from your gut into the tissues of other organs like your kidneys, liver and brain.

Here’s what that could mean…

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Microplastics migrate from the gut

The UNM researchers exposed mice to microplastics in their drinking water over a four-week period. They added an amount of microplastics equivalent to the quantity humans are believed to ingest each week.

Results showed that not only had the microplastics changed the microbiota in the gut, but they also migrated out of the gut into the tissues of the liver, kidneys and brain.

If that wasn’t bad enough, the microplastics also changed metabolic pathways in tissues they travelled to.

Dr. Eliseo Castillo, a UNM professor leading the charge on microplastics research, says “That tells us it can cross the intestinal barrier and infiltrate into other tissues.”

We’ve known for a while now that contaminants can permeate the gut lining. It’s what’s known as leaky gut and is already considered an open door to disease.

“These mice were exposed for four weeks,” he says. “Now, think about how that equates to humans if we’re exposed from birth to old age.”

Previously, Castillo and his team found that microplastics changed the function of macrophages — immune cells that are protective against foreign particles — causing them to release proinflammatory molecules.

“During intestinal inflammation — states of chronic illness such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, which are both forms of inflammatory bowel disease — these macrophages become more inflammatory and they’re more abundant in the gut.”

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Dodging the microplastic menace

Castillo says he hopes his continuing research will help spark changes in how society produces and filtrates plastics.

But knowing the potential health impacts, is there any way to avoid microplastics? Unfortunately, the answer is “not completely.” But you can take these steps to minimize your exposure.

However, you may have even more control over keeping your gut from becoming an open door for microplastics to sneak into your body.

Research indicates you can eliminate some of the microplastics you consume in your urine, bile, feces and other bodily fluids and wastes. Just be sure your gut isn’t working against you…

The condition known as leaky gut has been around long before the threat of plastics. It’s an “open door” through which harmful microbes and toxins enter your bloodstream, causing illnesses including celiac disease, allergies, asthma, multiple sclerosis and a host of autoimmune diseases.

The “open door” that provides easy entry results from intestinal permeability — loose junctures or gaps in the lining of the intestines — that may develop from numerous factors, including poor gut health, particularly constipation, as well as aging epithelial cells (cells that line the intestine) that are unable to repair themselves.

If constipation is a problem, improve your transit time. The shorter the time stool sits in your colon, the less time microplastics have to damage and infiltrate your gut lining to jump into your bloodstream.

Don’t forget to work up a sweat either. Because chemicals like BPA have been found in sweat, exercise may be another way to help rid your body of these contaminants.

Sources:

Microplastics make their way from the gut to other organs, UNM researchers find — EurekAlert!

In Vivo Tissue Distribution of Polystyrene or Mixed Polymer Microspheres and Metabolomic Analysis after Oral Exposure in Mice — Environmental Health Perspectives

The post Microplastics: From your gut to your kidneys, liver and brain appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

But roughly 80 percent of people who lose a significant amount of weight won’t maintain that weight loss for a year. And one study found on average, dieters regain more than half of the weight they lose within two years.

That’s probably a sign the “lose weight fast and easy” gimmicks are just that. Real, lasting weight loss takes time and commitment to a healthy lifestyle.

But weight loss can also be associated with serious health problems… unintentional weight loss, especially if it occurs in a short amount of time warrants a checkup…

Possible root cause of unintentional weight loss

Dana Farber researchers recently assessed 40 years of data gathered from 157,474 participants in two large studies — the Nurses’ Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-up study — which ran from 1976 to 2016 collecting, among other things, weight, exercise and diet habits of participants.

“We wanted to differentiate healthy weight loss from unhealthy weight loss,” says Dr. Qiaoli Wang, a research fellow at Dana-Farber and the manuscript’s first author.

Results showed that weight loss of greater than 10 percent of body weight during the previous two years was linked with an increased rate of cancer during the next year compared with those who hadn’t lost weight in that time frame.

When breaking down by specific type, the researchers found recent weight loss was associated with significantly higher risk of these cancers:

• Upper gastrointestinal tract (including esophageal, stomach, liver, biliary tract and pancreatic)
• Hematological (including non-Hodgkin lymphoma, multiple myeloma, and leukemia)
• Colorectal
• Lung

By contrast, it was not connected with increased risk for other types of cancer like melanoma or breast, genitourinary or brain cancers.

“Healthy weight loss can come from dietary changes or increased exercise,” Wang says. “But unhealthy weight loss that occurs unexpectedly can be due to an underlying cancer.”

Patients with advanced cancer often lose weight unintentionally. But in the past, weight loss wasn’t linked with early-stage disease. This study, however, found similar levels of weight loss happened before diagnosis of both early and late-stage cancer.

This means that unintentional weight loss could be a sign of a developing cancer, and that could help diagnose the cancer earlier when treatment could be more effective.

The study confirms findings from past research that linked unexpected weight loss with increased cancer risk. In fact, the American Cancer Society says an unexplained weight loss of 10 pounds or more may be one of the first signs of cancer.

See your doctor immediately

If you experience unintended weight loss over a short period of time, you should definitely consult your doctor. The quicker you do, the better the odds that whatever is going on inside your body can be caught before too much damage is done.

“Sometimes weight loss is due to more exercise or a healthier diet, and this can be beneficial to people’s health,” says lead investigator Dr. Brian Wolpin, director of the Gastrointestinal Cancer Center at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and director of the Hale Family Center for Pancreatic Cancer Research.

“However, when a patient experiences unintentional weight loss not due to healthier behaviors, seeing your primary care doctor is appropriate, so they can determine whether additional evaluation is necessary for other causes of weight loss, including cancer.”

