{"id":11174,"date":"2012-09-27T14:12:59","date_gmt":"2012-09-27T18:12:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/2012\/09\/the-power-of-the-gut-connections.html"},"modified":"2017-11-29T09:44:51","modified_gmt":"2017-11-29T14:44:51","slug":"the-power-of-the-gut-connections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/2012\/09\/the-power-of-the-gut-connections\/","title":{"rendered":"The Power of the Gut-Connections"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Sarah A LoBisco, ND<\/p>\n

This week’s blog highlights the connection between our gut’s critter population
\nto our health. The microflora that resides in our intestines outnumbers our
\ncells for a reason! They are critical regulators on how our body runs. <\/strong><\/p>\n

This week we are going to look at the impact of our gut bugs on:<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. <\/strong>Our
\nrisk for metabolic syndrome<\/strong><\/p>\n

2. <\/strong>Inflammation<\/strong><\/p>\n

3. <\/strong>Brain
\nand Mood<\/strong><\/p>\n

Read more about these little microbes below:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Gut Micoflora relates to
\nMetabolic Functions<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

A recent study demonstrated that the type of bugs resident in your
\nintestines determines the risk for metabolic syndrome. This is a syndrome
\nthat consists of:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00b7<\/strong>Elevated blood sugar (glucose of 100 mg\/dl or
\nhigher)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00b7<\/strong>High triglycerides (150 mg\/dl or higher)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00b7<\/strong>Low HDL (under 50 mg\/dl for women, 40 mg\/dl
\nfor men)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00b7<\/strong>Weight gain (increased fat around the middle-as
\nmeasured by waist circumference)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00b7<\/strong>Elevated blood pressure (130\/85 mmHg or
\nhigher)<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

According to the study:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Obesity has
\nbeen linked to the human gut microbiota; however, the contribution of gut
\nbacterial species to the obese phenotype remains controversial because of
\nconflicting results from studies in different populations. To explore the
\npossible dysbiosis of gut microbiota in obesity and its metabolic
\ncomplications, we studied men and women over a range of body mass indices from
\nthe Old Order Amish sect, a culturally homogeneous Caucasian population of
\nCentral European ancestry. We characterized the gut microbiota in 310 subjects
\nby deep pyrosequencing of bar-coded PCR amplicons from the V1-V3 region of the
\n16S rRNA gene. Three communities of interacting bacteria were identified in the
\ngut microbiota, analogous to previously identified gut enterotypes. Neither BMI
\nnor any metabolic syndrome trait was associated with a particular gut
\ncommunity. Network analysis identified twenty-two bacterial species and four
\nOTUs that were either positively or inversely correlated with metabolic
\nsyndrome traits, suggesting that certain members of the gut microbiota may play
\na role in these metabolic derangements.<\/p>\n

Sources: <\/p>\n

Zupancic M, et al “Analysis of the gut microbiota in the Old
\nOrder Amish and its relation to the metabolic syndrome” PLoS
\nOne<\/em> 2012; DOI: 10.1371\/journal.pone.0043052.<\/a><\/p>\n

Pub Med Health. Metabolic syndrome: Insulin resistance
\nsyndrome; Syndrome X. June 2, 2012. ADAM 2012. http:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmedhealth\/PMH0004546\/<\/p>\n

Inflammation, Gut, & Mice<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

Here’s some evidence that immunity and inflammation are also related to
\nthe gut!
\nThe study reads:<\/strong><\/b><\/p>\n

Key to the
\nstudies were IL10-\/- mice, a mouse model that is genetically prone to gut
\ninflammation because it is bred to lack a gene that suppresses the inflammatory
\nresponse. Using a technique that allows researchers to identify bacterial
\nvarieties by examining variants in a specific gene (16S rRNA), the team
\ncompared bacterial communities in the inflamed guts of IL10-\/- mice with those
\nin healthy normal (“wild type”) mice. They found that the diversity of
\ndifferent kinds of bacteria was significantly lower in the mice with
\ngenetically-facilitated inflammation. Among the IL10-\/- mice, however, the team
\nfound little difference in microbial diversity between mice that simply had
\ninflammation and those that also had cancer, indicating the inflammation was
\nthe critical factor affecting microbe populations.<\/p>\n

“A shift in
\nthe microbial community is associated with inflammation,” Fodor noted. “It is
\ninteresting that the microbial community is actually changing with the disease
\nstate, which indicates that it is either responding to or contributing to the
\ndisease state.”<\/u> Despite the
\noverall drop in diversity, the team found that the presence of E. coli<\/em> was markedly increased
\n(by a factor of 100) by inflammation.<\/p>\n

