Brenda Watson's Blog, page 15

Another Must-Read: Wheat Belly Total Health by William Davis, MD

September is proving to be an exciting month for new book releases, including the newest book by renowned cardiologist Dr. William Davis—just released today! It’s called Wheat Belly Total Health (The Ultimate Grain-Free Health and Weight Loss Life Plan), and I highly recommend adding it to your reading list.

Dr. Davis and I agree that a diet filled with grains and wheat is behind the epidemic of chronic health problems and obesity we see so often today. His first book, Wheat Belly, sparked a nationwide movement and has helped millions take back control of their health and their weight through the benefits of living a grain-free lifestyle.

Now, with Wheat Belly Total Health, Dr. Davis builds on his previous message, providing new information about the different types of grains we may encounter and why “no grain is a good grain” when it comes to optimal health. He talks about how to make the transition to a life without grains; how your body (including your digestive system) may react; and how to successfully balance your nutrition once you eliminate grains from your diet. This includes taking probiotics to help the body recover from “Post-Traumatic Grain Gut Syndrome,” as Dr. Davis calls it, and he names ReNew Life probiotic supplements among the “best probiotics” on the market because of their high potency and multibillion CFU range.

But I think what I found most amazing about Wheat Belly Total Health were the personal stories and photographs of people just like you who experienced complete health and weight loss transformations without the need for medication or surgery—and who now have more energy and feel better than they ever have before.

Whether you have already made the transition to grain-free living or you are ready to take the first step, this book has all the information you need. It explores the science behind how grains affect everything from weight gain and metabolism to sleep patterns, mood and cardiovascular health. It even includes a handful of new recipes (homemade yogurt and kefir made easy!), plus shopping tips and advice for keeping track of hidden grains as you embrace your new lifestyle.

Like I said: a must-read!

Low Vitamin D Levels Linked to Dementia

In addition to the everyday digestive support supplements that I recommend everyone take on a daily basis (whether or not they have “digestive” issues)—High fiber, Omega-3, Probiotics, and digestive Enyzmes (I call it the H.O.P.E. Formula)—I always recommend vitamin D. Vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency is very common, even in “healthy” people and in those who get regular sun exposure. (Sun is a major source of vitamin D.)

A recent study published in the journal Neurology found that people who are severely vitamin D deficient are more than twice as likely to develop dementia and Alzheimer’s disease as those with normal vitamin D levels. Even those people who were moderately deficient still had a 53 percent increased risk of dementia and a 69 percent increased risk of Alzheimer’s.

“We expected to find an association between low vitamin D levels and the risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, but the results were surprising—we actually found that the association was twice as strong as we anticipated,” stated David Llewellyn, PhD.

The study involved over 1,650 adults over the age of 65 who were free from dementia, cardiovascular disease, and stroke at the beginning of the study. They were followed for six years to determine who would develop dementia or Alzheimer’s.

“Clinical trials are now needed to establish whether eating foods such as oily fish or taking vitamin D supplements can delay or even prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia,” noted Llewellyn.

Daily supplementation with vitamin D is recommended for most people. Regular testing of vitamin D levels is helpful to determine what dosage you need. The Vitamin D Council is an excellent resource for all you need to know about vitamin D.

Memory Impairment During Adolescence—Sugar to Blame

Sugar-sweetened beverages, most notably soft drinks and sweetened juices, are a regular part of the diets of many adolescents. Sugar-sweetened beverages make up 48 percent of added sugars in the diet, most coming from soft drinks. Adolescents enjoy more freedom than they experienced during earlier childhood, which may lead to the increased consumption of such beverages.

A recent study presented at the Annual Meeting of the Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior found that daily consumption of beverages sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup or sugar can impair the ability to learn and remember information, particularly in adolescents.

“It’s no secret that refined carbohydrates, particularly when consumed in soft drinks and other beverages, can lead to metabolic disturbances,” noted Scott Kanosky, PhD. “However, our findings reveal that consuming sugar-sweetened drinks is also interfering with our brain’s ability to function normally and remember critical information about our environment, at least when consumed in excess before adulthood.”

