November 2024: GUT CHECK

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GUT  CHECK

The great gut health revolution is now under way!

Gut microbiome (intestinal microbes), play a significant

part in our daily health performance. Scientists are finding that our gut microbiome is helping us deal with and overcome many common diseases and mental health problems.

GUT BUDDIES

Experts estimate that we have over 50 trillion microbiome in our digestive system. That's more cells than our entire body.

Microbiome isn't just bacteria, but also include fungi, yeast, and parasites. Actually, the gut factory is an ecosystem like a rain forest. You want lots of diversity.

These newly appreciated gut microbes help us do a lot:

•   Metabolism (converting food to energy

•   Digestion

•   Brain performance

•   Cardiovascular health

•   Immune response

•   Skin health

People with type Il diabetes and weight control problems, are finding helpful solutions in the gut. For example, a strain of gut bacteria called akkermansia, helps to produce the body's own natural GLP-1 appetite and weight control compound. That's the same substance that is found in the expensive drug, Ozempic.

YOUR UNIQUE GUT

No one on the planet has a gut like yours. Even identical twins only share about 35% gut microbes.

The gut, which can change completely in a few hours, is adversely affected by: Antibiotics, aging, travel, stress, menopause and alcohol. To stay "gut healthy" you have to partly be your own scientist. Specialists, like gastroenterologist, go through trial and error interventions trying to find solutions that are not always successful. The tools, you and your doctor have, are basic stuff like over the counter supplements and fecal matter transplants.

Big Pharma has yet to come up with a specific gut drug. There are many expensive gut supplement companies that may not deliver a cure. The field is unregulated! For a probiotic company, that backs up their products with clinical trials, try Pendulum Products: www.pendulumlife.com

DO I HAVE A GUT PROBLEM?

One of the weakest links in our entire system is our fragile gut wall.

Professional help will be needed to evaluate interventions for a leaky gut condition. Most gut wall problems can be solved.

Testing for gastrointestinal problems is usually through blood samples. If your doctor suspects leaky gut, or other GI problems, added testing might be ordered.

BASIC GUT

The gut works with three systems:

•  PREBIOTICS

•  PROBIOTICS

•  POSTBIOTICS

PREBIOTICS start the process of digestion by taking the fibrous parts of food from our diets. Fibers help bulk up and move food through the digestive system. Some of the fibrous materials are also transformed into new compounds that protect the gut mucous lining and wall (later on in the digestive process).

Prebiotics work best from plants with ideal fibrous material, such as:

• Artichokes Asparagus

• Endive

• Jicama

• Leeks

• Mushrooms

• Okra

• Sweet potatoes

• Yams

• Rhubarb

• Steel cut oats

Here are some other foods with good prebiotic fibers:

• Apples

• Chicory

• Avocado

• Garlic

• Legumes (beans)

• Onions

PROBIOTICS

There are trillions of microbiome, ready to do things for you, so you should be doing things for them!

Our diets determine which type of food the gut bacteria like best. The microbiome will only thrive in this ecosystem (along with our health), if they like what you are eating. If the microbiome flourish, so will you!

What is a good diet?

Just plain food, like your grandmother used to serve, it's guaranteed to keep you healthy.

Modern diets with artificial ingredients (and other foreign stuff), such as, trans-fats, High Fructose Corn Syrup, artificial sweeteners, coloring additives, emulsifiers, thickeners, and preservatives, are guaranteed to affect your health

Moving food through the digestive process is a critical process that cannot stop.

Trillions of microbiome are interacting, not only with the food being metabolized, but also with our immune system, and our brain. When things go wrong, your mood, mental performance, inflammatory response, and overall health are affected.

POSTBIOTICS

Gut-wall integrity could be the core value of our health.

Fortunately, there are specific workhorse bacteria strains, such as Urolithin A, and particularly Akkermancia, that produce metabolites to help maintain the fragile gut mucous lining and single cell-wall barrier. This prevents digestive material from leaking out into the lower abdomen and entering the bloodstream, resulting in all kinds of alarming health issues.

Having a trouble-free transit of waste through the body avoids bloating, gas, leaky gut, irritable bowel syndrome, and Crohns disease, to name a few.

NOTE FOR OUR READERS

Occasionally, we mention gut compounds, like Urolithin A, Akkermancia, and Butyrate, that are sold over-the-counter. We recommend that you check first with your doctor before purchasing any new product.

Roger and Arlene