Posts

Can the Microbiome Affect The Effectiveness of Cancer Treatment?

Image
Your Gut Microbiome Can Affect Cancer Treatments. According to National Cancer Institute, approximately  38.4% of people  will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lives. Because cancer affects a sizeable population of Americans, s cientists are constantly discovering new ways to make cancer treatments more effective and to increase patients’ quality of life. One of the most promising areas of research has to do with the gastrointestinal (GI) microbiome. Research indicates that the bacteria in your gut can affect your response to chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and other therapeutic agents for cancer. These interactions can be positive (gut bacteria enhancing the effectiveness of cancer treatment) or negative (resulting in treatment challenges), depending on your microbiome and the type of cancer. These discoveries could have a major impact on how Oncologists treat cancer in the future. Healthy gut bacteria can make immunotherapy more effective. In February 2018, the  National
Post a Comment
Read more

Prebiotics, Probiotics, What's the Difference?

Image
What is the difference between Prebiotics and Probiotics? As we know, your gut biome is a micro-ecosystem within your gut composed of many microscopic organisms, mainly bacteria. To keep this ecosystem healthy, a well-balanced diet is recommended to nourish the near 1,000 diverse species of bacteria in your gut. So what healthy foods can we feed our gut microbes to keep them happy and healthy? Prebiotics and Probiotics. Prebiotics are natural plant fibers that stimulate the development of beneficial bacteria in our gut. More specifically, complex carbohydrates like resistant starches. Resistant starch is a prebiotic that stimulates the growth of good bacteria like Bifidobacterium . Resistant starch is fermented by intestinal bacteria which then produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) that also contribute to your gut health. For example, Butyrate is a SCFA that is essential for intestinal function and is a major energy source for gut lining cells with anti-inflammatory properties.  The
Post a Comment
Read more

The Tea To Help Your Gut Microbiome

Image
Study Shows Drinking Tea Can Help Burn Fat and Improve Your Gut Function When we think about boosting our caffeine levels in the morning, what is the first drink reach for? Coffee. But instead of coffee, what if we decided to reach for a cup of tea? Professor Kumpei Tokuyama found in his study that drinking oolong tea provides that caffeinated boost of energy we crave,  along with burning fat properties. According to the professor and his findings, oolong tea contains the caffeine we need to impact energy metabolism by increasing our heart rate. But in addition to the effects of caffeine, his team wanted to study how the consumption of tea may also increase fat breakdown in our bodies. After participants had consumed 2 cups of tea for the duration of 14 consecutive days, the results showed that oolong tea and our caffeine boosted fat breakdown by an estimated 20 percent compared to those participants who received the placebo. And interestingly enough, oolong continued to show effects i
Post a Comment
Read more

Fall in Love with Your Heart and Gut

Image
  Celebrate American Heart Month   with a Healthy Gut As February draws to a chilly close, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute as well as the American Heart Association remind us to reflect on our healthy lifestyles to prevent the risk of heart disease by celebrating American Heart Month. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, and is widespread throughout all demographics. However, heart disease is considered the most preventable disease.  American Heart Month is celebrated every year to motivate us to take proactive measures in our heart health and stay consistent with these healthy lifestyles. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) provides us some ways to take steps to keep a healthy heart. Understand Your Risk of Heart Disease -- Preventing heart disease requires knowing what your personal risks are and what to do to lower those risks. Risk factors are conditions or habits that make a person more likely to develop a disease. Choose Heart-Healt
Post a Comment
Read more

Mind Your Gut Health

Image
Consequences Of Your Gut Health Can Contribute To Cognitive Behaviors. The microbes in your gut are involved directly and indirectly to produce several neurotransmitters (messengers in the nervous system). Your bacteria can stimulate or produce these molecules, which then can be interpreted by our nervous system through different mechanisms. How has gut health and behavior been studied? In Paris, France, scientists at the Institut Pasteur discovered that stress-induced dysbiosis (imbalance of the gut) has consequences to rodent behavior.  One potential mechanism demonstrated that the gut microbiome can induce depressive-like behaviors in mice by altering the central nervous system's production of important signaling molecules. These molecules, a special kind of fats, act as messengers for the nervous system, and by affecting its production the gut microbiome is now recognized as an important player in disorders like depression and in our overall mood.  Researchers also found out th
Post a Comment
Read more

Your Gut Health Can Predict Your Body's Response to COVID-19

Image
Lab studies suggest your gut health may play a role in COVID severity. The Coronavirus or COVID-19 has dominated worldwide throughout 2020 and predicted to take over much of the beginning of 2021. But with the vaccine rolling out steadily across the United States, the country can see what could be the light at the end of a long tunnel.  Although the wait to receive the vaccine may take some time, it is notable to stay proactive in preventative measures such as; wearing a face mask, staying six-feet apart from others, and washing your hands for 20-seconds.  However, Did you know your gut health could impact your body's response to COVID-19? According to a study conducted by The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong, researchers were able to find how our gut microorganisms likely influence how our bodies respond to COVID-19. Researchers used shotgun sequencing to extract DNA from stool samples of 100 patients infected with COVID-19 and compared 27 of those patients'
Post a Comment
Read more

So What About My Gut?

Image
  WHAT IS GUT HEALTH? AND WHY DOES IT MATTER? Approximately 100 trillion bacteria, both good and bad, reside in your intestines and stomach. Collectively, this community is referred to as the microbiome, or less formally, the gut. The bacteria in your gut consists of roughly 1,000 species and 5,000 different strains. The microbiome plays a key part in the digestive system, but this role is only the foundation of what this ecosystem of microbes in our bodies can do. Researchers have found connections from the good and bad gut bacteria to your body's functions that go far beyond digestion, like behavior or mood. Why Does My Gut Bacteria Matter? Although science has not indicated which bacterial strains carry the most importance to your overall health, your microbiome as a whole plays a vital role in: Metabolizing nutrients from supplements and foods Vitamin Production Defense against intestinal infections Prevention of chronic illness Treating diseases Weight management Immune functi
Post a Comment
Read more