Cancer prevention can be part of healthy lifestyle habits, some of which also help maintain a healthy weight…

The Mediterranean diet is a great anti-cancer diet and a clear winner for healthy weight loss. It encourages eating more vegetables (like broccoli, the cancer-slayer), fruit (like these cancer-fighting ones) and fish — and doesn’t include ultra-processed foods which have been linked to cancers including  liver cancer and colon cancer.

And don’t forget that quite a few nutritional supplements are backed up by research that attests to their cancer-prevention benefits, too…

• Vitamin D
• Resistant starch
• Aspirin (but check with your doctor to be sure the potential benefits outweigh any risks especially if you have existing conditions.)

Sources:

Study suggests that unintentional weight loss is a signal to see a doctor — ScienceDaily

Cancer Diagnoses After Recent Weight Loss — JAMA

[Latest] Global Weight Loss and Weight Management Market Size/Share Worth USD 405.4 Billion by 2030 at a 6.84% CAGR: Growing obesity rate to propel market growth — Facts & Factors (Industry Trends, Revenue, Statistics, Segmentation, Report)

Unexpected Clues Emerge About Why Diets Fail — Scientific American

The post When weight loss is a sign to get checked for these cancers appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

The best solutions are usually natural, like a fermented tea known as kombucha, which is already known to have an indirect benefit to those who want to lose weight.

That’s because kombucha has a positive effect on a few aspects of health that are crucial to healthy weight loss.

But now research has revealed that this fermented tea could have a more direct benefit as a natural weight loss aid…

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2 ways kombucha aids in weight loss

You’ve probably seen kombucha at your grocery store or local coffee shop, but its origins go back several thousand years to Northeast China.

It’s a great way to kick any diet plan into high gear without taking any of those dangerous stimulant drugs for weight loss.

So what exactly IS kombucha?

It’s a fermented black tea that’s loaded with probiotics, and it delivers two main health benefits:

It promotes a healthy gut. Kombucha is one of the richest sources of probiotics you can find. Probiotics are a proven way to colonize your gut with healthy bacteria, which promotes weight loss.

One probiotic species in particular, Lactobacillus gasseri, has been known to reduce visceral fat (the dangerous fat around your midsection), by up to 9 percent after three months.

It helps your body detox. Kombucha acts as an antioxidant. Its active components help detoxify your liver so that you can clear out the waste. Combined with the good bacteria kombucha supplies your body, this helps you get your diet off on the right foot.

We’ve known about these two benefits for a while. But new research is revealing that kombucha can have an even more direct effect on weight loss by triggering a “fasting-like” state…

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Microbes in kombucha increase fat-burning

A research team at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has found evidence that the microbes found in kombucha can mimic the fat-burning effects of fasting.

A team led by Dr. Robert Dowen fed microbes found in kombucha tea to the worm C. elegans. Because the cells of these worms age in ways similar to human cells, they are often used as a model to find out more about human metabolism.

The microbes colonized the worms’ intestines and changed the expression of genes involved in fat metabolism. This change caused reduced fat stores in the worms, similar to what happens when humans fast.

The authors of the study emphasize that more research is needed in humans but noted that their findings appear consistent with the reported human health benefits of kombucha.

“We were surprised to find that animals consuming a diet consisting of the probiotic microbes found in Kombucha Tea displayed reduced fat accumulation, lower triglyceride levels, and smaller lipid droplets — an organelle that stores the cell’s lipids — when compared to other diets. These findings suggest that the microbes in Kombucha Tea trigger a “fasting-like” state in the host even in the presence of sufficient nutrients.”

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Other benefits of fermented foods

Kombucha’s effect on metabolism doesn’t surprise me one bit.

Fermented foods have a long history of known health benefits besides helping with weight loss. In fact, fermented foods tackle a driving force behind many chronic health issues.

For example, studies show that lactic acid is a good way to fight off influenza. And fermented foods are full of lactic acid.

Also, eating fermented foods in combination with more fiber has been shown to help regulate stress and reduce anxiety.

Other such foods include sauerkraut and kefir. But, the Japanese have really mastered the art of fermentation.

They’re known for several healthy dishes made with fermented soybeans in various forms, including tempeh, miso, kimchi and natto (a food that contains the highest amount of artery-loving vitamin K2).

Fermentation of food and drink is a lost art. In the old days, fermentation took the place of refrigeration. It preserved food, but now science has shown many times over that fermentation gives up valuable natural substances that boost health.

Sources:

Kombucha’s Microbial Magic: New Study Shows Fat-Busting Effects — Sci Tech Daily

Kombucha Tea-associated microbes remodel host metabolic pathways to suppress lipid accumulation — PLOS Genetics

Consuming probiotics promotes weight loss and reduces BMI — Medical Express

The post Kombucha: The bacterial boost your metabolism needs appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

But when the cells in our intestine are slow to repair or don’t fix themselves completely, the result is an “open door” through which harmful microbes and toxins enter the bloodstream, causing a range of metabolic diseases and conditions from diabetes and thyroid disorders to irritable bowel and chronic fatigue syndromes.

This “open door” is better known as leaky gut syndrome.

If you’re a post-menopausal woman, you’re even more vulnerable to leaky gut than men your age. Why?

It comes down to hormones and why, when we lose them, we not only gain weight but also gain a higher risk for metabolic diseases…

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Menopause changes women’s gut microbiome

The gut microbiome refers to all the microbes in your intestines, which act as another “organ” crucial for your health.

