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“I felt an immediate improvement in my digestive health.”*
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Kristine Thomason
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Tag: gut health
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Want Better Digestion? This Is The Supplement Health Experts Swear By*
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Maqui Berry: 5 Surprising Benefits You’ll Want To Utilize
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“Oxidative stress occurs when the cells in our bodies react to oxygen-reactive species, which can negatively impact our cellular signaling,” optometrist Victor Paul, O.D., of DeCesare Eye Care, tells mindbodygreen. “Environmental stressors—including UV rays and pollutants, to name a few—increase free radicals in our bodies.”
In a 2015 randomized controlled trial (RCT) published by the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, researchers found that maqui berry extract helped improve oxidative status in healthy adults.* You can thank the berry’s phytonutrients anthocyanin and delphinidin for these impressive antioxidant actions.
“Almost all of the proposed benefits of maqui berry [are] because of the high amount of anthocyanin (and, specifically, the bioactive compound delphinidin) in the fruit,” Giovinazzo explains. “The phytonutrient works primarily by promoting a healthy inflammatory pathway in our body. Anthocyanins reduce oxidative stress by combating free radicals, including UV rays (to help promote healthy skin and anti-aging) and lipid peroxidation.”*
In a recent animal study published in Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity, scientists found that oxidative stress implicated cellular structures, giving rise to undesirable conditions and faster aging. The anthocyanin and delphinidin levels in maqui berries promote an overall healthy homeostasis in the body, staving off the oxidative stress linked to such life-disrupting health issues.*
Smaller amounts of free radicals can also promote healthy, youthful skin1 that’s so shiny and bright it almost glows. Studies show that maqui berry combats the enzymes known to break down collagen, keeping the elasticity of your skin cells so they can look as young and vibrant as possible.*
“Initial studies suggest that maqui berry can be good for the skin because it might have some protective effects against premature aging of skin,”* Giovinazzo says. “UV rays can lead to wrinkles and other unwanted skin concerns. The antioxidants in maqui berry can help combat free radicals formed as a result of the sun.” Because of the skin benefits of maqui berry, it can be helpful to anyone that frequently deals with sun exposure.
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Stephanie Osmanski
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These 3 Gut Bacteria Could Contribute To Dementia Risk
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For this research, scientists at Nagoya University in Japan analyzed the gut bacteria of people living with Parkinson’s. Some participants also had dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB).
Lewy bodies are abnormal deposits in the brain that affect thinking, memory, and overall cognitive function. A certain subset of people with Parkison’s develop DLB, but doctors are not yet able to predict who will and why.
Researchers found three bacteria, in particular, to be associated with DLB. They saw patients with DLB had an increase in bacteria genera called Collinsella and Ruminococcus, and a decrease in the genus Bifidobacterium. This finding could prove helpful for the prevention and treatment of Parkinson’s Disease and the associated DLB.
“The presence of intestinal bacteria unique to DLB may explain why some patients develop Parkinson’s disease and others develop DLB first,” Dr. Kinji Ohno, MD., PHD, a lead researcher on the study, said in a press release. “Normalizing the abnormal bacteria shared between DLB and Parkinson’s disease may delay the development of both diseases.”
“Improving the gut microbiota is a stepping stone in the treatment of dementia,” Ohno continued. “Our findings may pave the way for the discovery of new and completely different therapeutics.”
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Jenny Fant
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‘Gut on a Chip’: New Tech a Big Step Forward for Gut Health
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March 9, 2023 – From TikTok to kombucha tea, gut health is having a moment – after we’ve already been hearing about it for years. Rightly so.
Your gut – and its diverse mix of bacteria known as the microbiome – is no longer just about digestion. Gut “health” is also linked to the health of your heart, brain, immune system, and more.
The problem: Much about what’s going in in there and what bacteria populate it at what levels – and how to interpret it all – remains a mystery. Studying the gut is tricky. Animal research may not be useful, because animals have different digestive enzymes and gut bacteria than humans do. And typical lab tests, like growing cells in a petri dish, don’t capture how complex the gut is, a part of the body where many types of cells grow and interact in a moist, flowing, oxygen-free environment.
An emerging technology, called “gut on a chip,” promises to change all that, opening the door to experiments never before possible and promising to advance medical research, according to a new paper in APL Bioengineering.
