Showing posts with label Bacteria. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bacteria. Show all posts

Monday, March 8, 2021

Your gut microbiome defends against Covid-19, so keep it healthy

Source Website: https://www.asiaone.com/lifestyle/your-gut-microbiome-defends-against-covid-19-so-keep-it-healthy
By Tara Loader Wilkinson, South China Morning Post, Asiaone, 07 March 2021 at 4:00 pm


70 per cent of our immune system is in or around the gut, according to South African celebrity doctor Frank Lipman, bestselling author of six books.
PHOTO: 70 per cent of our immune system is in or around the gut, according to South African celebrity doctor Frank Lipman, bestselling author of six books.
Picture from Facebook/digestivesystem123
Picture posted by Tara Loader Wilkinson, South China Morning Post, Asiaone on 07 March 2021 at 4:00 pm
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It’s a part of our body that most of us rarely think about, but our gut microbiome is absolutely critical to our well-being. The billions of bacteria that live in our intestines help convert our food into energy, protect against pathogens, educate our immune system and affect, directly or indirectly, our entire health.

In fact, 70 per cent of our immune system is in or around the gut, according to South African celebrity doctor Frank Lipman, bestselling author of six books, How To Be Well, The New Health Rules, 10 Reasons You Feel Old and Get Fat, Revive, Total Renewal and his latest, The New Rules of Aging Well.


'Gut health': a new objective in medicine?
PHOTO: 'Gut health': a new objective in medicine?
The intestine's impact on health. The gastrointestinal tract contributes to health by ensuring digestion and absorption of nutrients, minerals and fluids; by induction of mucosal and systemic tolerance; by defence of the host against infectious and other pathogens; and by signalling from the periphery to the brain.
Picture posted by BMC Medicine on 14 March 2011
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https://bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1741-7015-9-24


“The gut is our internal barrier protecting us from the outside world, all these foreign particles that you eat and drink. That alone tells you how important the microbiome is for immunity,” Lipman says.

Not so long ago many people considered gut health a taboo subject, says Dr Ursula Levine, an Austrian-born medical doctor who works at medical spas including the Lanserhof at the Arts Club in London’s Mayfair.


Dr Ursula Levine, works at medical spas including the Lanserhof at the Arts Club in London’s Mayfair.
PHOTO: Dr Ursula Levine, works at medical spas including the Lanserhof at the Arts Club in London’s Mayfair.
PHOTO: Ursula Levine
Picture posted by Tara Loader Wilkinson, South China Morning Post, Asiaone on 07 March 2021 at 4:00 pm
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“Back in the ’90s, gut health was not dinner conversation,” she says. “Even now, some of our patients still think we’re talking about breaking wind when we speak of gut health.”

Now that more people are suffering digestive issues or diseases linked to gut health, known as dysbiosis, the subject has taken on greater recognition. In Hong Kong today, about 40 per cent of the local population suffers from poor gut health.

Lipman believes that the developed world is suffering from “a poor gut health epidemic”. He treats patients of all ages, but increasingly women in their early 20s and 30s, suffering from symptoms including digestive problems, skin issues, depression, fatigue, weight issues, hormone issues and mood swings. All of these he puts down to an imbalance in the gut microbiome, treatable with a change in diet, lifestyle and supplements.


Lipman believes that the developed world is suffering from 'a poor gut health epidemic'.
PHOTO: Lipman believes that the developed world is suffering from “a poor gut health epidemic”. He treats patients of all ages, but increasingly women in their early 20s and 30s, suffering from symptoms including digestive problems, skin issues, depression, fatigue, weight issues, hormone issues and mood swings. All of these he puts down to an imbalance in the gut microbiome, treatable with a change in diet, lifestyle and supplements.
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Additional reasons for the decline of gut health can be found on the surface of our agricultural produce, in the form of herbicides, insecticides, fungicides and harvest aids. Glyphosate, for example, the main ingredient in the controversial weedkiller Roundup, is the most commonly found chemical herbicide on the planet – and there is growing research to support that it causes cancer.

The chances are that some of the food you eat will contain this chemical, particularly if you live in the US, says Lipman. “Problems with our gut start when the lining, which is very thin, gets damaged, often by chemicals found in or on foods,” he says. “That is when you get a leaky gut, and metabolites from the bacteria in your microbiome can leak into the bloodstream and cause an inflammatory immune system reaction.”


