Gut Microbes May Lead to Therapies for Mental Illness, UTSW Researcher Reports

AHA Publisher — Fri, 16 Sep 2022 07:00:45 +0000

UT Southwestern Medical Center via Newswise – The role of the microbiome in intestinal and systemic health has garnered close attention among researchers for many years. Now evidence is mounting that this collection of microorganisms in the human gut can also impact a person’s neurological and emotional health, according to a recent perspective article in Science by a UT Southwestern researcher. Neuroscientist Jane Foster, Ph.D., Professor of Psychiatry at UT Southwestern and a leading expert on the microbiome, outlines how scientists are unraveling the relationship of the microbiome to the brain, including connections to diseases such as depression and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Dr. Foster, who was the first to link microbes in the guts of mice to anxiety, said animal studies have revealed certain microbes and related metabolites that increase anxiety-like behavior and brain function. Translating these findings to clinical populations could lead to novel therapies to improve symptoms and clinical outcomes. Dr. Foster joined UT Southwestern and its Center for Depression Research and Clinical Care (CDRC) in May to lead the effort to connect the dots between a person’s 39 trillion gut microbes and their propensity for brain disease. She previously served as Professor at McMaster University in Ontario and co-molecular lead of The Canadian Biomarker Integration Network in Depression (CAN-BIND). “People who are at risk for depression or diagnosed with depression are heterogeneous. So we want to use biology to understand the biomarkers that can help define the different clusters of people,” Dr. Foster said. She said UT Southwestern’s approach, which is built on the premise that clinical care and research go hand-in-hand, attracted her to join the center. “That holistic approach is necessary if we are going to find better answers for people suffering with mental illness,” Dr. Foster said. The CDRC conducts research in unipolar and bipolar depression to better understand the causes of depression, identify new treatments, and improve existing ones. “I am very pleased that we were able to recruit Dr. Foster to join our center, given our continuing goal to investigate the biosignature of mental health through a multipronged approach,” said Madhukar H. Trivedi, M.D., Professor of Psychiatry and Director of the CDRC. Drs. Foster and Trivedi previously collaborated to look for immune markers in blood samples obtained through CAN-BIND to see how inflammation might influence depression, and in stool samples collected from participants in the longitudinal Texas Resilience Against Depression study. If the sample from a patient with depression yields certain microbes that are associated with treatment success from certain antidepressants or therapies, this may drive personalized medicine for this patient. “Currently we have a host of treatment choices, yet decisions are predominantly based on behavior and self-report, and imaging and EEGs in some cases,” Dr. Foster said. “Antidepressants typically work for just around 40% of people. Other choices include cognitive behavioral therapy, deep brain stimulation, or even exercise and diet. By expanding on the individual patient’s profile, can we now improve the number of people that respond to a particular treatment?” Dr. Trivedi holds the Betty Jo Hay Distinguished Chair in Mental Health, and the Julie K. Hersh Chair for Depression Research and Clinical Care. To read the original article click here.

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This Chemical in Our Food ‘Will Actually Perforate the Wall of the Gut’: Doc Reveals Secrets to Living Longer, Healthier

