Neurology Germs in your gut and brain diseases

Angela

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I've been reading a lot about this. It's very important.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/28/health/microbiome-brain-behavior-dementia.html

"Research continues to turn up remarkable links between the microbiome and the brain. Scientists are finding evidence that microbiome may play a role not just in Alzheimer’s disease, but Parkinson’s disease, depression, schizophrenia, autism and other conditions."

"One of the skeptics at that Alzheimer’s meeting was Sangram Sisodia, a neurobiologist at the University of Chicago. He wasn’t swayed by Dr. Cryan’s talk, but later he decided to put the idea to a simple test.
“It was just on a lark,” said Dr. Sisodia. “We had no idea how it would turn out.”

He and his colleagues gave antibiotics to mice prone to develop a version of Alzheimer’s disease, in order to kill off much of the gut bacteria in the mice. Later, when the scientists inspected the animals’ brains, they found far fewer of the protein clumps linked to dementia."
"Following a string of similar experiments, he now suspects that just a few species in the gut — perhaps even one — influence the course of Alzheimer’s disease, perhaps by releasing chemical that alters how immune cells work in the brain."

"
Studies of humans revealed some surprising patterns, too. Children with autism have unusual patterns of microbial species in their stool. Differences in the gut bacteria of people with a host of other brain-based conditions also have been reported."

"A mutation in a gene called SHANK3 can cause mice to groom themselves repetitively and avoid contact with other mice, for example.In another mouse strain, Dr. Costa-Mattioli found that feeding mothers a high-fat diet makes it more likely their pups will behave this way.
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When the researchers investigated the microbiomes of these mice, they found the animals lacked a common species called Lactobacillus reuteri. When they added a strain of that bacteria to the diet, the animals became social again.
Dr. Costa-Mattioli found evidence that L. reuteri releases compounds that send a signal to nerve endings in the intestines. The vagus nerve sends these signals from the gut to the brain, where they alter production of a hormone called oxytocin that promotes social bonds.
Other microbial species also send signals along the vagus nerve, it turns out. Still others communicate with the brain via the bloodstream."

"Dr. Costa-Mattioli hopes that L. reuteri some day will help some people with autism, but he warns parents against treating their children with store-bought probiotics. Some strains of L. reuteri alter the behavior of mice, he’s found, and others don’t.

Dr. Costa-Mattioli and his colleagues are still searching for the most effective strain and figuring out the right dose to try on people. “You want to go into a clinical trial with the best weapon, and I’m not sure we have it,” he said.
Katarzyna B. Hooks, a computational biologist at the University of Bordeaux in France, warned that studies like Dr. Costa-Mattioli’s are still unusual. Most of these findings come from research with fecal transplants or germ-free mice — experiments in which it’s especially hard to pinpoint the causes of changes in behavior."

Another recent study found a link between gum disease bacteria and Alzheimers.

I hope they hurry up and find the precise bacteria strains which are bad and which are good, but in the meantime it might not hurt to take a pro-biotic.






 
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Very interesting and intriguing, though a lot more research is needed to avoiding wrong conclusions. For now we have to make sure our diet and gut bacteria is balanced, right for one's body. There are few signs that give as hits. For example, farts don't stink, poop is medium consistency, not sticky, medium in colour, and comes out quick and on schedule. :) Then a person knows that the gut is happy and healthy.
Changing diet is drastik for a gut and its bacteria, expect gut revolution and stinky farts. Change diet slowly, or better yet stick with fairly similar diet every week if it works for you. Eat good quality ingredients and avoid fast food and soft drinks.
Also in a healthy balanced body sweat doesn't stink or stink much. The same with one's breath. Stinky breath indicates big microbiome mess in one's stomach, mouth or rotten teeth.
Bad diet can also manifest itself on one's skin with infestation of zits all over the body, including face. I've seen many young girls with terrible skin who like to experiment with variety of diets, or limited diet because of food phobias, including vegan one. Good luck explaining to them that these things are connected. ;)
 
Interesting is what this means for the potential of Rifaximin - it's an antibiotic, but absorbed so poorly that it only acts locally in the gut. Perhaps a three day treatment followed by probiotics of beneficial butyrate-producing strains of bacteria would be a good path to go down.
 

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