Additional reasons for the decline of gut health can be found on the surface of our agricultural produce, in the form of herbicides, insecticides, fungicides and harvest aids.
Additional reasons for the decline of gut health can be found on the surface of our agricultural produce, in the form of herbicides, insecticides, fungicides and harvest aids.
PHOTO: Additional reasons for the decline of gut health can be found on the surface of our agricultural produce, in the form of herbicides, insecticides, fungicides and harvest aids. Glyphosate, for example, the main ingredient in the controversial weedkiller Roundup, is the most commonly found chemical herbicide on the planet – and there is growing research to support that it causes cancer.
Picture posted by girltripped, WinterWolf Studios on 27 September 2010 - Carrot thief
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Worryingly, he is noticing more young people suffering from autoimmune diseases, which he believes can be traced back to too many antibiotics prescribed in childhood or teenage years. A leaky gut can almost always be healed, he says, usually starting with prebiotics – compounds in food that induce the growth or activity of beneficial microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi; a detox programme; postbiotics (by-products of the fermentation of probiotics); and supplements including fish oil, omega 3 and fatty acids.

Our gut issues are also self-inflicted. Levine believes that our guts are increasingly unbalanced by the amount of processed food and sugar we consume. Hong Kong adults are estimated to be eating twice the recommended level of salt, and too much sugar. The World Health Organisation recommends people eat no more than five grams of salt – slightly less than one level teaspoon, and no more than 50g of sugar – about 10 cubes, per day.

Looking after our gut is even more crucial during the coronavirus pandemic. A recent study by the Chinese University of Hong Kong found that imbalances in gut bacteria are linked to the severity of the disease.

In the study, which collected blood, stool samples and patient records from 100 Covid-19 patients 30 days after being discharged from hospital, certain bacteria were under-represented compared with non-Covid-19 patients. The report suggested that the immune response was weaker in those with fewer bacteria.

Lipman hopes that a silver lining of Covid-19 will be to make people realise the importance of a strong immune system to deal with novel viruses and other public health crises.

“There is a correlation between the health of the gut microbiome and how you’re going to deal with [Covid-19]. If people are generally unhealthy, the same thing will happen again, another year.”


Functional medicine doctor and author Frank Lipman.
How to replenish your gut

Lipman and Levine suggest the following ways to safeguard your digestive system.

Antibiotics indiscriminately kill bad and good bacteria, but if you must take a course, take a probiotic to restore healthy gut flora.

Increase your intake of resistant starch, a carbohydrate that resists digestion in the small intestine and ferments in the large intestine to act as a prebiotic and feed the good bacteria in the gut. It is found in oats and in cooked, cooled potatoes and cooked, cooled rice.

Eat plants of lots of different colours but especially leafy greens, ideally 30 different varieties of fruit and vegetables a week. Blue or purple plants contain antioxidants, yellow or orange plants contain carotenoids/vitamin A.


Antibiotics indiscriminately kill bad and good bacteria, but if you must take a course, take a probiotic to restore healthy gut flora.
PHOTO: Antibiotics indiscriminately kill bad and good bacteria, but if you must take a course, take a probiotic to restore healthy gut flora.
Increase your intake of resistant starch, a carbohydrate that resists digestion in the small intestine and ferments in the large intestine to act as a prebiotic and feed the good bacteria in the gut. It is found in oats and in cooked, cooled potatoes and cooked, cooled rice.
Eat plants of lots of different colours but especially leafy greens, ideally 30 different varieties of fruit and vegetables a week. Blue or purple plants contain antioxidants, yellow or orange plants contain carotenoids/vitamin A.
Picture posted by Ding Yi, yiding@caixin.com on 03 March 2021 at 06:17 pm
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https://www.caixinglobal.com/2021-03-05/south-korean-ev-battery-makers-misconduct-extraordinary-says-us-trade-agency-101671042.html


Eat fermented foods such as sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir and sourdough bread to increase healthy gut flora.

Limit processed foods, fried foods, alcohol, caffeine and sugar.

Non-organic fruit and vegetables often are treated with pesticides which can damage the gut’s lining, so where possible buy organic. You can also buy vegetable soaps to wash your produce before consuming.


Where possible buy organic.
PHOTO: Where possible buy organic. You can also buy vegetable soaps to wash your produce before consuming.
Picture posted by Vietnam Insider on 17 April 2020
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Try fasting to give your digestion a rest, such as the 5:2 diet – eat normally for five days a week and on the other two, have only about a quarter of the calories for your daily needs, about 500 or 600. Or try intermittent fasting, in which you eat only during a restricted window each day, say from 2pm to 8pm.

This article was first published in South China Morning Post.