A new study has shown that the gut microbiome interacts with the loss of female sex hormones that occurs after menopause. This hormone loss exacerbates metabolic diseases, including weight gain and type 2 diabetes, fat in the liver and the expression of genes linked with inflammation.

As early as 2005, researchers began looking into how the microbiome could contribute to obesity, which is associated with metabolic conditions. At the time, however, most research was done on males.

Using models of mice with and without ovaries, first author Tzu-Wen L. Cross, a professor of nutrition science and the director of the Gnotobiotic Animal Facility at Purdue University, shared that “This is the first time it has been shown that the response of microbiome to the loss of ovarian hormone production can increase metabolic dysfunction.”

“The mice that were recipients of the gut microbiome of ovariectomized mice gained more weight and fat mass, and they had greater expression of genes in the liver associated with inflammation, obesity, Type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease and atherosclerosis compared with those in the control group,” says Dr. Kelly Swanson, corresponding author of the study.

They also found that the mice without ovaries and those fed the high-fat diet had lower levels of these proteins in the liver and colon. This suggested their gut barriers were more permeable, compromised by either their diet or the absence of female hormones.

In other words, the gut microbiome of mice without ovaries, which hormonally resembles that of post-menopausal women, was much more vulnerable to the metabolic diseases impacted by leaky gut.

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How to protect your gut

Unfortunately, there’s not much we can change about losing our female hormones.

But a previous study published in the journal Clinical Nutrition in 2021 saw a polyphenol-rich diet improve intestinal permeability in older people — which may be the first step in the right direction.

Polyphenols are natural antioxidants found in a variety of foods. In the gut, they increase helpful bacteria, reduce harmful bacteria, and prevent the inflammation behind heart disease and other chronic metabolic conditions.

The study showed that including up to three daily portions of apple, cocoa, dark chocolate, green tea, cranberries, oranges or pomegranate juice — all polyphenol-rich foods — improved intestinal permeability by making specific changes in the microbiota.

When fecal and plasma samples were analyzed, there was a positive correlation between the polyphenol foods and an increase in cell metabolism products that improved gut health. There was also a decrease in the kind that caused intestinal permeability.

The next step would be to steer clear of a high-fat diet since it also correlated with intestinal permeability in the recent mouse study.

Sources:

Metabolic diseases may be driven by gut microbiome, loss of ovarian hormones — Science Daily

Gut microbiome responds to alteration in female sex hormone status and exacerbates metabolic dysfunction — Gut Microbes

The post The ‘other change’ behind menopausal weight gain and disease risk appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Seniors can commonly experience changes that affect the gut and digestion, including leaky gut, but after extensive testing, she was diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

In addition to the advice she got from her doctor, she did a lot of research online to figure out how best to manage her symptoms. And it was there that she got confused. She kept seeing all these references to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which appeared to have similar symptoms to IBS.

It brought up the following questions for her….

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What’s the difference between IBS and IBD?

Though both IBS and IBD have similar symptoms, they are very different illnesses.

IBS is a chronic GI condition causing abdominal pain and bloating and changes in bowel habits. It can be defined as diarrhea-predominant (IBS-D) or constipation-predominant (IBS-C) or a mix of the two. IBS affects an estimated 10 to 15 percent of adults in the U.S., although only 5 to 7 percent have been diagnosed with the syndrome.

IBD is a collection of diseases causing chronic inflammation of the GI tract. IBD isn’t as common as IBS; about 3.1 million U.S. adults have been diagnosed with an IBD. The two most common IBDs are ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease.

Both IBS and IBD can have the following symptoms in common:

• Diarrhea
• Pain
• Unintended weight loss
• Fatigue

However, IBD can have some symptoms not normally seen in IBS:

• Cramping
• Rectal bleeding
• Reduced appetite
• Anemia
• Fever

And IBS can have some symptoms not seen in IBD:

• Gas
• Constipation
• Bloating
• Nausea
• Mucus in the stool

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Does IBS carry the same risks as IBD?

IBD is a much more dangerous illness than IBS. It can:

• Cause destructive inflammation and permanent damage to the intestine.
• Raise the risk of colon cancer.

By contrast, IBS:

• Does not cause inflammation of the intestine.
• Rarely requires hospitalization or surgery.
• Does not raise the risk of cancer.

Do IBS and IBD have the same cause?

So far, the answer to this question isn’t clear.

One reason IBS is notoriously difficult to diagnose is because its cause is unknown, though some researchers believe a disturbance between the brain and the gut is to blame. Doctors tend to diagnose IBS through a process of elimination, testing for IBD or celiac disease and ruling those out first.

Other potential causes of IBS include GI infection, diet, environmental or psychological factors such as stress and frequent use of antibiotics.

As for IBD, it can be diagnosed with a colonoscopy exam and biopsy of any inflamed areas of the intestine. if you have a family member who’s been diagnosed with IBD, your risk is higher.

Researchers also believe certain environmental triggers may be responsible for IBD, such as high-fat diets, antibiotics and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) use, as well as smoking in people with Crohn’s. Stress can worsen IBD, and an overactive immune system may also play a role in development of the condition.

The good news here is that because these two diseases are not connected, IBS cannot progress into IBD.

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Are IBS and IBD treated the same way?

Interestingly, some of the recommendations for relieving symptoms of IBS and IBD are the same. For example, eliminating dairy can help in both cases, as people with IBS or IBD are often lactose-intolerant. Caffeine can be a trigger for both IBS and IBD as well.