AHA Publisher — Fri, 15 Jul 2022 07:00:11 +0000

Lorie Johnson via CBN News – A disturbing new study reveals that a dangerous chemical has been found in the urine of a vast majority of Americans. Glyphosate is the pesticide found in Roundup, and it’s so prevalent in the U.S. food supply that it’s now in the urine samples of more than 80 percent of Americans tested in the study, including 87 percent of children. Experts say the chemical has been linked to cancer and other health concerns, and while it has now infiltrated much of the processed foods we buy at grocery stores, many people don’t even know about the dangers it poses. It’s just one of many concerns affecting our health and longevity, but there are ways to limit the risk and live longer. People Are Still Living Longer Living past the age of 100 used to be a rarity. These days, however, people over 100 comprise a fast-growing segment of the population. Just a few years ago, there were about 500,000 centenarians worldwide. The United States has the most: 72,000. Studies from the United Nations predict the world will have more than three million centenarians by 2050. That’s good news unless that population suffers from declining health. In fact, many people say they don’t want to live that long if it means their last decade is spent in a nursing home not being able to do anything or remember anyone. Rethink What It Means to be Old However, needing a home without stairs and taking lots of medications don’t need to go hand-in-hand with aging. One of the world’s leading experts on aging says far too many people equate getting old with poor health and plan accordingly. “We base a lot of our behaviors thinking that this is what’s going to happen to us, but in fact, that doesn’t have to happen,” Dr. Steven Gundry told CBN News. In his book, The Longevity Paradox: How to Die Young at a Ripe Old Age, Dr. Gundry lists the habits of healthy centenarians. “What we know about super old people who are thriving is that they don’t become infirm, they don’t get cancer, they don’t get Alzheimer’s,” Dr. Gundry said. “These people actually have the physiology, have the workings, of a 50-year-old individual.” Build a Better Gut A number of things separate healthy centenarians apart from their sicker counterparts. However, topping the list of what it takes to live a vibrant, disease-free life well into old age is a healthy gut. That means an intestinal tract brimming with good bacteria. “It’s amazing,” he said, “When we look at 105-year-old people around the world, they carry the diverse gut microbiome of 30-year-old people.” Having enough of the right bacteria can prevent just about every type of disease, including inherited ones. “Whether we turn genes on or off with information, and that’s called epigenetics or epigenomics, and it’s that interplay with actually a lot of material that comes from our microbiome telling our genes what to do,” he said. Glyphosate: Avoid Processed Foods for a Healthier Gut Dr. Gundry said the key to a healthy gut microbiome is avoiding processed foods, because of chemical ingredients, especially the pesticide glyphosate. “It’s probably the biggest health problem that people are unaware of,” he warned, “It’s in all of our products, all of our cereals. all of our breads, all of our crackers. A recent study of 35 oat products in the United States found glyphosate, including some very dangerous levels, in every one of the oat products including many of our kids’ cereals including our granola.” Dr. Gundry says in addition to cancer and other health concerns, glyphosate can wipe out good bacteria and even cause a ‘leaky gut.’ “You will actually make perforations in the wall of the gut, and bacterial particles and plant compounds and toxins will get right through the wall of your gut,” he said. A leaky gut can cause migraines, chronic fatigue, and autoimmune diseases like Celiac, according to Gundry. Intermittent Fasting In addition to eating right, robust old-timers go without food altogether for long periods of time. Regularly fasting a minimum of twelve hours within a 24-hour period can trigger the body to eliminate whatever hinders survival. “Fasting, or intermittent fasting, gives us an opportunity to really get all the best cells all the time and that’s what we all want,” said Dr. Gundry. Studies show intermittent fasting helps prevent atherosclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease, and possibly cancer, all while boosting the immune system. The Problem with Pills Another common characteristic of healthy centenarians is they take few drugs or none at all. While many people, such as diabetics, take specific medication, Dr. Gundry maintains healthier choices can even reverse that need. “I have yet to meet a type two who I can’t get off all medications by teaching them how to eat,” he said. “I haven’t met a person who takes a statin drug to lower cholesterol that I can’t get off a statin once I teach them how to eat.” Dr. Gundry says antibiotics and common painkillers can harm the gut microbiome, with even something like an antacid leading to other problems. “And so I see so many people with dementia and congestive heart failure who’ve been taking these drugs chronically,” he said. “In fact, the FDA has a warning on these products that you should never take them longer than two weeks because they’re that dangerous.” Dust Off Those Sneakers Dr. Gundry says exercise keeps the body working well no matter what the calendar says. It improves blood flow, particularly to the brain. Women who exercise routinely during their lifespan have a 90-percent reduction in Alzheimer’s compared to women who don’t. Muscles strengthen bones, thus preventing injury. It turns out that walking against gravity, whether going up or down, is an especially good exercise because it works the area of the body between the knees and the hips, which contains most of our muscle mass. In fact, the five cities worldwide with the highest concentration of centenarians are all very hilly. Those cities are in what’s known as Blue Zones. The only one in the US is Loma Linda, which means ‘beautiful hill’ in Spanish. This California city is not only home to the largest concentration of centenarians in America, but also the largest concentration of Seventh-Day Adventists. That denomination avoids processed foods and drugs while embracing fasting and exercise. Years ago, Dr. Gundry practiced heart surgery in Loma Linda and was inspired by the people and their healthy lifestyle. Not long after that, he shifted the focus of his medical practice to teaching the world how to live strong to a ripe old age. To read the original article click here.

The post This Chemical in Our Food ‘Will Actually Perforate the Wall of the Gut’: Doc Reveals Secrets to Living Longer, Healthier appeared first on Amazing Health Advances.

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Gut Microbes May Lead to Therapies for Mental Illness, UTSW Researcher Reports

This Chemical in Our Food ‘Will Actually Perforate the Wall of the Gut’: Doc Reveals Secrets to Living Longer, Healthier