Why Gut can be cure for all chronic diseases?

Over the last 3 decades, we have witnessed development in healthcare delivery globally! Still, we have been witnessing new challenges in our health including obesity, metabolic disorders, autoimmune diseases such as irritable bowel syndrome(IBS), allergies, asthma & even neurodegenerative disorders such as Autism, Alzheimer’s & Parkinson’s. 9% of the global adult population suffer from diabetes & over 25% of the global population is suffering from Acid Reflux. In India alone, 30 million people suffer from diabetes.  We are still figuring out reasons for the sudden rise in many of these health problems & for most of them we do not have effective solutions. The current disease based model has been just managing symptoms & has not been effective in curing diseases. Although our life span has increased specifically for those living in the developed world, our physical & mental well being has taken a hit. Decrease in quality of life is the price we are paying for increase in lifespan.

It is now time to update our current model of the human body to understand how it really  works, how to run it optimally & how to fix it when something goes wrong. There is need to replace this current model with new human biology science based model to eradicate the long term collateral damage current outdated model has produced. 

Scientists have turned to emphasise on the importance of the most complex system of our body which has been ignored till now- our digestive system . Digestive system, till now, was considered to be only a machine to excrete our waste. But detailed research, empirical evidence & used cases & has opened up new doors of relooking how we can eradicate chronic diseases from our dictionary. 

It turns out that this organ is not even human. This complex system consists of an ecosystem of bacteria, Archaea, fungi, Yeast & Viruses plays a deep & pivotal role in various body systems.As such we are at the beginning of new biological discoveries of how our gut microbiome is shaping human health. Our gut microbiome is also referred to as the conductor of the immune-endocrine system, home of the immune system & even second brain! Gut microbiome has been widespread across human biology & given that chronic diseases are on rise globally, gut microbiome is considered to be the epicenter of this pandemic.

Genefitletics mission is to build a disease free world & improve healthspan of people & we have taken our first step by unmasking the root cause of chronic diseases.

Investigating & evaluating your gut microbiome through detailed functional analysis helps you understand:

1. What the microbes in your gut are actually producing? Are they producing enough nutrients such as Butyrate, Propionate & Acetate to help our body fight inflammation.
2. Are they producing endotoxins & harmful gases such as Lipopolysaccharides(LPS) that can create chronic inflammation in our gut & hence systemic inflammation in our body.

By discovering who are these folks living in our gut, who are active & what they are doing, we can structure & deliver personalised dietary recommendations that maximise production of nutrients such as Butyrate & minimises/eliminates production of endotoxins such as LPS.

We have had a complicated relationship with bacteria in our body. Although they are everywhere- in & on us & lives in harmony, they grab our attention when they create devastating impact on our health. We have heard a lot of frightening stories about bacteria in our body right from various Salmonella strains to antibiotic resistant strains. These stories have led to the belief that all bacteria are bad. Furthermore this has started our war with bacteria since penicillin was discovered. But now detailed research has found that not only these bacteria live in harmony in our body but also contribute towards our health. Not only are these bacteria essential for our survival but also they shape our body, mood & behavior. In fact, they play a pivotal role in our major health decisions.

Since gut microbiomes are highly dynamic, complex & impacting our overall health, we are now digging deeper into what these microbiomes are actually doing with the food we eat & how their interaction with food has a profound impact on our health. We are going to deep dive into the gut microbiome’s role in digestion, immunity, hormone balance, skin appearance, mental health & heart health. Having a diverse gut microbiome composition is essential for our overall health.

Not only our genes & but our cells are also outnumbered by microorganisms in our gut. The microbes community living in our gut are even heavier than our brain. You have these bacteria in your eyes, in your mouth, nose , skin & even vagina( if you are a female). At the time of birth you get your microbes from your mother’s vagina through the birth canal which begins the process of building an ecosystem of microbes in your gut. What you eat & come in contact with influences & build your microbiome & continue to build your microbiome until you are 7 years old. What is important to note here that, gut microbiome impacts:

1. Digestion & nutrient absorption
2. Immune system stability
3. Hormone imbalance
4. Skin appearance
5. Heart health
6. Mental health & cognitive balance

Let’s get into more detail.