The researchers used an animal model in which adult and adolescent rats were given access to sugar-sweetened beverages that contained the equivalent sugar content of soft drinks. They found that sugar-sweetened beverages interfered with normal brain function memory when consumed in excess before adulthood, suggesting that this is a particular sensitive developmental period when it comes to brain health.

Adolescence is also a difficult period to make dietary changes, but reducing sugar intake is worth the trouble. For some healthy beverage options (and so much more!), check out Elana’s Pantry. Elana Amsterdam has been publishing healthy recipes on her blog for years. It’s a goldmine of goodness.

Obesity During Pregnancy Affects Gut Microbes in Offspring

Obesity during pregnancy has a number of detrimental effects. Not only does it negatively affect the mother by increasing the risk of gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, infections, sleep apnea, and even infertility in the first place, but it also has harmful effects on the baby, including problems with labor and the increased risk of obesity, heart disease, and diabetes later in life.

In a new study presented at the Annual Meeting of the Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior (SSIB), using an animal model, researchers found that maternal obesity triggers changes in the gut microbial composition and gut function in offspring.

Offspring born to obese mothers had an increase in the Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes ratio that is a known characteristic of obese humans, an interesting finding considering that this trait, which is passed down from mother to offspring, is not genetic. With about 30 percent of pregnant women obese, the health of many children is at risk.

“Modulation of microflora composition is fairly easy and non-invasive, and may be of benefit for these children,” noted Claire de la Serre, PhD, lead researcher.

This is not the only study to link alterations of gut microbes and obesity. A couple years ago Dr. Smith blogged about the connection between Cesarean delivery and obesity, and how alterations in gut microbes might be to blame. I also talk about this link in my new book, The Skinny Gut Diet.

New Book Recommendation: The Grain Brain Cookbook, Released Today!

If you loved reading Grain Brain by Dr. David Perlmutter as much as I did, you’re going to love what I have to say next. The Grain Brain Cookbook is now available—with over 150 recipes for everything from Eggs Benedict with Zucchini Pancakes to Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Swiss Chard and Goat Cheese. Yum!

But healthful and delicious recipes aside, the real message is one Dr. Perlmutter carries through from his previous book: the more we know about the damaging effects of wheat, grains, carbs and sugar on the human brain (and consequently the whole body) the closer we come to understanding the critical role of diet and nutrition in preserving and maintaining our well-being. It’s a message both he and I are working hard to spread.

Fatigue, brain fog, depression—all of these can be blamed on a body weighed down by carbs, sugar and unhealthy fats. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. In the beginning of The Grain Brain Cookbook Dr. Perlmutter talks about the dangers of silent inflammation and its effects on the human brain, as well as the connection between blood sugar, dietary fats (they’re not all evil), grains and brain health. From there, you’ll learn how to choose and prepare foods that will truly benefit your whole body with the Grain Brain Diet.

Wouldn’t it be nice to finally put an end to your carb and sugar addiction? And to fill your body with foods that make you feel healthy from the inside out? Once you learn exactly what to keep and what to toss from your pantry (and why), you’ll be ready to start making all those yummy recipes.

Happy (and healthy) cooking!

High-Carbohydrate Diet Triggers Colon Cancer

Studies have linked the high-carbohydrate Western diet to colorectal cancer, but scientists have been unsure of just how carbs may trigger the development of the disease. In a recent study published in the journal Cell, researchers discovered that microbes inside the gut are able to metabolize carbohydrates from food in such a way that causes intestinal cells to form tumors.

Using an animal model of mice genetically prone to develop colorectal cancer, researchers found that the mice fed a low-carbohydrate diet or given antibiotics had significantly less tumors than those on a typical Western diet. The fact that antibiotics had an effect is evidence that gut microbes play a central role. The study suggests that a low-carbohydrate diet could prevent a common type of colorectal cancer in humans.