Source: Hathaway, J. Mouse study finds clear
\nlinkages between inflammation, bacterial communities and cancer. EurekAltert.
\nAugust 16 2012.
\nhttp:\/\/www.eurekalert.org\/pub_releases\/2012-08\/uonc-msf081212.php .<\/p>\n

Gut Microflora relates to Brain
\nFunction<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

Now, onto the gut-brain connection. Here’s a study demonstrated
\nthat anxiety behavior in mice related to a non-supportive microflora:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Key Results <\/strong>Germ-free mice, compared to SPF mice,
\nexhibited basal behavior in the EPM that can be interpreted as anxiolytic.
\nAltered GF behavior was accompanied by a decrease in the N-methyl-D-aspartate
\nreceptor subunit NR2B mRNA expression in the central amygdala, increased
\nbrain-derived neurotrophic factor expression and decreased serotonin receptor
\n1A (5HT1A) expression in the dentate granule layer of the hippocampus.<\/p>\n

We conclude
\nthat the presence or absence of conventional intestinal microbiota influences
\nthe development of behavior, and is accompanied by neurochemical changes in the
\nbrain.<\/p>\n

Source: Neufeld, K. M., Kang, N.,
\nBienenstock, J. and Foster, J. A. (2011), Reduced anxiety-like behavior and
\ncentral neurochemical change in germ-free mice. Neurogastroenterology &
\nMotility, 23: 255-e119. doi: 10.1111\/j.1365-2982.2010.01620.x<\/p>\n

Final thoughts:<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

In summary, your “gut bugs” have an impact on lipid profiles, heart health, immune
\nsignaling, and brain chemicals! Lifestyle factors such as eating lots of
\nprocessed foods, toxicant exposures, pollutants, sugar, and certain drugs all
\naffect the ratio of microflora in your belly negatively.<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

