CONNECTIONS to HEALTH

Following on from the last two editions we are looking at the role of probiotics.  If you haven't read then you can get part 1 here and part 2 here. The body; a bit like a planet! A human body is like a planet, inhabited by huge numbers of various micro-creatures. The diversity and richness of this life on and in every-one of us is as amazing as the life on Earth itself. We are one big ecosystem with trillions of invisible lodgers, living on our skin, in our eyes, respiratory and excretory organs and in our digestive system. Under healthy conditions we exist happily with these micro-organisms, this is known as a symbiotic relationship, where neither can live without the other. The largest colonies of micro-organisms live in our digestive system. Astonishingly, a healthy adult has between 1.5 and 2.0kg of bacteria in their gut. They are a highly organised micro-world with certain species predominating and controlling others. The number of functions they fulfill for us are so vital, that if our gut was sterilized we probably wouldn't survive! The gut micro-flora can be divided into 3 groups:- Essential or beneficial, the most important group and the most numerous, they include- Bifidobacteria & Lactobacteria. Opportunistic, a large group of various microbes. In a healthy person the numbers of these 500 or so microbes are controlled by the beneficial bacteria. Each one of these microbes is capable of causing various health problems if they get out of control. Transitional, various microbes which we swallow daily with our food and drink. When the gut is well protected by beneficial bacteria, this group of microbes goes through our digestive tract without doing any harm. But if the population of flora is damaged and not functioning well this group of microbes can cause disease. The human digestive tract is a long tube, open at its start and end. Whatever harmful things there are in the outside world, our digestive tract is the perfect entrance for them. We eat and drink plenty of micro-organisms, chemicals and toxins everyday. How do we survive? The whole tract is coated with a layer of bacteria, much like a thick layer of turf. This provides a natural barrier against invaders, undigested food, toxins and parasites. If its protective bacteria is damaged the gut wall suffers. Apart from providing a physical barrier, the healthy gut bacteria work against invading micro-organisms by producing anti-biotic like substances, anti-viral substances that dissolve the membranes of viruses and bacteria and they engage the immune system to respond to invaders. Unhealthy bacteria produce a lot of toxic chemicals, plus there are all the toxic substances we take in with our food and drink these days, our healthy bacteria respond by neutralizing a lot of these toxic substances. Healthy bacteria can inactivate histamine, chelate heavy metals and other poisons, their cell walls can absorb many carcinogenic substances, making them inactive. What happens if the healthy bacteria are damaged? The walls of the gut become less protected. Without protection the gut wall is open to invasion by anything that comes along e.g. a virus, fungus such as Candida Albicans, various bacteria, parasites and toxic chemicals. All of these are capable of damaging our digestive systems and causing chronic inflammation in the walls. Plus the opportunistic bacteria that are always present are ready to multiply and cause trouble. Without the healthy bacteria the gut also becomes malnourished, normal gut flora produce a major source of energy and nourishment for the cells lining the gut. It is estimated that the gut lining obtains 60-70% of its energy from the activity of the healthy bacteria. When the gut flora is compromised this lack of nourishment and energy adds to the damage of the gut wall, this in turn sets up a chain of degenerative changes in the structure of the digestive wall, which further impairs it's ability to digest and absorb nutrients. Food for the healthy bacteria. One of the best sources of food for these healthy gut bacteria is fibre, especially from fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds and other good sources of fibre including whole grains, beans and pulses. They feed on it and engage it in a whole host of activities such as absorbing toxins, water and electrolyte (salts) metabolism. When the good bacteria are compromised then this same fibre is a very good habitat for the unhealthy bacteria to flourish and aggravate inflammation. Healthy bacteria and the immune system. They are an important part of our immune system. They can activate the synthesis of the most important group of immune system cells, the lymphocytes, ready to protect the body from an invasion. Lymphocytes produce a substance known as Immunoglobulin A (IgA). Its job is to protect mucous membranes, such as the gut lining, by destroying and inactivating invading bacteria, viruses from vaccination and the environment, fungi and parasites. When the gut flora is compromised research has shown that there are fewer lymphocytes in the gut wall. When this happens the gut wall struggles to protect itself. When there is a deficiency of healthy bacteria another group of immune cells decrease also, the phagocytes. These gather infected and inflamed tissues and clean them up by literally swallowing viruses, toxins, bacterial and cellular debris and destroying them. The healthy bacteria also play a very important role in the production of many active regulators of the immune system, e.g. interferons and cytokines. The gut flora influence reaches far beyond the gut itself. Research has shown that when the