Vitamin D levels may play a role in both IBD and IBS sufferers. Low vitamin D can make IBD symptoms worse and vitamin D deficiency is highly prevalent in patients with IBS and some research suggests supplementation could be therapeutic.

However, IBS and IBD are treated differently. For IBD, there are medications to treat the disease. However, different people respond to medication differently, so treatment tends to be highly individualized. The goal for IBD treatment is to send the disease into remission, which decreases the chances for complications.

In addition to dairy and caffeine, people with IBD should consider eliminating fructose. At least one study in mice shows large amounts of fructose can inflame the colon.

For IBS, the goal is to manage symptoms like diarrhea and bloating. Some medications exist to treat both IBS-D and IBS-C, but as is the case with IBD, individuals can respond very differently to the treatments.

Many doctors recommend dietary modification to help manage IBS. My mother’s doctor recommended she try a low FODMAP diet to relieve her gas and diarrhea.

FODMAP stands for fermentable, oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols. Diets high in these types of carbohydrates can cause a lot of gas and bring a lot of fluid into the intestine, which causes a lot of diarrhea. The one drawback to low FODMAP is that it’s a very restrictive.

My mom tried it and found some relief. But what helped her the most was adopting a gluten-free diet. Some IBS patients are sensitive to gluten, so eliminating it from their diet can relieve diarrhea, bloating, pain, flatulence and sometimes even constipation. This is also a restrictive diet, made more difficult since gluten hides in so many products. Whole foods are typically a safe bet, but processed foods can be like maneuvering land mines.

Another potential treatment for IBS involves treating the stress underlying the condition with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) or hypnotherapy. Studies show both CBT and hypnotherapy can help relieve IBS symptoms like abdominal pain and bloating and improve bowel function.

Sources:

What doctors wish patients knew about irritable bowel syndrome — AMA

What doctors wish patients knew about inflammatory bowel disease — AMA

IBS vs IBD — Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation

IBS vs IBD — Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

The post Is it IBS or IBD? appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

That’s because colorectal cancer (CRC), which includes colon and rectal cancer, is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer — and it’s on the rise…

Experts expect 3.2 million new cases and 1.6 million deaths by 2040.

There was a time when it was thought of as a disease of aging — mostly hitting older adults. But no more. Cases have been rising in young adults under 50 to the point that the age for getting a first colonoscopy was lowered to 45.

Until now, prevention strategies for CRC have targeted lifestyle changes, additional screening for people at high risk and the removal of polyps.

But advances in probiotic research are pointing to these little “gut helpers” not only for CRC prevention but improving treatment…

How probiotics reduce the risk of CRC

Researchers from The Chinese University of Hong Kong in China conducted a review of the latest literature on probiotics and colon cancer. Their goal?

To examine how probiotics can be used to prevent CRC and improve current treatments including chemotherapy and immunotherapy.

Probiotics are well known for improving the gut microbiome and strengthening the body’s response against pathogens and disease by…

• Enhancing the intestinal barrier
• Modulating immune response
• Remodeling the microbial composition
• Inducing targeted cell death (apoptosis)

Professor Jun Yu, corresponding author of the review, says, “Administration of CRC-depleted bacteria as a probiotic intervention may help regulate and create an intestinal microenvironment that is unfavorable to CRC development.

“Therefore, it is pivotal to identify CRC-depleted bacteria and develop probiotics as a safe, novel, and non-invasive strategy for CRC prevention.”

He and his team shed light on several other mechanisms by which the researchers believe probiotics can prevent CRC, including…

• Limiting the proliferation of CRC-promoting bacteria in the gut and rebalancing the microbial profile
• Preventing the infiltration of harmful pathogens
• Restoring the intestinal mucus barrier
• Inhibiting the growth and spread of tumors
• Modulating the balance of anti-apoptotic and pro-apoptotic factors, which decelerate adenoma progression to CRC. Apoptotic factors refer to cell death.
• Deactivating carcinogens and contributing to their elimination

They also discussed the role of probiotics in the treatment of CRC. Per their findings, probiotics can:

• Bolster the effects of chemotherapy
• Overcome chemoresistance caused by Fusobacterium nucleatum,
• Manage dysbiosis due to drug treatment
• And, as an adjuvant in immunotherapy, probiotics can boost the anti-tumor immune response and improve the efficacy of immunotherapy treatment

Especially exciting — and something we’ve heard little about that was also covered in the review — is the role of postbiotics.

According the Harvard Nutrition, postbiotics is a term that “refers to the waste left behind after your body digests both prebiotics and probiotics. Healthy postbiotics include nutrients such as vitamins B and K, amino acids, and substances called antimicrobial peptides that help to slow down the growth of harmful bacteria. Other postbiotic substances called short-chain fatty acids help healthy bacteria flourish.”

Postbiotics are also considered anti-CRC agents and were discussed along with advances in probiotic delivery systems.

Probiotics: A valuable anti-CRC strategy

The review summarized that “the gut microbiome cannot be neglected when treating or preventing CRC. While early detection can reduce mortality, it is not a viable prevention strategy, nor can it eliminate CRC.”

And Prof Yu concluded,“Evidence for the anti-cancer effects associated with probiotics administration is accumulating rapidly due to advancements in the fields of metagenomic sequencing and bacterial genome editing technologies, and investigation into NGPs [next-generation probiotics] and postbiotics holds great therapeutic potential.” 

If that’s not enough to drive home the importance of probiotics, I’m not sure what would.

Yogurt and buttermilk are full of probiotics. So are fermented foods like sauerkraut, kombucha tea, miso and natto, a dish made of fermented soybeans.