Your Gut on a Chip
It’s among the latest advances in “organ on a chip” technology, the concept of putting human cells in a device designed to mimic the activity of human organs. Scientists have developed models to simulate such organs as the lung, kidney, and vagina.
To build a gut on a chip, scientists culture cells from gut tissue and bacteria.
“These cells don’t grow easily,” says study author Amin Valiei, PhD, a post-doctoral scholar at the University of California, Berkeley. “They need a specific environment.”
To create that environment, researchers put the cells inside tiny channels designed to allow the flow of fluids and mimic forces found in the gut. That means the cells can interact with each other as they would inside the human body.
“These models are getting more and more advanced,” says Valiei. “Compared to a couple years ago, we now have models that can accommodate a few types of cells.”
Why This Matters: Drugs, Disease, and Dysbiosis
Researchers can do experiments on the models that would be difficult or impossible in humans.
“These devices could be especially useful in the hypothesis stage to test new drugs and therapeutics,” says Valiei.
Valiei and his colleagues at UC Berkeley’s Molecular Cell Biomechanics Lab are studying how different bacterial species interact in these gut-chip models. In particular, they’re exploring how certain harmful bacteria can take hold in the gut – a phenomenon known as dysbiosis that’s linked to a range of conditions like inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), diabetes, obesity, cancer, and heart problems.
Researchers are also using gut-on-a-chip models to study IBD, colorectal cancer, and even the effects of viruses like COVID-19 on gut function.
To understand how diseases develop, we need to break things down into fundamental steps, and gut-on-a-chip models could help researchers do that, says Christopher Chang, MD, PhD, a gastroenterologist at the Raymond G. Murphy VA Medical Center in Albuquerque, NM, and the University of New Mexico. (Chang was not involved in the study.)
“We can identify literally thousands of species in the gut, and we sort of know, in broad strokes, what microbes are considered beneficial, and what microbes are considered not beneficial,” he says.
But how do individual bugs fit into a community? And what combinations lead to a healthy gut versus an unhealthy one? Answers to these questions remain unclear.
“We have ways to manipulate the microbiome, through different antibiotics, probiotics, and fecal microbiota transplants,” Chang says. “But we need to know: What should we be manipulating?”
Room for Improvement
One part of the gut not yet reflected in gut chip models is the enteric nervous system, aka our “second brain” – neurons embedded in the GI tract, says Chang. This is how the gut and brain communicate, and its dysfunction is linked to bowel disorders such as IBS.
People with IBS can have pain, diarrhea, or constipation even though their gut tissue looks normal on biopsies. Gut-on-a-chip models might be less helpful in revealing insights about these disorders, though they could still help answer fundamental questions.
The gut-brain connection is still being clarified, so as the science evolves, researchers may be able to add new insights to future gut-on-a-chip models.
Gut-on-a-chip models could be useful beyond disease, too, says Valiei. Any medication you swallow goes through your GI tract. If researchers can use gut-on-a-chip models to uncover precisely how we digest and absorb medications, they might be able to refine how we use these drugs.
For now, the push is on to get this tech into widespread use. Because of the need to do more research, refine the tech, and gather enough data to satisfy regulators, it may still be several years until this kind “precision” medicine will be precise enough to truly personalize its use for patients. But according to Valiei, this is indeed an accurate glimpse of what’s to come.
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7 Expert-Approved Ways To Make Coffee Easier On Your Stomach
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According to King, while coffee is one of the most beloved beverages in the world, there are some pros and cons of drinking it daily.
Let’s start out with the pros. A big one its high antioxidant content: “Coffee contains certain polyphenols, like chlorogenic acid and ferulic acid, that exert anticancer activities2 by protecting critical cellular molecules (DNA, proteins, and lipids) from oxidative damage,” explains King.
When it comes to gut health, coffee can also help keep you regular if you struggle with constipation. How does that work, exactly? “Coffee increases colonic activity.3 It may trigger contractions in your colon and help you to use the bathroom,” says King.
That said, sipping coffee can also present challenges in the gut health department. How? “If you have IBS/IBD, coffee can aggravate your gut and exacerbate your symptoms,” says King. “Because coffee increases colonic activity, it can cause diarrhea in those that already are prone to loose stool,” she continues.
