INFLAMMATION: Microbiome & Butyrate Connection

As we learned earlier in "Histamine" video and the "Cycle of Illness" videos is that damage/injuries or an unbalanced healthy microbiome can trigger inflammation and immune responses.

70-80% of your immune system resides in your digestive tract. Small masses of lymphatic tissues in the small intestine, known as peyers patches,

protect mucus membranes by releasing white blood cells and monitoring the bacterial population in the intestines, preventing an overgrowth of of harmful gut flora.

High numbers of toxic gut biomes may cause inflammation, compromise your Immune system, and lead to a variety of health issues including; chronic disease, musculo-skeletal pain, and mental health issues. All of this - JUST FROM YOUR GUT!!

Multiple aspects of our health depend on molecules produced in the gut microbiome. The health of the gut microbiome is reflected in many processes in our bodies, including chronic inflammation and associated disease risk.

The Microbiome:

Gut microbiome is still early in research phases, but even though we don’t have all the pieces of the puzzle in place yet, it seems that controlling inflammation will eventually become a part of disease prevention and management.

For example, a few years ago – researchers found that inflammation stimulates specific proteins that promote tumor progression, linking inflammation with certain types of cancer. And people with type 2 diabetes have higher levels of cytokines – inflammatory chemicals- than people without diabetes. Although there’s more research needed, a lack of gut biome diversity may be a tie to inflammation. Studies have shown, however, that low gut flora diversity is a culprit in allergies, eczema and allergy induced asthma. Other studies found that less microbiota diversity amoungst heart failure, obesity and diabetes.

The gut microbiome is a delicate eco-system of bacteria that live in your large intestine. Its not only important for your physical health, but for your mental health as well.

Stress causes alterations in the gut microbiome, causing dysbiosis – a term used for a microbial imbalance or maladaption. Dysbiosis has been shown to significantly increase anxiety levels, especially in mice.

They’ve also show that chronic stress can reduce levels of important probiotic bacteria called Lactobacillus. Studies in humans have shown that that probiotic bacteria can help alleviate depression, increase stress resilience, and relieve anxiety. Research also suggests that the gut bacteria talk directly to the brain and influence chemicals like serotonin and Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA).

Mast cells are also fundamental elements of the intestinal barrier as they regulate the epithelial function and integrity, modulate both innate and adaptive mucosal immunity, and maintain neuro-immune reactions, which are key to functioning of the gut.

BUTYRATE

There are certain molecules that the gut makes that helps with our health; and unfortunately, the human body can’t make them, but our bacteria can. Butyrate is a short chain fatty acid (SCFA) produced by microbes from dietary fibers that the human body can not digest. Butyrate is one of the best studied microbiome derived molecules for its broad benefits for our health.

First of all, it helps to maintain the integrity of our digestive tract and suppplises most of the fuel for our cells in the gut lining. By doing so, it bolsters this barrier and helps prevent metabolites, food particles, and unwanted bacteria from crossing into the body from the intestines.

Low butyrate production and below-average levels of butyrate-producing bacteria are found in many inflammatory and metabolic diseases including Crohns and ulcerative colitis.

Butyrate also helps modulate the immune system by reducing the production of TNF-a, and IL-6, (Highly found inflammatory markers for those with inflammation or autoimmune disorders), all while promoting anti-inflammatory signaling. By doing so, this chemical promotes healthy and balanced microbiota and even protects against colon cancer.

Butyrate can also be beneficial in healing the gut.

The PROs of Butyrate:

1. Fueling gut cells

2. Harness antioxidant powers

3. Helps prevent gut inflammation

4. Helps prevent colon cancer

5. Helps plug a leaky gut

6. Combats obesity and diabetes

7. Helps protect the brain.

Produced by the bacteria in the colon, its associated with neuroprotective effects that benefits the brain and nervous system. It targets many of the pathways associated with the progression of diseases like Parkinsons, Alzheimers, stroke and autism. Thus leading to diet being the simple way to improve disease outcomes.

As you can see in the picture located above, butyrate has a wide variety of functions. It helps everything from proper skeletal muscular function and health, to the colon, to the liver which reduces inflammatory mediators, to the accumulation of unhealthy adipose tissue. As we have already learned, adipose tissue when it starts acting as an endocrine organ due to the accumulation of unhealthy adipose - it then releases a protein which tells the body to create more inflammation. Butyrate can also help with regulation of the heart beat. The lower your butyrate levels, the more heart symptoms you may get, in regards to regulating the heart beat. Whether that be skipping beats, hard pounding, or tachycardia.

How to boost your butyrate production:

Boosting butyrate with diet is easy and low risk FOR MOST OF US (but not all). A high fiber diet can boost butyrate production because it encourages the butyrate-producing bacteria in your colon to thrive.