“Because hereditary colorectal cancer is associated with aggressive and rapid tumor development, it is critical to understand how major environmental factors such as microbes and diet interact with genetic factors to potentially affect disease progression,” noted Alberto Martin, PhD, lead researcher.

Almost one in 15 Westerners will develop colorectal cancer, a disease that occurs in much higher rates in countries that have switched to a Western-style diet. Although a highly treatable disease when caught early, without regular screening it can go undetected. Hopefully this study leads to more insight about how it can be prevented in the first place.

“By providing a direct link between genetics and gut microbes, our findings suggest that a diet reduced in carbohydrates as well as alterations in the intestinal microbial community could be beneficial to those individuals who are genetically predisposed to colorectal cancer,” stated Martin.

Studies in humans will hopefully follow this research. In the meantime, a low-carbohydrate diet might not be a bad idea for people genetically prone to colon cancer. The low-carbohydrate diet should include plenty of nonstarchy vegetables and low-sugar fruits that provide plenty of fiber and phytonutrients.

Gutbliss Book Review

I read an excellent book recently that I want to share with you. Gutbliss by Robynne Chutkan, M.D. is an excellent review of digestive conditions and how to treat them naturally, along with many success stories from her patients who have followed the Gutbliss plan.

A conventionally trained gastroenterologist turned integrative, Chutkan embodies what I wish more docs would—she recognizes that when patients take their health into their own hands, they find the healing they were searching for. She experienced this firsthand with her daughter, and now works to empower her patients and readers to heal themselves with the Gutbliss lifestyle.

The book covers a range of digestive conditions and gives helpful solutions for each one. I was particularly impressed by her coverage of parasites and Candida, topics that are skirted far too often by mainstream medicine. She also covers leaky gut syndrome, another topic I hear about too infrequently from medical doctors.

Dr. Chutkan explains the root causes of bloating and gas, offers steps to alleviate symptoms, and outlines a nutrition and exercise plan for optimizing gastrointestinal health. Research-based and gimmick-free, Gutbliss will provide a fascinating trip down your gastrointestinal superhighway.

If you are suffering from bloating, indigestion, constipation and other gastrointestinal ailments, you will find the book to be a valuable read. Her diet recommendations differ somewhat from my own, but they are still sure to help many people seeking better digestion through better eating habits.

Low-Dose Antibiotics During Early Infancy Trigger Obesity Later in Life

Early life is a critical development period in many respects, and particularly as it relates to gut microbial composition. Even before birth, gut microbes are transferred from mother to fetus, a transfer that continues during birth and later via breast milk. Once established, gut microbes in the infant play a protective role on the infant’s health.

A disturbance of gut microbial balance during early development has been linked to obesity. Epidemiological studies have found that exposure to antibiotics during infancy can lead to weight gain later in life.1-3 Animal studies have confirmed this link and determined that low-dose antibiotics administered after weaning lead to an increased fat mass, altered metabolic hormones, liver metabolism, and microbiota composition.4

A recent study published in the journal Cell followed up this research and confirmed that the increased fat mass was the result of changes in gut bacteria and not to the antibiotic itself.5 Low-dose penicillin was administered either to the mother before birth and then to mouse pups until weaning, or they were administered to pups after weaning. In both cases, alterations in gut bacterial balance occurred, but they fully recovered after antibiotics were stopped. On the other hand, metabolic changes occurred that persisted into adulthood. Increased growth, which included lean mass, fat mass, bone mass, or a combination were induced by the antibiotic exposure. In addition, decreases were found in four main bacteria: Lactobacillus, Allobaculum, Rikenellaceae, and Candidatus arthromitus. Finally, a decrease in intestinal immune responses and impaired intestinal barrier function were found, which may help explain how bacteria might trigger metabolic dysfunction.