You might also find your morning cup of coffee triggers acid reflux, especially if you’re been diagnosed with GERD. As King explains it, this is because “Coffee contains compounds that can stimulate acid secretion in the gut4, including caffeine and catechols.”
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Gretchen Lidicker, M.S.
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This Type Of Sugar Could Be Linked To Alzheimer’s Development
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A recent narrative review2 published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition explores how the relationship between fructose and humans’ ancient foraging instincts might be to blame for the onset of Alzheimer’s disease (AD).
Lead author Richard Johnson, M.D., theorizes that because humans evolved to sometimes be quick-thinking risk-takers in the pursuit of food, fructose may actually enhance that instinct by getting in the way of our memory centers and attention to how much time has passed.
In other words, a human with less regard for time and recent memory may be more likely to forage for food more quickly and effectively, tending to ignore risk or other distracting factors.
But as with anything, too much of a good thing can lead to unintended problems.
“We hypothesized that the fructose-dependent reduction in cerebral metabolism in these regions was initially reversible and meant to be beneficial,” Johnson wrote. “However, the chronic and persistent decrease in cerebral metabolism driven by recurrent fructose metabolism leads to progressive brain atrophy and neuron loss with all of the features of AD.”
So, this once-lifesaving brain function may be firing too often in the modern brain and leading to permanent damage, leading to diagnoses like AD.
Scientists noted that wandering off—a common symptom of AD—may even be linked to the foraging instinct promoted in early humans.
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Jenny Fant
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The 4 Things To Look For In Your Probiotic, From An R.D.
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First things first: Look for the genus, species, and strain of each probiotic bacterial strain included in the product. If those three things aren’t listed, or it’s a proprietary blend, Ferira notes you could reach out to the company to ask for more specifics, or simply opt for one that includes that information from the get-go.
“I would prefer people choose a brand that’s transparent and includes those three pieces of info. If they don’t, it’s like asking what my city, state, and ZIP code are and me saying I’m from the United States of America—it’s super nonspecific,” she explains.
For example, if you see “Bifidobacterium lactis Bi-07″ on a label, that means the genus is Bifidobacterium, the species is lactis, and the strain is Bi-07.
Why does that trio of info matter, you ask? According to Ferira, “That identifies the specific probiotic strain name, which is how probiotics are researched in clinical literature,” so it can tell you a lot about a product’s efficacy.
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Sarah Regan
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Constipated? Increase Poops & Improve GI Comfort With This Fruit
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The study compared the benefits between consuming six grams of dietary fiber via two skinless kiwifruits and taking a 7.5-gram dose of psyllium (a supplement commonly used for constipation).
Participants included healthy controls and constipated individuals that had either functional constipation, IBS-C, or a combination of both. Each participant took one of the two interventions for four weeks, was given a four-week clear-out period, and then assigned the other intervention for four weeks.
Researchers found that consuming two green kiwifruits a day resulted in a clinically relevant increase of at least 1.5 complete spontaneous bowel movements for participants with constipation. When taking psyllium, only IBS-C participants saw a significant increase of 1.25 CSBM.
Gastrointestinal symptoms also improved significantly for all groups consuming kiwifruits. However, only IBS-C participants saw a significant improvement in GI symptoms when taking psyllium.
Limitations of the research included participants’ self-reporting, adherence to the intervention, food consumed, and details of bowel movements. The study was also relatively small, involving a total of 184 people.
That said, the study builds on past research around kiwifruits’ benefits for constipation. A 2022 review from the Advances of Nutrition found that green kiwifruit, gold kiwifruit, and kiwifruit supplements all positively affect upper GI health1.
A 2018 review from the European Journal of Nutrition2 credited kiwifruit’s gut health benefits to the water retention capabilities of their dietary fiber and the natural presence of the proteolytic enzyme actinidin, which contributes to easier protein digestion in the small intestine and stomach.
Researchers of the AJG publication acknowledged the work this study built upon: “Taken in conjunction with previous clinical trials of green kiwifruit and the emerging physiological data from functional studies, consumption of two green kiwifruits can be safely recommended as an effective treatment for constipation in those with functional GI disorders that will also provide improvements in symptoms of GI comfort.”