But if you want to pump up your probiotic power, consider food pairings that bring antioxidants into the mix. Research has found that the more antioxidants available to the digestive tract, the more efficiently it absorbs probiotics.

Alternatively, probiotic supplements are readily available — and a good idea —especially when it comes to CRC.

Sources:

Chinese Medical Journal review dives deep into probiotics for colorectal cancer Eureka Alert

Probiotics intervention in colorectal cancer: From traditional approaches to novel strategies Chinese Medical Journal

Common Cancer Types — National Cancer Institute

What are postbiotics — Harvard Health Publishing

The post Probiotics: The new prevention strategy for colorectal cancer appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Over ten years, we watched as my active, funny, loving dad shrank more and more into himself, both physically and emotionally, until he could no longer communicate with us, and recognized none of us, except for my mother.

Research into the origins of Parkinson’s is ongoing, in the hope that we can stop it before it starts.

Now, there’s been a unique discovery that holds out hope for doing just that…

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A brain attack that starts in the gut

Parkinson’s is a neurological disorder. However many researchers believe that it may get started far away from the brain, years before any tremors or other neurological signs appear.

They believe it may get its start in the gut.

Graduate students at Columbia University have been adding to the evidence that supports this theory.

They’re showing that the gastrointestinal changes that precede Parkinson’s could actually be a misdirected attack by the immune system, a malfunction that’s relatively easy to correct.

In Parkinson’s, a protein known as alpha-synuclein becomes misfolded, accumulates inside neurons and slowly poisons the cells.

Columbia researcher Dr. David Sulzer and his graduate students have collaborated with immunologists at the La Jolla Institute of Immunology in California to show that these misfolded proteins can also appear outside of neurons.

When this happens, the neurons are a sitting duck for attack from the immune system.

And this misguided immune attack ends up doing more damage to the neurons than the deposits of alpha-synuclein resting inside them.

“The blood of Parkinson’s patients often contains immune cells that are primed to attack the neurons,” Sulzer says, “but it’s not clear where or when they are primed.”

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An autoimmune reaction?

Dr. Sulzer wondered if the immune system’s attack on neurons was beginning in the gut.

This seemed a likely possibility since the gut contains the same neurons, and because constipation is an early symptom for most Parkinson’s patients, years before brain symptoms emerge or the disease is diagnosed.

Dr. Sulzer and his team created a mouse that could display pieces of misfolded alpha-synuclein on cell surfaces (normal mice do not have this ability).

They then injected the mice with alpha-synuclein and monitored what happened in the brain and the gut.

They did not see any signs resembling Parkinson’s disease in the brain. But they did see that an immune attack on neurons in the gut resulted in constipation and other gastrointestinal effects resembling the earliest signs of Parkinson’s disease.

“This shows that an autoimmune reaction can lead to what appears to be the early stages of Parkinson’s and is strong support that Parkinson’s is in part an autoimmune disease,” Dr. Sulzer says.

Stopping Parkinson’s in its tracks

More research is needed to determine how big a role the immune system plays in the brain of people with Parkinson’s.

One possibility is that the immune cells in Dr. Sulzer’s mouse model aren’t reaching the brain because the animals are young and still have a strong blood-brain barrier.

She doesn’t say, but with what we know about intestinal permeability, the integrity of the mice’s gut barrier may also prevent what’s happening there from overtly affecting the rest of the body.

But it’s exciting to think about the possibility that early detection — and interruption— of an immune response in the gut could prevent a later attack on the brain’s neurons and stop Parkinson’s in its tracks.

What can you do now if you have a family history of Parkinson’s? Well, research has shown a hormone secreted during exercise appears to stop a key trigger of the disease.

And if Parkinson’s does prove to be an autoimmune disease, at least in part, research has pointed to key nutrients that reduced the occurrence of autoimmune disease by 25 to 30 percent.

Of course, maintaining the health and integrity of your gut should also be at the top of your list. You can begin improving your own gut health right away by taking these steps.

Sources:

Study adds to evidence that Parkinson’s starts in the gut — Eureka Alert

Interaction of an α-synuclein epitope with HLA-DRB1∗15:01 triggers enteric features in mice reminiscent of prodromal Parkinson’s disease — Neuron

The post Parkinson’s: The gut-brain link grows stronger appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Sometimes those pills are necessary. Lives are saved thanks to modern medicine.

But somewhere along the way taking pills became a large part of the problem.

One area of health where this really stands out is the relationship between constipation and high blood pressure…

The serious side of constipation

I was a kid when Elvis passed away. But as an adult when I began researching health issues, I became very familiar with how he died.

It’s no secret that toward the end of his life, Elvis was a user of opiates — drugs that not only kill pain but also cause terrible constipation by slowing down the movement of stool through the gut.

Elvis wasn’t in the best of shape, and it’s believed that while straining to have a bowel movement he had a fatal heart attack.

It’s mind-boggling to think constipation could instigate an early death — unless you understand how a pill that may be the answer for one problem can cause many more…

Right now about 4 million Americans have a problem with constipation. You might be one of them. And even though you’re likely not taking opiates, you may be taking another constipating medication that one in four of us do…

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Compounding problems

Calcium channel blockers are used to manage blood pressure problems. They’re designed to relax the smooth muscles in blood vessels to lower blood pressure — but that same mechanism relaxes the muscles in the intestines.

That causes waste to move very slowly through the bowels. As it does, it dries out because the intestinal lining soaks up the moisture content it holds. I’m sure that’s a gross detail you’d rather not read, but here’s why it matters…

It’s one of the mechanisms research has found links constipation and hypertension. The increase in water absorption from the intestines during constipation raises blood pressure due to the increase in blood volume.