To confirm that these metabolic effects were the result of microbial alterations, the researchers transplanted feces from the obese mice into germ-free mice who inherited the altered gut microbes and went on to gain fat mass in a similar manner. They proposed the term microbe-induced obesity (MIO) as a condition of increased fat accumulation that results from alterations in gut bacteria. This study suggests that losses of the four bacteria are detrimental when they occur (Lactobacillus, Allobaculum, Rikenellaceae, and Candidatus) during the critical developmental period of early infancy.

“These four organisms have either metabolic and/or immunologic interactions, which may contribute to the observed protection from weight gain in the control animals,” noted the researchers.

“This highlights a need for judicious use of antibiotics in clinical practice in early life,” noted Martin Blaser, MD, lead researcher and author of the eye-opening book Missing Microbes. Brenda and I discuss some of his research in our new book, The Skinny Gut Diet.

Microbe-induced obesity in conjunction with diet-induced obesity (because the two go hand in hand as we discuss in our book) are a sure set up for difficult-to-lose weight gain. This was confirmed by feeding a high-fat diet to the mice given low-dose penicillin, in which they found an amplified increase in fat mass. The researchers suggest that restoration of lost microbes after antibiotic use during infancy as a potential strategy to reverse MIO and its related effects.

It is clear to me that pre- and probiotics during pregnancy will prove to be a major way to ensure that the immune system and intestinal lining of the fetus will optimally develop, which may negate the need for antibiotics, for the most part. In the event that there is a need for antibiotics, I think it will soon become standard of care to place everyone who is taking antibiotics on probiotics to maintain microbiome stability. Probiotics can provide high colony count numbers with increased species of commensal bacteria to block the emergence and dominance of pathogenic bacteria that can spell disaster.

Further studies are needed to confirm these effects in humans, and to determine what species are key to the prevention of weight gain in later life.

References

Ajslev TA, Andersen CS, Gamborg M, et al., “Childhood overweight after establishment of the gut microbiota: the role of delivery mode, pre-pregnancy weight and early administration of antibiotics.” Int J Obes (Lond). 2011 Apr;35(4):522–9.
Murphy R, Stewart AW, Braithwaite I, et al., “Antibiotic treatment during infancy and increased body mass index in boys: an international cross-sectional study.” Int J Obes (Lond). 2014 Aug;38(8):1115–9.
Trasande L, Blustein J, Liu M, et al., “Infant antibiotic exposures and early-life body mass.” Int J Obes (Lond). Jan 2013; 37(1): 16–23.
Cho I, Yamanishi S, Cox L, et al., “Antibiotics in early life alter the murine colonic microbiome and adiposity.” Nature. 2012 Aug 30;488(7413):621–6.
Cox LM, Yamanishi S, Sohn J, et al., “Altering the intestinal microbiota during a critical developmental window has lasting metabolic consequences.” Cell. 2014 Aug 14;158(4):705–21.

Are Your Gut Microbes to Blame for Your Cravings?

In my new book and upcoming public television show, The Skinny Gut Diet, I talk at length about how gut microbes are in control of your health, and how your particular gut balance determines whether or not you will gain weight. Although it seems farfetched at first, everything seems to finally make sense once you realize that you are not entirely responsible for those extra 20 pounds.

Think about it: Who hasn’t been on an assortment of diets, only to gain back every pound—and then some? Or who hasn’t hit that dieting plateau when no matter what you do, the scale doesn’t budge? As it turns out, your gut bacteria may be to blame. That’s right—the fact that you are overweight may be the result of having the wrong bacteria in your gut.

In a fascinating review recently published in the journal BioEssays, researchers discuss evidence for the role bacteria play in triggering our food cravings. The bacteria in your gut need certain foods—particularly sugars and carbohydrates—that benefit them. So they trigger your cravings, causing you to overeat so that they can get the food they need.

“Bacteria within the gut are manipulative,” said Carlo Marley, PhD, one of the authors. “There is a diversity of interests represented in the microbiome, some aligned with our own dietary goals, and others not.”