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Sarah Fielding
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New Study Links Gut Microbiome Imbalance To Parkinson’s Disease
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This new research from the University of Alabama at Birmingham called on metagenomics, which analyzes the genetic material found in feces. The researchers looked at the genetic material of participants with Parkinson’s and compared it to people who didn’t have the disease. The results showed that the gut microbiome is involved in the development of PD; in fact, the results showed that it’s involved in more ways than one.
In total, the team analyzed 257 species of gut organisms in 490 people with PD and 234 people without the illness. The results found that out of the 257 species studied, about 84 were associated in some way with Parkinson’s disease—55 were abnormally high in those with PD, and 29 were noticeably low.
As one of the senior authors on the study, Haydeh Payami, Ph.D., professor in the Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine Department of Neurology, said in a statement, the major goal behind this study was to get a big-picture understanding of the gut imbalances that occur in Parkinson’s. This study helped accomplish that, and also provided a more detailed understanding by revealing a few specific types of bacteria that seem to play a role in the disease. For example, the results showed that a type of bacteria called Roseburia intestinalis was 7.5-fold less abundant in those with PD and one called Actinomyces oris was 6.5-fold more abundant.
As Payami explained: “This is exciting research, as metagenomics is a new, albeit fast-evolving field, and the resources, methods, and tools, while state-of-the-art, are still in development.” This study provides a concrete path forward for investigating the link between these specific bacterial imbalances and this specific disease. “We anticipate that in the near future, we will have the tools and the analytic power to…investigate the potential in manipulating the microbiome to prevent, treat and halt the progression of PD.”
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Gretchen Lidicker, M.S.
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This Color Food Dye Was Just Linked To Gut Inflammation & IBD
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After 12 weeks of regular intermittent exposure (which mimics the type of exposure a human might get from food), researchers found that AR harmed gut health and contributed to chronic inflammation in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract in mice.
Specifically, researchers found that AR directly disrupts gut barrier function, alters gut microbiota composition, and is linked to an increased susceptibility to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). IBD is an umbrella term for diseases like Crohn’s disease and Ulcerative Colitis, which are characterized by chronic inflammation and autoimmunity in the gut.
Study author Waliul Khan, Ph.D. explained in a news release: “What we have found is striking and alarming, as this common synthetic food dye is a possible dietary trigger for IBD. This research is a significant advance in alerting the public on the potential harms of food dyes that we consume daily.”
Yes, you read that correctly—daily. Many people consume AR every single day in foods like candy, soda, dairy products, and cereals. Children are also at risk, as it’s often added to kid’s products to add color and texture.
Previous research had shown us that some food dyes, including AR, triggered inflammation and oxidative stress. But this study gave us more information on exactly how this dye actually affects our gut and is linked to disease. This is a big deal when you consider that around 1.3% of U.S. adults report being diagnosed with IBD2 (either Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis). Furthermore, there’s currently no cure, and many treatments fail to put the disease fully into remission.
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Gretchen Lidicker, M.S.
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The Age-Defying Secrets Summit Starts Soon — Here’s The 101
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Thanks to renowned nutrition experts like Joel Fuhrman, M.D., ancient medicine researchers like Nick Polizzi, sleep specialists like Michael Breus, M.D., heart disease researchers like Beverly Yates, M.D., and brain health experts like Daniel Amen, M.D., this expert-led program will help you dive much deeper into the science of longevity—far beyond surface-level tips and tricks (though you’ll collect those along the way, too).
After this summit, you’ll have a better understanding of what to eat for a longer life, how to exercise to extend your able-bodied years, which herbs can help you feel better right now and for years to come, how to actually get better sleep, how to keep your brain happy, and ultimately, how to tend to your body on a daily basis—plus, why all of this matters to your overall wellbeing.
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Hannah Frye
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The Real Reason You’re Not Motivated to Exercise
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Jan. 4, 2023 – Could your gut health be behind your motivation – or lack thereof – to exercise?
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania recently explored this topic when they wanted to find out why some lab mice seem to love their exercise wheel, while others mostly ignore it.
