Chronic Inflammation In People Living With Gaucher Disease
Understanding inflammation is crucial to managing Gaucher disease. Inflammation is the way your body responds to the stimulus of an unidentified cell or other material.
When your body notices signs of intrusion, such as a virus, bacterium, allergen, or injury, it reacts by swarming the area with immune cells. These cells surround and attack the intruder, causing swelling, redness, and a rise in your temperature.
After a small injury, a healthy immune system calms the inflammation within a few hours or days. Your body clears away the excess cells and you return to your usual condition. Chronic inflammation develops when your body cant effectively eliminate the issue thats causing the inflammation.
Gaucher disease brings with it a higher-than-typical level of inflammation, researchers have found. When your body also reacts to other stimuli because of gut inflammation, it could also exacerbate Gaucher symptoms.
For people with Gaucher disease, the immune system may overreact to just about any stimulus, causing a state of chronic inflammation that can even worsen Gaucher symptoms.
Foster Gut Health By Diversifying Your Diet
Maurice explains that most people who are sick with a gut-related diseaseor even other conditions, like diabetes and allergieshave one thing in common: a lack of variety in their microbial populations. Its clear that a healthy gut is a diversely-populated gut, and one of the best ways to build a diverse bacterial community is to eat a wide range of healthy foods.
Support The Integrity Of The Gut Lining
The lining of your gut wall needs to work hard to maintain intestinal permeability, or the right balance of letting nutrients leave to be used by cells all over the body and preventing harmful pathogens and undigested food from leaving the GI tract. Bacteria help maintain the mucous membrane portion of the gut lining, preventing conditions like leaky gut where it becomes much harder to maintain the proper amount of intestinal permeability.
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Limit Your Alcohol Intake
Drinking too much may negatively affect your microbiome, too. Repeated alcohol use is linked to gastritis, an irritation of the gut in which it becomes inflamed. Such inflammation can lead to heartburn, chronic discomfort, ulcers and bacterial infections.
Drinking too much is also associated with intestinal inflammation, which is a sign of an unhealthy gut. Research suggests that this kind of inflammation alters the microbiotaincluding how well it worksand can throw it off balance.
Utilize Stress Reduction Techniques
Regulating stress is a crucial aspect of restoring your microbiome. Studies done in animals noted that even short-term exposure to psychological stressors could begin to shift the composition of your intestinal flora away from beneficial microbes like lactobacilli. But stress doesnt come from psychological factors alone. Other triggers include environmental stressors and an exacerbation of physical symptoms, among others.
To get your stress levels under control, engaging in mind-body activities like meditation, prayer, deep breathing, guided imagery, and restorative yoga can help bring on the calm. If you find it particularly challenging to strike a balance in your life, you might find it helpful to talk with a therapist and implement a more personalized treatment protocol like cognitive behavioral therapy or mindfulness-based cognitive therapy .
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How And When The Microbiome Is Developed
The development of the microbiome in humans is mostly complete within the first few years of life, and it is now thought that how it is formed has long-lasting effects. The 2013 University of Alberta study performed on mice found that the first microbes introduced into the gut were consistently the most prominent later on. The study outlines that the order in which microbes enter the gut directly correlates to how they survive and thrive in the body.
This means that your whole life could be impacted by one single bacteria entering your system mere days earlier than another. For instance, if the first microbe that enters you is the one found to be associated with weight gain, you are more likely to become obese than someone who is introduced to that same microbe later in the process of their microbiome development. The same goes for the multitude of bacteria that scientists suspect have strong associations with certain chronic illnesses.
So how exactly do these microbes get into the body in the first place? Where are our first microbes coming from?
Improve Your Gut Microbiome Today For The 4rs
There are a number of factors that contribute to the health of your gut microbiome, including your environment, the amount of exercise and sleep you get, and of course, stress. But the number one factor that determines what microbes live in your gut is your diet.
In Functional Medicine, there is a very successful protocol called the 4Rs, which stands for Remove, Replace, Reinoculate, and Repair. There are many resources for learning more about the 4 Rs. I like Raphael Kellman, M.D.s book, The Microbiome Diet: The Scientifically Proven Way to Restore Your Gut Health and Achieve Permanent Weight Loss.
The beautiful thing about the 4Rs protocol is that it doesnt have to be followed in order. Once you remove the processed foods and toxins from your diet, you can start doing all of the remaining 3 steps together. Unless you suffer from a serious digestive disorder or other condition, you can follow the 4Rs on your own. Or, find a practitioner who can tailor the protocol to your specific needs.
Here are my suggestions for following the 4Rs and improving your gut microbiome starting today:
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Eat Foods Rich In Polyphenols
Polyphenols are plant compounds that have many health benefits, including reductions in blood pressure, inflammation, cholesterol levels, and oxidative stress .
Human cells cant always digest polyphenols. Because they arent absorbed efficiently, most polyphenols make their way to the colon, where they are digested by gut bacteria (
- blueberries
- broccoli
Polyphenols from cocoa can increase the amount of Bifidobacteria and lactobacilli in humans and reduce the quantity of Clostridia .