gut flora is damaged, not only the levels of IgA, lymphocytes, phagocytes etc in the digestive system drop, but the whole immune system in the body becomes out of balance. This results in the person becoming immune-compromised. What else can happen?... Lots! Opportunistic bacteria and leaky gut. Owing to their spiral shape, some of these opportunistic bacteria can push apart the intestinal cells in the intestinal wall, breaking down the integrity of the intestinal wall and allowing through substances which normally should not get through. Partially digested food can get through this leaky gut wall into the blood stream, the immune system then recognizes them as foreign and attacks them. This is how food allergies and intolerances can develop. Due to the absence or greatly reduced numbers of healthy bacteria, the digestive system is taken over by these opportunistic bacteria. They constantly produce a river of toxicity flowing from the gut to the brain. The Gut-Brain connection The gut function and the brain status are linked. Toxicity in the gut has a profound effect on mood and mental health. In development stages of a young child this can lead to inhibition of learning, social and playing skills, in extreme cases it has been linked with dyslexia/dyspraxia, ADD/ADHD. In adults, gut toxicity has been linked with depression and bipolar disorder. What can you do? The human body has an incredible ability to heal itself, given the right help. This is particularly true for children. It can take time, sometimes a long time. The aim is to detoxify and then build a strong, healthy system. This involves looking at the diet, detoxification, lifestyle changes and supplementation. The Diet. This a huge subject and I will go over some main points. However, it is best to obtain good nourishment from food than a bucket load of supplements. As most people eat a high dairy, high grain diet with quite a lot of processed foods and sugar, then there is a lot of scope for improving our diets to provide a better environment for the gut to repair itself and healthy bacteria to thrive. Different diets suit different people, however a diet to help heal an inflamed, leaky gut ideally needs to avoid the following: Sugar Lactose e.g. milk products, live yoghurt is more easily tolerated Starch i.e. all grains: wheat, rye, rice, oats, corn, maize, barley, buckwheat, millet, spelt, tapioca, quinoa, couscous Starchy vegetables, potatoes, sweet potatoes, yams, parsnip, swede, jerusalem artichoke Soya No Processed Foods! This is an extreme diet for most people and starting by introducing the following will bring about huge changes: Introduce more water, filtered Have something raw with each meal, ideally at the beginning, this will introduce more fibre and enzymes Juice, 50% fruit and 50% vegetables, for vitamins and minerals Eat as many coloured fruit and vegetables as possible, for their antioxidants. If you are a non-vegetarian have plenty of lean, grass fed, free range, hormone free and antibiotic free meats Free range, organic eggs Oily fish, organic salmon, sardines, anchovies, mackerel Olive oil, cold pressed extra virgin, nuts and seeds if tolerated Try to eat 5 times a day More fresh air, exercise and sunlight The aim is to change your diet in a positive way, don't get hung up on trying to do it all in the first month. Hopefully after you start to see the benefits it will become easier to introduce more of the changes, be patient and acknowledge the changes you do make. Let's look at detoxifying Reduce and eventually stop all carbonated, sugared/artificially sweetened drinks even fruit juices from the shops Avoid salt Avoid Trans Fats and Hydrogenated fats Limit grains to one small serving per day, ideally not wheat No dairy, although ghee may be tolerated Avoid sugar Avoid toxic chemicals in products around the home Supplementation We need to look at introducing the healthy bacteria into the gut, this can be from fermented foods such as live yoghurt, which is best home made. But the most effective way of introducing large numbers of healthy bacteria and various strains is to take a supplement. A supplement needs to include L. Plantarum, this particular strain will stick to the gut lining and help in the repair of the gut wall, it is useful if a supplement also includes some of the fibre (prebiotic) required by bacteria and if L-glutamine is present this is great as it also helps in the healing of the gut wall and helps to support the immune system. Basically the idea of a supplement is to provide large enough numbers of bacteria that they will crowd out the numbers of unhealthy bacteria hindering their growth. These supplements, especially if they are dairy free, are suitable for everyone, including babies. It is best to start with a low dose e.g. 1 capsule and increase the amount you are taking over a period of time. What I recommend There are lots of makes of probiotics available in the health stores. I use and recommend one that includes large numbers of L.Plantarum, a prebiotic and L-glutamine. It is more expensive than a lot of other makes but it does the job of healing the gut, and provides loads of healthy bacteria to over power the unhealthy ones. The recommended retail price is £32.74, the Ishta Centre price is £28.00. A lot of the information in this article was from a highly recommended book- Gut and Psychology Syndrome by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride MD.   If you need further information just email me or give me a call at the Centre. Thanks and here's wishing you a healthy, happy gut for Christmas, Sue.

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