Another is the condition of a constipated gut…

Having an imbalance of unhealthy bacteria, or dysbiosis, can cause inflammation and changes in the production of short-chain fatty acids — which are metabolites normally produced in the gut that regulate renin, an enzyme that helps regulate blood pressure and maintain healthy levels of sodium and potassium in your body.

Of course, having high blood pressure increases anyone’s risk for heart problems. However, studies have shown the combination of constipation and high blood pressure takes those risks to a higher level.

Get to the root of the problem

Of course, there are lots of little pills to help you have regular bowel movements — just like there are lots of pills doctors will stack trying to lower blood pressure, especially resistant high blood pressure.

But relying on laxatives to help you poop can make chronic constipation worse. In fact, among the medications that Elvis abused, laxatives were listed.

The muscles in your colon become weak and your body becomes dependent on them. Then your body can no longer poop without that assistance, including straining hard.

The best way to overcome constipation is to provide safe, natural colon support with ingredients that work with the body’s natural processes so dependency does not become a concern, starting with…

1. Ancient aloe – This cactus-like plant helps to naturally stimulate the bowel and soften stool for easier elimination.
2. Inulin – This natural prebiotic found in chicory root helps support the natural production of beneficial bacteria in the colon by providing the intestinal fertilizer needed for healthy gut flora. Those bacteria generate the short-chain fatty acids I mentioned earlier.
3. Potassium – This critical mineral helps keep stool hydrated and moist promoting a healthy transit time from digestive tract to toilet.
4. Cascara sagrada – Used by Native Americans for centuries to help promote bowel contractions and the urge to “go” for normal healthy bowel movements.
5. Senna leaf – This natural colon-balancing herb helps promote normal bowel health and healthy stool consistency for regular, gentle bowel movements.
6. Slippery Elm – This herb is a natural anti-inflammatory that helps regulate anal tissue swelling.
7. Black Walnut hulls – This ancient remedy contains juglone, tannins and natural iodine which work together to help eliminate harmful organisms from the digestive tract helping to support healthy digestion and regularity.

A well-functioning gut can do wonders for improving your health — and for just making you feel better. If yours isn’t working right, don’t ignore it, especially if you have a metabolic disorder.

Source:

Association of constipation with increased risk of hypertension and cardiovascular events in elderly Australian patients — Journal Nature

The post The weird connection between constipation and blood pressure appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

From antibiotics to antidepressants, we’ve all taken something in our lives (even if herbs and acupuncture are more our cup of tea). And if prescription drugs are a certainty, then so are prescription drug side effects. The two are like thunder and lightning — rarely separated.

That’s why it’s always a good idea to ask your doctor about common side effects before you start a new drug. He or she will give you the Cliff’s Notes. Or if you’re like me, you can Google all the possible side effects (even the rare and obscure ones) and freak yourself out.

But even if you do your due diligence when it comes to side effects, there’s one problem — secret side effects. The ones doctors don’t know much about yet. And researchers are just starting to discover.

Make no mistake, these secret side effects exist for plenty of drugs — even super common drugs that masses of people take. And a new study just revealed a big one for the most popular prescription drugs today….

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The drugs that take a wrecking ball to your microbiome

You already know that your microbiome is closely linked to health. But what if the drugs you’re taking to make yourself feel better are messing with your microbiome and making your health worse? According to a new study, that seems to be the case….

Researchers from the University Medical Center Groningen and the Maastricht University Medical Center found that at least half of common drugs affect the microbiome in a big, bad way.

Researchers took fecal samples from 1,883 people to examine the effect of 41 commonly used categories of drugs. They found that many of these drugs increased the number of harmful bacteria in the microbiome. Some also contributed to antibiotic resistance. Here are four of the worst offenders:

• Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) used to treat acid reflux
• Metformin used to treat diabetes
• Antibiotics used to treat bacterial infections
• Laxatives used to treat constipation

Just to give you an idea of the negative toll some of these drugs took, proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) increased the amount of potentially dangerous bacteria that live in the upper gastrointestinal tract. And Metformin increased the amount of Escherichia coli in the gut. As you probably know, E. coli is not one of the good guys. It causes diarrhea and urinary tract infections, among other problems.

Dishonorable mentions go to SSRI antidepressants, which increased the amount of the potentially harmful bacteria Eubacterium ramulus in the guts of people with irritable bowel syndrome, and oral steroids, which caused high levels of methane-producing bacteria tied to weight gain and obesity.

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Give your gut some love

So, now it’s time to ask yourself a serious question…

What are your medications doing to your gut health?

If you regularly take any of the medications above, the answer is… probably nothing good.

Of course, you shouldn’t make drastic changes to your medication without talking to your doctor. But if you’re taking medications that are hard on your gut, you should make other gut-friendly decisions….

Don’t eat lots of sugar, for example. Sugar feeds the bad bacteria in your gut. Processed foods, refined flours, and refined oils are also known for encouraging bad bacteria to take over your microbiome.

Make feeding the good guys in your gut a priority too. You can do that with high-fiber foods like fruits, veggies, whole grains and fermented foods like sauerkraut, kefir, and kombucha.

And don’t forget to exercise. It sounds weird, but exercise improves gut health too. So, get moving!