Furthermore, these changes in the microbiome are associated with lower levels of triglycerides and C-reactive protein, which is a marker of inflammation .
The polyphenols in red wine have similar effects and have even been shown to increase levels of beneficial bacteria in people with metabolic syndrome .
Summary
Polyphenols cant be digested efficiently by human cells, but they are efficiently broken down by the gut microbiota. They may improve several health outcomes related to heart disease and inflammation.
Give Your Gut Bugs A Break
Try to avoid or limit snacking, and aim to give your gut bugs time to rest overnight. At night, there is a whole team of gut microbes that work to clean up your gut lining and keep it healthy. This regular cleaning is important for supporting a healthy gut and immune system. By giving your gut bugs a break, they’ll have time to recover to do their job well.
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How To Improve Your Gut Microbiome In 6 Steps
This microscopic systems responsible for almost every aspect of our well-being and even has an impact on our mental health. So, its worth taking a look at how were caring for this vital part of our physiology.
Heres how to improve gut microbiome functioning and give your body the boost it needs.
Future Areas Of Research
The microbiome is a living dynamic environment where the relative abundance of species may fluctuate daily, weekly, and monthly depending on diet, medication, exercise, and a host of other environmental exposures. However, scientists are still in the early stages of understanding the microbiomes broad role in health and the extent of problems that can occur from an interruption in the normal interactions between the microbiome and its host.
Some current research topics:
- How the microbiome and their metabolites influence human health and disease.
- What factors influence the framework and balance of ones microbiome.
- The development of probiotics as a functional food and addressing regulatory issues.
Specific areas of interest:
- Factors that affect the microbiome of pregnant women, infants, and the pediatric population.
- Manipulating microbes to resist disease and respond better to treatments.
- Differences in the microbiome between healthy individuals and those with chronic disease such as diabetes, gastrointestinal diseases, obesity, cancers, and cardiovascular disease.
- Developing diagnostic biomarkers from the microbiome to identify diseases before they develop.
- Alteration of the microbiome through transplantation of microbes between individuals .
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If You Can Breastfeed For At Least 6 Months
A babys microbiome begins to properly develop at birth. However, studies suggest that babies may be exposed to some bacteria even before birth .
During the first 2 years of life, an infants microbiome is continuously developing and is rich in beneficial Bifidobacteria, which can digest the sugars found in breast milk .
Many studies have shown that infants who are fed formula have an altered microbiome with fewer Bifidobacteria than infants who are breastfed (
38 ).
A number of studies have shown that vegetarian diets may benefit the gut microbiome, which may be due to their high fiber content.
For example, one small 2013 study found that a vegetarian diet led to reduced levels of disease-causing bacteria in people with obesity, as well as reductions in body weight, inflammation, and cholesterol levels .
A 2019 review noted that plant foods are rich in specific nutrients that can increase levels of beneficial bacteria and decrease harmful strains of bacteria to support gut health .
However, it is unclear if the benefits of a vegetarian diet on the gut microbiome are due to a lack of meat intake or if other factors may also play a role.
Summary
Vegetarian and vegan diets may improve the microbiome. However, it is unclear if the positive effects associated with these diets can be attributed to a lack of meat intake or if other factors may be involved.
Dont Give Up Cheese In The Name Of Gut Health
Could cheese be good for gut health? It seems increasingly likely. A study conducted by the American Chemical Society found that people who ate cheese had higher levels of a certain byproduct of gut bacteria thats been associated with a reduction in cholesterol. Theres a caveat, however: Maurice says its mostly unpasteurized cheeses that have those good-for-you microbes.
Find out 14 more foods you should stop demonizing.
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Dysbiosis Of Microbiome And Later Life Disruptions
A healthy microbiome provides many benefits and can help stave off bad bacteria to keep you from getting sick. As studies have shown, there are many early life factors that can cause you to have an unreliable microbiome, but there are also circumstances later in life that can put your microbiome into a bad state.
When the microbiome becomes unbalanced and the good bacteria that normally keep it balanced dissipate, something known as dysbiosis happens. Dysbiosis is what happens when the microbiome is disrupted by something environmental. Diet, stress, pollution, and antibiotics for example can all affect your microbiota and send your microbiome into dysbiosis, which could onset chronic illness and other serious health issues.
The effects of this have been seen in people who have taken Accutane in their teens to treat acne, only to report severe repercussions of such heavy antibiotic use later on.There is a class action lawsuit of people who have taken the antibiotic medication and, as they claim, later developed Ulcerative Colitis as a result of its use. There seems to be a correlation between the overuse of antibiotics and the rise of Chronic Diseases as a whole.
So, the microbiome can be placed out of whack, but does that mean you become a lost cause if this happens? There are some ways in which scientists and medical practitioners are trying to reverse some of this dysbiosis, and put the microbiome back in good standing.