Changing to a healthy diet and doing supportive measures (such as supplementing
\nwith fermented foods or probiotics) and avoiding food sensitivities have health
\neffects beyond the absence of gas, bloating, and icky poop! After all, these
\nthings affect the little critters which modulate our whole body’s functioning!
<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Sarah A LoBisco, ND This week's blog highlights the connection between our gut's critter population to our health. The microflora that resides in our intestines outnumbers our cells for a reason! They are critical regulators on how our…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":109,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[408,429,436,438,440,489,565,566,573,584,639,642,699,704,759,864,865,872,873,887,890,936,1018],"yoast_head":"\r\nThe Power of the Gut-Connections - Living Well In Saratoga Springs NY: Saratoga's Holistic Health Forum Blog<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/2012\/09\/the-power-of-the-gut-connections\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Power of the Gut-Connections - Living Well In Saratoga Springs NY: Saratoga's Holistic Health Forum Blog\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"by Sarah A LoBisco, ND This week&apos;s blog highlights the connection between our gut&apos;s critter population to our health. The microflora that resides in our intestines outnumbers our cells for a reason! They are critical regulators on how our...\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/2012\/09\/the-power-of-the-gut-connections\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Living Well In Saratoga Springs NY: Saratoga's Holistic Health Forum Blog\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2012-09-27T18:12:59+00:00\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2017-11-29T14:44:51+00:00\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Dr. Sarah\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Dr. Sarah\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\r\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/2012\/09\/the-power-of-the-gut-connections\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/2012\/09\/the-power-of-the-gut-connections\/\",\"name\":\"The Power of the Gut-Connections - Living Well In Saratoga Springs NY: Saratoga's Holistic Health Forum Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2012-09-27T18:12:59+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2017-11-29T14:44:51+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/#\/schema\/person\/6872284eed515076e2993a69584827e3\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/2012\/09\/the-power-of-the-gut-connections\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/2012\/09\/the-power-of-the-gut-connections\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/2012\/09\/the-power-of-the-gut-connections\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The Power of the Gut-Connections\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/\",\"name\":\"Living Well In Saratoga Springs NY: Saratoga's Holistic Health Forum Blog\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/#\/schema\/person\/6872284eed515076e2993a69584827e3\",\"name\":\"Dr. Sarah\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b37e59a320fe3e87499bec9e197eda9c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b37e59a320fe3e87499bec9e197eda9c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Dr. Sarah\"},\"description\":\"Dr. LoBisco has been in holistic healthcare for over 10 years. She became interested in holistic medicine when she was able to heal two herniated discs through nutrition, yoga, supplementation, and chiropractic. She has mentored with holistic practices throughout New York, Vermont, and Connecticut. In addition to her Naturopathic and Functional Medical training, Dr. LoBisco has extensive training in a variety of healing modalities, including therapeutic essential oils, nutraceuticals, herbs, whole food supplements, nutritional medicine, and mind-body therapies. She is a graduate of the accredited, four year post-graduate program in Naturopathic Medicine at the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut. This program includes clinical rotations and a demanding scientific curriculum in integrating conventional and natural medicine. Dr. LoBisco holds her license from the state of Vermont. Dr. LoBisco has completed her postdoctoral training as a certified functional medicine practitioner. She is also certified in Applied Kinesiology and holds a BA in psychology from SUNY Geneseo. She has contributed as an item writer for the North American Board of Naturopathic Examiners (NABNE) and has several articles that have been published in the Naturopathic Doctor News and Review Digest (NDNR) and the Townsend Letter, both physician- based journals. Dr. LoBisco is also a hired speaker on integrative medical topics for medical professionals. Dr. LoBisco currently incorporates her training in holistic medical practices and conventional medicine through writing, researching, private practice, and through her independent contracting work for companies regarding supplements, nutraceuticals, essential oils, and medical foods. She has a small, private wellness consultation practice through telephone and Skype. Dr. LoBisco also enjoys continuing to educate and empower her readers through her blogs and social media. Her new book, BreakFree Medicine, is now available on Amazon and through Barnes & Noble.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/author\/slobisco\/\"}]}<\/script>\r\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Power of the Gut-Connections - Living Well In Saratoga Springs NY: Saratoga's Holistic Health Forum Blog","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/2012\/09\/the-power-of-the-gut-connections\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Power of the Gut-Connections - Living Well In Saratoga Springs NY: Saratoga's Holistic Health Forum Blog","og_description":"by Sarah A LoBisco, ND This week's blog highlights the connection between our gut's critter population to our health. The microflora that resides in our intestines outnumbers our cells for a reason! They are critical regulators on how our...","og_url":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/2012\/09\/the-power-of-the-gut-connections\/","og_site_name":"Living Well In Saratoga Springs NY: Saratoga's Holistic Health Forum Blog","article_published_time":"2012-09-27T18:12:59+00:00","article_modified_time":"2017-11-29T14:44:51+00:00","author":"Dr. Sarah","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Dr. Sarah","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/2012\/09\/the-power-of-the-gut-connections\/","url":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/2012\/09\/the-power-of-the-gut-connections\/","name":"The Power of the Gut-Connections - Living Well In Saratoga Springs NY: Saratoga's Holistic Health Forum Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/#website"},"datePublished":"2012-09-27T18:12:59+00:00","dateModified":"2017-11-29T14:44:51+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/#\/schema\/person\/6872284eed515076e2993a69584827e3"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/2012\/09\/the-power-of-the-gut-connections\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/2012\/09\/the-power-of-the-gut-connections\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/2012\/09\/the-power-of-the-gut-connections\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The Power of the Gut-Connections"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/","name":"Living Well In Saratoga Springs NY: Saratoga's Holistic Health Forum Blog","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/#\/schema\/person\/6872284eed515076e2993a69584827e3","name":"Dr. Sarah","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b37e59a320fe3e87499bec9e197eda9c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b37e59a320fe3e87499bec9e197eda9c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Dr. Sarah"},"description":"Dr. LoBisco has been in holistic healthcare for over 10 years. She became interested in holistic medicine when she was able to heal two herniated discs through nutrition, yoga, supplementation, and chiropractic. She has mentored with holistic practices throughout New York, Vermont, and Connecticut. In addition to her Naturopathic and Functional Medical training, Dr. LoBisco has extensive training in a variety of healing modalities, including therapeutic essential oils, nutraceuticals, herbs, whole food supplements, nutritional medicine, and mind-body therapies. She is a graduate of the accredited, four year post-graduate program in Naturopathic Medicine at the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut. This program includes clinical rotations and a demanding scientific curriculum in integrating conventional and natural medicine. Dr. LoBisco holds her license from the state of Vermont. Dr. LoBisco has completed her postdoctoral training as a certified functional medicine practitioner. She is also certified in Applied Kinesiology and holds a BA in psychology from SUNY Geneseo. She has contributed as an item writer for the North American Board of Naturopathic Examiners (NABNE) and has several articles that have been published in the Naturopathic Doctor News and Review Digest (NDNR) and the Townsend Letter, both physician- based journals. Dr. LoBisco is also a hired speaker on integrative medical topics for medical professionals. Dr. LoBisco currently incorporates her training in holistic medical practices and conventional medicine through writing, researching, private practice, and through her independent contracting work for companies regarding supplements, nutraceuticals, essential oils, and medical foods. She has a small, private wellness consultation practice through telephone and Skype. Dr. LoBisco also enjoys continuing to educate and empower her readers through her blogs and social media. Her new book, BreakFree Medicine, is now available on Amazon and through Barnes & Noble.","url":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/author\/slobisco\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11174"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/109"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11174"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11174\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28307,"href":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11174\/revisions\/28307"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11174"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11174"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11174"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}