Sources:

1. Common drugs may alter gut bacteria and increase health risks — Medical News Today
2. Half of all commonly used drugs profoundly affecting the gut microbiome, warn experts — EurekAlert!
3. Antibiotics Screwed Up My Gut. Now What? — U.S. News & World Report

The post 4 common drugs that help bad bacteria thrive in your gut appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

One affects the other, and every day research is finding more ways that the two influence each other and your health. The connection is undeniable at this point.

But sometimes we’re not entirely sure in which direction the superhighway is running.

Is it the brain affecting the gut? Or is the gut causing brain issues?

But one thing seems certain: the more we find out, the closer we are to heading off Alzheimer’s before too much damage is done.

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An early clue in the gut microbiome

Dr. Gautam Dantas and Dr. Beau Ances are both professors and researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Dantas is an expert on the gut microbiome, while Ances treats and studies people with Alzheimer’s disease.

Research has already established that the gut microbiomes of people with symptoms of Alzheimer’s differ from the microbiomes of healthy people of the same age.

But Dr. Ances noted that no one had yet looked at the gut microbiomes of people in the pre-symptomatic phase of Alzheimer’s, the period before any cognitive signs appear.

So that’s exactly what they set out to do…

Study participants were drawn from volunteers already on the roster of the Knight Alzheimer Disease Research Center at Washington University. All were cognitively normal.

As part of this study, participants provided stool, blood, and cerebrospinal fluid samples, kept food diaries, and underwent PET and MRI brain scans.

Of the 164 participants, about a third (49) had signs of early Alzheimer’s, shown by brain scans showing the presence of amyloid-β and tau tangles.

Further analysis revealed a crucial fact…

People in the preclinical stage of Alzheimer’s and healthy people had distinctly different gut bacteria.

But even more importantly, these differences correlated with amyloid and tau levels, which rise before cognitive symptoms appear, but did not correlate with neurodegeneration, which becomes evident about the time cognitive skills start to decline.

In other words, these differences in gut bacteria could very well be a signpost of pre-symptomatic Alzheimer’s and could provide the ability to screen and treat people at risk long before they develop any cognitive decline.

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Which comes first? We’re not sure yet

The researchers have launched a five-year follow-up study to figure out whether the differences in the gut microbiome are a cause or a result of the brain changes seen in early Alzheimer’s disease.

“We don’t yet know whether the gut is influencing the brain or the brain is influencing the gut,” says Dr. Dantas.

“It could be that the changes in the gut microbiome are just a readout of pathological changes in the brain. The other alternative is that the gut microbiome is contributing to Alzheimer’s disease, in which case altering the gut microbiome with probiotics… might help change the course of the disease.”

But earlier research has already shown that protecting your gut also protects your brain…

Take care of your gut — save your brain

A study that looked at data from 1,742 people diagnosed with either ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease showed that people with IBD were diagnosed with dementia an average of seven years earlier than those without IBD, and that of all of the dementias, the risk for Alzheimer’s disease was greatest.

Taking a daily probiotic is hands down one of the best and healthiest ways to protect your brain.

So is adding a little fiber to your diet per a study that identified a gram-negative bacteria that crossed the blood-brain barrier to wreak havoc.

Finally, try and eat frequent, smaller meals, so as not to stress your gut. A diet based around plants, whole grains and fermented foods is the best way to eat to maintain a healthy gut and, hopefully, a healthy brain.

Sources:

Altered gut bacteria may be early sign of Alzheimer’s disease — Eureka Alert

Gut microbiome composition may be an indicator of preclinical Alzheimer’s disease — Science Translational Medicine

9 Ways to Improve Your Gut Bacteria, Based on Science — Healthline

The post The pre-symptomatic Alzheimer’s sign that starts in your gut appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

But studies have shown that genetics, dysregulated immune responses, imbalanced gut microbiota and environmental factors can trigger these serious chronic inflammatory conditions.

And if you take a little dive into food additives, it’s easy to see that the last factor may be the hardest to avoid…

Of the 36 food dyes approved by the FDA for use in the United States, nine are artificial color additives used in foods and beverages. And of those nine, the three most commonly used are Yellow No. 5, Yellow No. 6 and Red No. 40, also known by the brand name Allura Red AC.

You would think that because Allura Red is FDA-approved that it’s perfectly safe. But the dye is banned outright in several European countries, including France and Germany, along with five other food additives that are making Americans sick.

But there are no such restrictions in the U.S., where Allura Red is the most commonly used artificial coloring in grocery items — and may very well be the reason for growing rates of IBDs…

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How Allura Red can impact health

Research shows Allura Red is linked to certain ADHD symptoms, such as hyperactivity, in children. Kids who ingest the red food dye may also experience other neurobehavioral effects.

Studies in mice have linked Red No. 40 to immune system tumors and several types of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). One study found mice with an impaired immune system that consumed food containing Red 40 and Yellow 6 dyes developed colitis.

A more recent study by researchers at McMaster University in Canada specifically focused on Allura Red. Using experimental animal models of IBD, they discovered long-term continual exposure to Allura Red promotes inflammation and can trigger IBDs, including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis — both considered autoimmune conditions.

Researchers found the dye directly disrupts gut barrier function and increases production of serotonin, a hormone and neurotransmitter found in the gut. This leads to increased susceptibility to IBDs like colitis.

“What we have found is striking and alarming, as this common synthetic food dye is a possible dietary trigger for IBDs,” says McMaster University professor and researcher Waliul Khan, senior author of the study. “These findings have important implication in the prevention and management of gut inflammation.”

He adds that previous literature suggests consuming Allura Red also affects certain allergies, immune disorders and behavioral problems in children.