To start, the researchers used a machine-learning algorithm to look for biological traits that could explain the differences in activity levels among mice. And what they found surprised them: Genetics seemed to have little to do with it, but differences in gut bacteria appeared to matter more. A handful of studies backed that up: Thriving gut microbiomes have been linked with optimal muscle function in mice.
Sure enough, when the researchers dosed mice with broad-spectrum antibiotics, killing off their gut bacteria, the distance the rodents were able to run dropped by half. But off the antibiotics, the mice mostly regained their previous performance levels.
The findings, published in the journal Nature in December, suggest that the gut microbiome may help regulate the desire to exercise.
If confirmed in humans, this hypothesis could help explain why so many Americans (about half) fail to get the recommended amount of physical activity. Some may blame lack of time, energy, or interest. But perhaps the reason could come down to the trillions of microbes living in our gut.
This line of research could also lead to microbiome-based ways to get sedentary people off the couch or optimize athletic performance.
But how could your microbiome impact your motivation to move? To find the answer, the researchers zeroed in on the brain.
The Gut-Brain Connection
After treating the mice with antibiotics, the researchers sequenced RNA in the rodents’ striatum (the part of the brain responsible for motivation). They found reduced gene expression in the cells’ dopamine receptors — the things that release the neurochemical dopamine, making you feel like you’ve accomplished something good. In other words: Mice treated with antibiotics were getting less of a dopamine hit after their run.
“Only when we started focusing on the brain did we understand that the microbiome’s effect on exercise capacity was mediated by the central and peripheral nervous systems,” says study author Christoph Thaiss, PhD, a microbiologist at the University of Pennsylvania. “This realization completely changed the trajectory of the project.”
To find out how, exactly, bacteria in the colon were signaling the brain, the researchers performed a series of experiments over several years. They identified two types of bacteria, Eubacterium rectale and Coprococcuseutactus. These strains produce compounds called fatty acid amides that interact with endocannabinoid receptors in the gut.
Those endocannabinoid receptors signal the brain to cut back its production of monoamine oxidase, the compound that breaks down dopamine. With less of this dopamine-clearing compound in the brain, more dopamine could build up after a long run, making the mice feel good and eager to hit the exercise wheel again soon.
This gut-brain pathway “may have evolved to couple the initiation of prolonged physical activity to the nutritional status of the gastrointestinal tract,” Thaiss says. Gut bacteria monitor what’s in your colon and tell your brain whether you have enough food to fuel a workout.
Your colon, or gut, hosts trillions of microbes with potentially hundreds of different bacteria strains. These strains are determined by the food you eat and the environment you occupy.
“The genetic impact on the microbiome is rather minor,” Thaiss says, “but lifestyle factors strongly impact the composition of the gut microbiome.”
He hopes to develop nutritional interventions to encourage the growth of the motivating types of bacteria, the kind that make you want to go for a 5-mile run.
What’s Next?
Moving forward, the researchers need to find out whether the gut affects motivation in humans, too. To do that, they’re analyzing the gut microbiomes of people with varying levels of exercise motivation.
“With enough samples, we could potentially correlate species of microbiota that exist in exercise-motivated individuals,” says study co-author Nicholas Betley, PhD, a biologist at the university.
Variations in the gut microbiome could help explain the “runner’s high” that some people have in a long-distance race. The research could also help promote weight training or sports participation.
“Imagine if a sports team could optimally motivate the athletes on the team to exercise,” says Betley. The lab is investigating the microbiome’s impact on high-intensity interval training.
Signals from the gut to the brain could be affecting body processes in other ways too, the researchers speculate.
“There are so many possibilities for how these signals may change physiology and impact health,” Betley says. “A new set of studies may well establish a whole new branch of exercise physiology.”
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Doing These Things Can Reduce Your Risk Of Developing IBD By 61%
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And now, thanks to a new study, we know a little bit more about which preventive measures make a difference, and by how much. The study included more than 200,000 adults in the United States and Europe and looked at factors like diet (including fruit, vegetable, fiber, and red meat intake), tobacco use, body mass index (BMI), nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) use, physical activity level, and adherence to certain healthy lifestyle factors.
It found that those who generally invested in healthy lifestyle factors like eating fruits and vegetables, getting enough fiber, and engaging in regular exercise—and generally avoided unhealthy ones like having a high BMI and smoking—could prevent about 61% of Crohn’s disease cases and about 42% of ulcerative colitis cases.