Members of the FIRMICUTES PHYLUM are renowned for their ability to produce butyrate. If you want to nourish this class of bacteria and your microbiome in general, then foods containing prebiotics are popular with gut bacteria.

But for those of us struggling with healing our guts and keeping inflammation markers lower, a high fiber diet is the last thing we want because our guts have to work EXTRA hard to digest it– a good primal earth probiotic is better. So if you have a badly damaged gut, a high fiber diet will only make symptoms worse.

In addition, you'll want to juice lots of leafy greens in order to get plenty of vitamins, nutrients, phytosterols etc without putting the burden on your gut to digest. It heals chronic inflammation, your gut, your histamine levels, chronic dehydration, while giving your body a big boost of those nutrients and vitamins just readily able to absorb.

Its can be a win-win for many of us instead of struggling to get food and nutrients in us that our guts can't seem to handle. It gives the gut a break from digesting so it can just concentrate on healing, and you still get FAR MORE nutrients/vitamins etc than if you just ate some leafy greens.

But we can combat chronic inflammation with lifestyle, diet and gut microbiomes.

Chronic inflammation is influenced by what we eat: diet has a strong impact on the microbiome and preventable disease risks.

Dietary fiber enables beneficial bacteria to produce butyrate, which is important to keep our gut healthy. But that’s not the only way your food choices affect chronic inflammation.

Researchers developed the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) to indicate how anti- or pro-inflammatory a person’s diet is. According to studies, the Standard American Diet (SAD) has a particularly high inflammatory index.

Also called the Western diet, this eating pattern is characterized by high quantities of red and processed meat, fried foods, high-fat dairy products, potatoes, and sweetened drinks. Some scientists also add pre-packaged meals to this list.

Some consequences of a pro-inflammatory diet may seem unexpected. For example, young adults on a Western diet are more likely to develop symptoms of depression. When coupled with low physical activity, SAD is associated with higher risk of age-related weakening of the bones: osteoporosis.

The two diets suggested commonly by doctors for low inflammatory diets is the mediteranean diet, and the Ketogenic diet. Because eating habits have such an influence over chronic inflammation levels, your body will thank you for a balanced and diverse diet with a variety of whole, plant based foods, fruits, and vegetables.

Standard American Diet (SAD) is often contrasted with a healthy eating pattern, filled with plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains and legumes, as well as healthy fats like olive oil. Such foods have a much lower inflammatory index.

There is compelling scientific evidence from a cohort of older French adults (around 80 years old) that high adherence to the Mediterranean diet means lower chances of frailty in later life.

On the other hand, eating a pro-inflammatory diet is associated with a higher risk of heart attack. People following eating patterns with high dietary inflammatory index are also more susceptible to weight gain and obesity, as well as type II diabetes.

Eating habits are an important influence on our chronic inflammation levels. Your body will thank you for a balanced and diverse diet with a variety of whole, plant-based foods, fruit, and vegetables.

To find out the health of your microbiome and to test your levels of butyrate, there are tests you can order online to help you determine the health of your microbiome.

Drugs that Affect the Microbiome:

The following medications below are some of the most notorious for disrupting healthy gut bacteria and kicking your microbiome off balance. But these aren't the only ones that can cause havoc.

1. Antibiotics

Everytime you take antibiotics, you kill the good bacteria with the bad; which can lead to yeast infections, gastrointestinal problems, increases leaky gut, C.Diff infection, and antibiotic resistance.

Best defence while on antibiotics: Take a probiotic, add fermented high fiber and prebiotic foods to your diet (if tolerated). Seeking Health ProBifido or Primal Earth Probiotics are both much better choices for those with mast cell, histamine, Crohns, and Celiac,

2. Antipsychotics

Some of these drugs tend to slow the growth of gut bacteria, affecting overall gut biome diversity.

Best Defence: A probiotic supplement and foods high in probiotics, prebiotics, such as fruits, veggies, whole grains(no gluten), nuts and legumes (ONLY if tolerated).

3. Calcium Channel Blockers

Like antipsychotics, they slow or completely inhibit microbiota growth.

4. Protein Pump Inhibitors

These are generally safe to use, however when used regularily, they too can cause bacterial imbalances, raising the risk for bacterial infections.

Best defense: if taking PPIs on a regular basis, you’ll want to add fermented foods to your diet to blance the gut bacteria and ease heartburn and GERD. Cutting back on coffee, sodas, tea, dairy products, and citrus fruits. A probiotic can actually interfere with the effectiveness of of the PPI, so be sure to discuss with your doctor.

5. NSAIDS

Alter immune system actions, and increase changes of leaky gut.

Your microbiome and butyrate levels are key to a healthy body and maintaining homeostasis. Its also important in maintaining health and proper function in major organs. By healing the gut, and addressing your microbiome, you can also lower your overall inflammation levels.

Love and Light,

Happy Healing

The next installment of this series is: INFLAMMATION: Leaky Gut