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Avoiding Allura Red and saving your gut

Prof. Khan observes that the Western diet, with its plethora of processed foods, includes large amounts of various additives and food dyes like Allura Red.

The best way to delete these dangerous dyes from your diet is to focus on whole foods and minimize the amount of processed foods you consume, starting with:

• Breakfast cereals
• Sodas/soft drinks
• Condiments
• Puddings
• Dairy products like ice cream, sherbet, flavored milks and frozen yogurt
• Baked goods
• Chocolate candy
• Fruit juices and gummy snacks
• Sports drinks
• Jello

Sadly, many of the foods containing Allura Red are aimed squarely at children, among them Nacho Cheese Doritos, Skittles, Twizzlers, M&Ms and Pepsi Blue and Mountain Dew Code Red sodas.

The good news is that food companies are required to list these dyes on the labels of their products. So if you’re looking to erase food dyes from your diet, you just need to do a little label reading.

Given its potential health issues, Allura Red or Red No. 40 is a great place to start. It can be found under a number of different names on food labels, including Allura Red AC, FD&C Red No. 40, INS No. 129, E129, CI Food Red 17 and CAS No. 25956-17-6.

A balanced gut microbiome and immune system can also be a strong ally against environmental sources that can cause dysregulation and lead to problems with your gut.

Sources:

Common food dye can trigger inflammatory bowel diseases, say McMaster researchers — McMaster University

Chronic exposure to synthetic food colorant Allura Red AC promotes susceptibility to experimental colitis via intestinal serotonin in mice — Nature Communications

Allura Red AC — chemeurope.com

Red 40, a food dye found in snacks like Pepsi and Doritos can trigger inflammatory bowel disease — Public News Time

101 Series – Food Dye — Michigan State University

17 Surprising Foods That Contain Chemicals & Food Dyes — Eat This, Not That!

Food Dye in Twizzlers, Doritos, & More Foods May Trigger Bowel Diseases, Study Finds — Eat This, Not That!

Is there a link between red dye 40 and ADHD? — Medical News Today

Allura Red AC — IACM

Red Dye 40: Is this Common Food Additive Bad for Your Health — GoodRx Health

The post The food additive triggering inflammatory bowel disease appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

For instance, people with IBD are at higher risk of colorectal cancer and prostate cancer. They have triple the risk of developing blood clots. Their risk of heart attack is up to nine times higher than that of people without IBD. And they’re more than twice as likely to develop dementia.

For these reasons, and the one I’m about to share, it’s incredibly important to manage IBD well…

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IBD could increase stroke risk

In a new study, researchers studied 85,006 people with IBD confirmed by biopsy. For comparison’s sake, the IBD patients were matched up to five people of the same birth year, sex and county of residence who did not have IBD. This brought the total to 406,987 participants.

The average follow-up was 12 years. During that time, 3,720 of the IBD patients had a stroke, compared with 15,599 of the people who did not have IBD.

The researchers then identified other factors that could affect stroke risks, such as heart disease, high blood pressure and obesity. When accounting for those factors, they found people with IBD were 13 percent more likely to have a stroke up to 25 years after their diagnosis than those without the disease.

This increased risk was mainly due to ischemic stroke caused by a blockage of blood flow to the brain, rather than hemorrhagic stroke caused by bleeding in the brain.

Both IBD and stroke have genetic components that predispose some people to the disease. For that reason, the researchers also included full siblings of the participants with IBD in the study. These 101,082 siblings had no history of IBD or stroke at the beginning of the study.

When compared with their siblings, the participants with IBD had an 11 percent higher overall risk of stroke.

Now, the researchers caution that this study only shows an association between IBD and stroke. It doesn’t prove that IBD causes stroke.

Still, study author Dr. Jiangwei Sun of the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm says the results show people with IBD and their doctors need to be aware of this long-term increased risk. “Screening and management of stroke risk factors may be more urgent in people with IBD,” Sun says.

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Steps to lower your odds of stroke

If you have IBD, take extra care to protect yourself against preventable risk factors for stroke. You’ll definitely want to avoid smoking, and it’s probably also a good idea to skip alcohol use as well. And make sure you manage your blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels, as high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol and diabetes can all contribute to stroke risk.

It’s also a good idea to pay attention to risk factors for blood clots, especially since the strokes recorded in the study tended to be caused by a blood flow blockage. Blood clot risk factors in those with IBD include:

• IBD flare-ups 
• Hospitalization (especially due to an IBD flare)
• Surgery
• Increasing age
• Pregnancy 
• Medications (including steroids used to treat inflammation associated with IBD)

Above all, talk to your doctor to see what you can do to manage your IBD, reduce your risk of blood clots and maintain healthy blood flow. If necessary, they can adjust your medication to help reduce your IBD flare-ups and protect you against clots.

There are steps you can take as well to help your IBD. One of the most important is to eliminate any IBD triggers in your diet. My colleague Dr. Adria Schmedthorst recommends a plant-based diet free from animal products and processed foods, which in one case study sent a patient’s Crohn’s disease into complete remission.

Adding mango to your diet is another good way to reduce your IBD symptoms, as long as you do it gradually to minimize any issues with its fiber.

To support normal blood flow, make sure you exercise regularly and add certain nutrients to your diet, including vitamin K2 and an enzyme called nattokinase found in fermented soy. Natto, a dish made from fermented soybeans, contains both these important nutrients to help promote healthy circulation.

Sources:

Inflammatory bowel disease linked to increased risk of stroke — EurekAlert!

Stroke Causes and Risk Factors — National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

The post IBD: The gut problem that increases stroke risk appeared first on Easy Health Options®.