Nevertheless, the study did have some limitations. For example, stress, which has a known link to IBD1 and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), was not included as one of the lifestyle factors. Even so, as Emily W. Lopes, MPH, and one of the study’s authors, explained to Medical News Today, “…adherence to a number of dietary and lifestyle factors known to be associated with risk of Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) could have prevented a substantial number of cases.”
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Gretchen Lidicker, M.S.
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5 Reasons This Probiotic Supplement Is The Best For Gut Health
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If you’re still not convinced, don’t just take our word for it. Since we launched this one-of-a-kind product, it’s racked up an average rating of 4.5/5 stars from gut-happy customers. One reviewer, Deborah F., writes that she doesn’t see herself ever going without probiotic+.
Or take it from Ivete C., who says that at just three weeks in, she noticed “real changes in her digestion.”* Another, Mary F., says it’s provided her with “regularity and increased energy.”*
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Sarah Regan
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Are Pain Meds Bad for Your Gut?
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Nov. 16, 2022 – Pain is how our bodies tell us something’s wrong, alerting us to injury or infection and helping doctors make a diagnosis. But pain is not fun, so we often try to block it using medication.
But a surprising new study led by Harvard Medical School researchers suggests that blocking acute pain may actually lead to pain in the gut.
That’s because pain may be a key part of a process that protects the gut from damage.
In the study, pain neurons in mice helped regulate the protective mucus that lines the gut, releasing more mucus in response to inflammation.
“These neurons signal to the goblet cells in the gut that make mucus,” says study senior investigator Isaac Chiu, PhD, an associate professor of immunobiology at Harvard’s Blavatnik Institute. “This is very important because mucus protects the gut barrier from potential harmful microbes and tissue injury.”
Messing with that process could lead to dysbiosis, an imbalance in the gut, paving the way for inflammation and raising the risk of painful gut conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), Chiu says.
What the Researchers Did
In the study, researchers bred mice that lacked pain neurons. These mice produced less protective mucus, and “their gut microbiome became dysregulated,” Chiu says. “They also became more susceptible to colitis” (inflammation in the gut marked by belly pain and bowel issues).
To find out why, the researchers took a close look at those mucus-producing goblet cells. They found that the cells contain a receptor, called RAMP1, that helps them respond to pain. This receptor is activated by a neuropeptide called CGRP, which is released by pain neurons in response to pain.
Without that CGRP or those receptors, the gut won’t get the message to produce more mucus – and mucus production declines.
“We need this signal to maintain a healthy gut,” says Chiu.
Particularly concerning are a class of migraine medications that suppress CGRP, Chiu notes.
“If we target CGRP long-term, it could cause defective gut mucosal health, including loss of good microbes and increased susceptibility to inflammation,” he says.
What’s more, given that pain meds are often used to treat patients with colitis, considering the possible harmful effects may be important, the researchers say.
Why This Matters
The study builds on growing research on “inter-organ communication,” how molecules in the body interact between organs to help us maintain health. It sheds light on the gut-brain axis, signaling between the GI tract and the central nervous system.
“Acute pain is designed to protect us from damage, so it makes sense that it could be coupled to secretion of mucus,” says Chiu. “If we lose this signal, we are more likely to have an injured or inflamed gut.”
On the other hand, too much pain signaling is likely not helpful either.
“Chronic pain is on the other side of the coin,” Chiu says. “We need to find ways to keep the good aspects of pain signaling, such as maintaining gut homeostasis, and shut down the perception of pain in the brain, which is the part that makes people suffer.”
That means better understanding the things that control pain signaling in the gut, so we can “tune it down” without completely shutting it off, he says.
More research is needed to confirm the findings in humans. But depending on how the research unfolds, this could change the way we manage pain and open the door to new treatments for patients with gut conditions, Chiu says.
In the meantime, improving your gut health may help regulate the pain-signaling process, Chiu notes. Healthy microbes may stimulate pain fibers just enough to maintain mucus without contributing to gut pain. You can feed healthy gut microbes by eating more fiber and fermented foods, and cutting back on fried foods and red meat. Exercise, managing stress, and getting outside can help, too.
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