1. Digestion & nutrition absorption: Microorganisms living in your gut can help synthesize many byproducts & nutrients which you would not be able to obtain from food you eat directly. These microbes digest the food, use them to produce beneficial nutrients such as short chain fatty acids, produce important neurotransmitters such as serotonin, synthesize various vitamins & produce essential nutrients such as vitamins & minerals. These microorganisms also process foods we cannot digest on our own( fibres coming from plants). We believed that polysaccharides, oligosaccharides, and other carbs cannot be digested. However, it turns out that these gut microbes break down these foods & convert them into beneficial short chain fatty acids such as butyrate, acetate & propionate. These are generally referred to as prebiotics. These short chain fatty acids(SCFA) protect us against obesity, insulin resistance & are anti-inflammatory. The food that can feed bacteria who are high producers of these beneficial nutrients & SCFA should be part of your dietary recommendations. Our microbes also regulate energy extraction, storage & use from our food. In fact our weight management is a function of what microorganisms we have in our gut & what they are doing instead of what we eat. We are generally told that better metabolism can help us maintain a healthy weight. However it turns out that faster metabolism can create oxidative stress & metabolism. As such, a healthy microbiome may be much more important to maintain a healthy weight.
2. Immune system: Your gut microbiome tells your immune system the difference between friend & enemy, thereby making it an integral part of how it functions. In fact, out gut houses 70% of immune cells. This gut-immune communication & relationship is the primary reason why a healthy gut is the cure for chronic diseases. We have discussed this before that imbalance in our gut bacteria can lead to holes in our gut lining & hence leaky gut. Through these gaps, toxins, bacteria & food items can enter the bloodstream & cause widespread inflammation. This has been linked to various chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, autoimmune disorders, allergies, cancer, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, obesity & type1 & type 2 diabetes. In order to eradicate chronic diseases, restoring the gut lining & resetting gut balance is the only solution. However, the problem with most of the gut health protocols is they are generalised. Thereby, learning which bacteria are active in your gut & what they are doing, Genefitletics provide you dietary recommendations specific for your body. Personalised nutrition is the future of preventive health.
3. Mental Health: Do you experience that sinking feeling in your gut or butterflies in your stomach when you have an important meeting coming up or you are up for your performance appraisal? This is your gut communicating with your brain. Gut communicates with the brain & vice versa through the vagus nerve. In fact, 90% of our happy neurotransmitter- serotonin is produced by our gut not by brain. Changes in our gut microbiome is linked with our mood, behavior, pain tolerance, emotional & cognitive responses & mental health.
4. Hormone balance: Gut microbiome is an essential part of the endocrine system & plays an important role in maintaining hormone balance. Hormones are circulated throughout the body to keep all systems in order & for this to happen Healthy gut microbiome is essential. If our gut microbiome goes out of balance, it disrupts hormone harmony. The effect of hormonal imbalance can spread throughout the body & can cause havoc on your health ranging from weight gain to thyroid malfunction
5. Gut-Skin connection: Our gut also influences appearance of our skin by influencing:
   • Inflammation
   • Oxidative stress
   • Glycemic response
   • Opportunistic Bacteria

All these factors impact our skin & are influenced by microorganisms living in the gut. When it comes to autoimmune conditions such as Acne, eczema, rosacea, our gut is known to be a major reason for worsening of these conditions. In fact, maintaining a healthy gut microbiome is so important that all the creams & lotions females use for skin is entirely a waste of money. Resetting & optimising your gut microbiome opens up the door for improving our skin health.

6. Heart health: Certain metabolites released by our gut such as TMAO  as a result of consuming a lot of animal fat & protein can increase risk of attracting cardiovascular diseases. This high level of TMAO occurs when bacteria in our gut convert choline & cartenine( coming from poultry, fish, red meat, broccoli) into trimethylamine- TMA which is absorbed by the body & converted into TMAO( harmful compound). This is the reason why we should reduce our consumption of red meat, high protein( legumes) & poultry foods. However this choline & cartenine is converted into TMA if your gut bacteria has a certain category of microbes. If you have a high level of gammaproteobacteria in your gut which can actually facilitate this conversion, a high choline & cartenine diet is going to create heart issues.

So the question arises how we can improve the health of our gut microbiome?

Promoting diversity of microorganisms is key to improving our gut health since a diverse gut is more resilient to the changes. Besides, our gut microbiome does much better when we have better biodiversity. Diverse gut  bacteria can help in spreading & sharing burden better. 

Diverse & abundant gut microbiome provides your body with a wide array of metabolites since your gut microbiome essentially produces beneficial nutrients such as short chain fatty acids. 

We at Genefitletics are focused on building a disease free world & improving the health span of people by introducing them to bacteria & other microorganisms living in our gut. If you are suffering from fatigue, low on energy, headache, brain fog or frequent bloating, probably your gut microbiome is our of balance. Our Gut intelligence solution helps you learn about opportunistic pathogens & provide personalised dietary recommendations that can increase production of SCFA & eradicate pathogens. Start your disease free journey here.

Source:

https://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/outbreaks/multistate-outbreaks/outbreaks-list.html

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4815357/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24892638/