Limit processed foods, fried foods, alcohol, caffeine and sugar.
Limit processed foods, fried foods, alcohol, caffeine and sugar.
PHOTO: Limit processed foods, fried foods, alcohol, caffeine and sugar. Eat normally for five days a week and on the other two, have only about a quarter of the calories for your daily needs, about 500 or 600.
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By Tara Loader Wilkinson, South China Morning Post, Asiaone, 07 March 2021 at 4:00 pm
Reference
[1] Tara Loader Wilkinson, South China Morning Post, Asiaone, Your gut microbiome defends against Covid-19, so keep it healthy, posted on 07 March 2021 at 4:00 pm, https://www.asiaone.com/lifestyle/your-gut-microbiome-defends-against-covid-19-so-keep-it-healthy


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Tuesday, August 30, 2011

A dose of friendly bacteria

Today, Tuesday, August 30, 2011, Page T6, Health
From http://imcmsimages.mediacorp.sg/CMSFileserver/documents/006/PDF/20110830/3008HLP034.pdf
Source Website: http://www.todayonline.com/Health/EDC110830-0000176/A-dose-of-friendly-bacteria
By Eveline Gan, eveline@mediacorp.com.sg, 04:46 AM Aug 30, 2011



PHOTO: Yoghurt
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Just how effective are probiotics?
IF YOU are a regular supermarket-goer, you would have probably noticed a mindboggling number of probiotic beverages, dairy products and even baby formula lining the aisles.

Food products containing "live cultures" or "friendly bacteria" have been around for years. Good sources of probiotics include yoghurt, soy beverages, fermented and unfermented milk and miso. In recent years, however, food manufacturers have become more adventurous with their offerings.

Not the sort to slurp up yoghurt? Well, you could still get your daily dose of probiotics in the form of powder, capsule or a snack bar.

For the uninitiated, probiotics are "beneficial microbes" that exist naturally as part of the intestinal microbiota, said Dr Reuben Wong, consultant and assistant professor at the Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at National University Hospital.

"We tend to think of bacteria as dangerous and disease-causing, but 'good' bacteria are actually essential components of the ecosystem in our gut," explained Dr Wong.




PHOTO: What are Probiotics?
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A healthy gut to stimulate immunity
Professor Hania Szajewska from the Department of Paediatrics at The Medical University of Warsaw told TODAY that "disturbances in gut microbiota during early life may have consequences extending into adulthood".

Gut microbiota plays an important role in developing immunity. Certain diseases such as asthma, allergy, obesity, Type 1 diabetes and inflammatory bowel disease have been linked to abnormal intestinal colonisation, said Prof Szajewska, who was in town in July to share clinical evidence on the use of probiotics during pregnancy and lactation.

Prof Szajewska said the use of probiotics during pregnancy and breastfeeding may be a "promising strategy" in reducing the child's risk of developing certain diseases later in life.


Relieve certain tummy woes
According to Dr Wong, there is good evidence for the use of probiotics in relieving gastrointestinal conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome - it has been found to improve consistency of runny stools and reduce tummy pain.

In children, probiotics are also used to treat gastroenteritis, added Dr Wong. It also helps to reduce the duration and severity of diarrhoea.

According to Mr Kua Chong Han, a patient care pharmacist at Guardian Health and Beauty, who is also in the Ministry of Health's Food Drug Administration Instructions Committee, those who experience tummy discomfort and diarrhoea from taking antibiotics may also benefit from probiotics.

Explaining how, Mr Kua said: "Antibiotics kill the foreign bad bacteria in our body. However, inevitably, they may also end up killing the good bacteria in the large intestine that keeps our bowel healthy. This leads to diarrhoea and stomach discomfort after a course of antibiotics."

Mr Kua added that taking probiotic strains consisting of "good bacteria" similar to those found in the intestine, such as Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, may help restore the balance disrupted by antibiotics. He advised taking probiotics at least an hour before consuming antibiotics.



Safe for everyone?
According to the experts, probiotics are generally safe and have little side effects for most people.

However, Prof Szajewska said caution should be taken for the critically ill, those with a compromised immunity, such as those on chemotherapy, and pre-term infants.

She added that not all strains of probiotics are equal. It is important for consumers to choose a probiotic product from a recognised manufacturer. The safety and effectiveness of the product should be supported by clinical trials, said Prof Szajewska.

Dr Wong also stressed that probiotics are "not a panacea for all ailments".

"There are lots of claims on how probiotics can do everything from strengthening immune system to reducing allergies but you will need to study the evidence carefully before drawing any conclusions," he said.

Dr Wong offered this advice: Check out the evidence to find out which specific strains and formulations have undergone clinical trials. Then, if the product helps with your symptoms, stick with it.


The skinny on probiotics - tips from the experts on what to look out for
  • Go with well-established brands and reputable retailers, advised patient care pharmacist Kua Chong Han.

"Online retailers may not be subjected to the same strict regulations," he said. A good brand will list the full names of the strains, the number of colony-forming units (CFU), dosage and storage conditions. It may also list the studied clinical benefits of each strain and support its claims with studies.

  • Check with your healthcare professional before starting a probiotic product, or if you experience any side effects.
  • Remember that while probiotics can be used as a complement to your medical treatment, they should not be used as a complete replacement for prescribed medical care.
By Eveline Gan, eveline@mediacorp.com.sg, 04:46 AM Aug 30, 2011


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