Gut microbes work in four main ways to manipulate behavior and mood, leading to overeating and weight gain. Gut microbes:

Alter communication with the nervous system via the vagus nerve (which connects the gut to the brain).
Change taste receptors.
Produce toxins to make us feel unwell.
Release chemicals that make us feel good.

There is evidence that gut microbes have an effect on mood, a topic Dr. Smith and I have blogged about before. The researchers also discuss the ability of certain gut microbes to induce feelings of being unwell, which can trigger a person to overeat. One example they give of this phenomena is colic. Babies with colic have altered gut bacteria and are commonly overfed, which can lead to weight gain. Could it be that the gut microbes in these babies are simply trying to get fed? Scientists say yes. And other bacteria may be doing something similar in your gut.

“Gut microbes may manipulate eating behavior by hijacking their host’s nervous system,” stated the researchers.

Not only that, but many gut microbes produce neurotransmitters and hormones, such as serotonin (the feel-good hormone) and dopamine (the reward neurotransmitter). Many gut bacteria also produce compounds that are almost identical to leptin, ghrelin, peptide YY, and neuropeptide Y, all hormones that regulate satiety and hunger. The secretion of these compounds in the gut may affect how much you crave and how much you eat.

The researchers go on to discuss the effects of gut bacteria on weight gain, a topic I delve into in The Skinny Gut Diet, and we have also discussed here on the blog. They go on to discuss the use of probiotics for weight loss, as I do in the book and on this blog.

Interestingly, they discuss the possibility that a lower diversity of gut microbes is associated with more unhealthy eating behaviors. It’s a vicious cycle. When excess food is eaten, microbes have extra food to consume, which result in an increase in certain bacteria that favor those foods and a decrease in other bacteria. The dominant species then exert a stronger effect on the host (that’s you!) that leads to overeating, which further feeds the dominant species. This cycle lowers the overall diversity of gut microbes and leads to food cravings and weight gain. Yikes!

“Until we have a better understanding of the contributions and interactions between individual microbial taxa, it may be more effective to focus interventions on increasing microbial diversity in the gut,” note the researchers.

The good news is that you aren’t stuck with your bacteria. Gut bacteria respond quickly to changes in diet. To break the cycle, you will need to begin with your plate. Foods high in starches and sugars are the biggest culprits. Nonstarchy vegetables, low-sugar fruits, fermented foods, healthy fats, and protein will help you regain your gut balance, and your waistline. For more on how to do just that, preorder my book.

Regular Fish Oil Use Linked to Better Brain

I regularly blog about the brain benefits of fish oil because the science behind them is so extensive and I want to pass the knowledge on to others. When you have the knowledge to heal your body, you become your own health advocate, and you realize how much power you have to change your health.

In yet another study highlighting the brain power of fish oil, published in the journal Alzheimer’s and Dementia, researchers found that people who regularly take fish oil supplements were least likely to suffer from mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer’s disease when compared to those people who did not take fish oil. The only exception was in people with the genetic variant known as APOE4, which is known to increase risk of Alzheimer’s.

The researchers analyzed data from 819 people with cognitive function ranging from normal to Alzheimer’s. Those people who regularly took fish oil supplements (and who did not have the APOE4 gene) had better cognitive function and less brain shrinkage in two areas of the brain critical to memory and thinking when compared to people who did not take fish oil.

“These findings may suggest a potential role for fish oil supplements by reducing neurodegeneration [brain damage] over time,” noted the researchers.

When looking for a fish oil supplement, you want to look for the following features:

High potency: You want to know how much omega-3 is in each capsule, not how much fish oil. Look for a softgel that contains at least 1,000 mg omega-3 per softgel.

Purity: Look for the IFOS (International Fish Oil Standards) seal to be sure that your fish oil exceeds published international standards for the lowest levels of toxins.

Freshness: Look for fish oil in dark-colored glass bottles and softgels to protect the oils from light and moisture. In addition, look for added lipase, which helps with digestion of the oils.

Enteric coating: Look for enteric coated fish oil softgels that deliver omega-3s directly to the intestines where they are absorbed.