Research Suggests That We All Have A Unique Combination Of Gut Microbes
This means that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to improving gut health. Even so, there are several simple, actionable things that you can try today that your gut bugs will thank you for!
We sat down with Professor Tim Spector, one of the world’s leading gut microbiome researchers and a co-founder of ZOE, to discover his top 5 top gut health tips that anyone can use to start the journey towards a healthier gut today.
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Does All Disease Begin In Your Gut The Surprising Truth
More than 2,000 years ago, Hippocrates the father of modern medicine suggested that all disease begins in the gut.
While some of his wisdom has stood the test of time, you may wonder whether he was right in this regard.
This article tells you all you need to know about the connection between your gut and disease risk.
Though Hippocrates was incorrect in suggesting that all disease begins in your gut, evidence shows that many chronic metabolic diseases do.
Your gut bacteria and the integrity of your gut lining strongly affect your health. .
According to numerous studies, undesirable bacterial products called endotoxins can sometimes leak through your gut lining and enter your bloodstream (
3 ).
Some hypothesize that this diet-induced inflammation may trigger insulin and leptin resistance driving factors for type 2 diabetes and obesity, respectively. Its also believed to cause fatty liver disease.
At the very least, inflammation has been strongly linked to many of the worlds most serious conditions (
Nonetheless, keep in mind that this area of research is rapidly developing, and current theories may be overhauled in the future.
SUMMARY
Though not all disease begins in the gut, many chronic metabolic conditions are hypothesized to be caused or influenced by chronic gut inflammation.
Inflammation is your immune systems response to foreign invaders, toxins, or cell injury.
17 ).
29 ).
What Affects Gut Microbiome
A thriving gut microbiome is in part created by your DNA and in part by your nutrition as you grew up — everyones gut microbiomes are different. But that balance can also be tipped by your current lifestyle choices. The foods we eat, our stress levels, and our sleep patterns are just some examples of how we can inadvertently affect our gut microbiome health and therefore our overall health.
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How To Increase Good Bacteria In The Gut Naturally
A good gut diet requires lots of dietary fibres, called prebiotics. You know, the ones found in natural, plant-based foods? Your gut bacteria love them!
The probiotics we mentioned above thrive on prebiotics many of which are the non-digestible carbohydrates in fruit, veg, seeds, grains, and pulses. However, the Western diet is low in foods that promote healthy gut flora, but high in fat, meat, and refined sugar.
Ultimately, this affects our health by reducing healthy gut bacteria and increasing our risk of weight gain, metabolic problems, chronic inflammation, and disease. Fortunately, its an easy problem to solve because your gut bacteria love edible plants.
In Short Heres How To Have A Healthy Gut
Never to underestimate the importance of gut health when it comes to your body and wellbeing. Its home to trillions of bacteria, not to mention actual human cells, that work hard to keep you fit and well. Your lifestyle can have a serious impact on this balance.
Making simple positive changes like more fiber in your diet, more exercise, and less unnecessary medication is how to get a healthy gut and wholesome gut microbiome. Just remember, you really do have the power to change, one step at a time.
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How To Restore Your Gut Microbiome
Deborah Freudenmann BHSc
The human microbiome is a collection of trillions of microorganisms which populate your intestines. Your microbiome is essentially its very own complex ecosystem. Although the microbiome consists of a diverse range of microorganisms , it is primarily populated with bacteria which are located in your gut.
Your microbiome is a complex ecological community, which communicates, cross feeds, combines, evolves with you and your environment. The symbiotic relationship between your body and your gut is important to understand. You depend on your gut microbiome and your gut microbiome depends on you. One cannot thrive without the other. The micro-organisms living in our gut perform a wide range of useful and health promoting activities, however they can also be responsible for the development of different diseases.
In the modern world, your human microbiome is often exposed to harmful factors. Poor dietary and lifestyle habits as well as increased stress levels decrease the diversity and effectiveness of your microbiomes functions. All of these factors lead to an increased chance of developing various chronic conditions.
For maintaining your long-term health, prioritisation of your microbiomes health is necessary.
What Is The Microbiome
Picture a bustling city on a weekday morning, the sidewalks flooded with people rushing to get to work or to appointments. Now imagine this at a microscopic level and you have an idea of what the microbiome looks like inside our bodies, consisting of trillions of microorganisms of thousands of different species. These include not only bacteria but fungi, parasites, and viruses. In a healthy person, these bugs coexist peacefully, with the largest numbers found in the small and large intestines but also throughout the body. The microbiome is even labeled a supporting organ because it plays so many key roles in promoting the smooth daily operations of the human body.
Each person has an entirely unique network of microbiota that is originally determined by ones DNA. A person is first exposed to microorganisms as an infant, during delivery in the birth canal and through the mothers breast milk. Exactly which microorganisms the infant is exposed to depends solely on the species found in the mother. Later on, environmental exposures and diet can change ones microbiome to be either beneficial to health or place one at greater risk for disease.
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