William Davis's Blog: Dr. Davis Infinite Health Blog, page 34

The Essential Microbiome: Akkermansia muciniphila

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” I can’t eat beans!”

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Oxytocin: Additional weight loss advantage

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Healthier hazelnut coffee creamer

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Mucous: Gooey, slimy . . . and necessary

You probably don’t think too often about the mucous lining of your gastrointestinal tract, this mix of proteins and polysaccharides that provides a barrier between the gastrointestinal lining and gastrointestinal contents.

Without it, however, and you would not survive for long. Inflammation, infection, and dysbiosis would proceed unchecked and you would promptly die. Mice bred to not produce mucous die within weeks. The gastrointestinal lining is therefore a vigorous producer of mucous that not only provides protection against pathogens, potential toxins, and foods as they are digested, but also otherwise highly toxic hydrochloric acid produced by the stomach and bile acids produced by the liver, either of which, without the protection afforded by mucous, would promptly destroy the intestinal lining. In short, we are all less than one millimeter of mucous away from intestinal destruction and self-digestion. You’ve likely seen some form of mucous: gooey, slimy, tough to rinse off your hands, as the mucins contained form complex polymers, long chains that are tough enough to be resistant to acid, bile, and most bacteria. Mucous is therefore a crucial factor in gastrointestinal health.

Remarkably, the science exploring intestinal mucous is a relatively recent development that parallels exploration of the human microbiome. It is now clear that bacteria normally do not directly contact the intestinal lining, as the mucous layer provides a barrier, a crucial and necessary barrier. But the mucous lining is also vulnerable to anything that disrupts its structure and affects its production.

The mucous lining is therefore something we do not want to disrupt. One illustration of the importance of the mucous layer comes from observing the effects of emulsifying ingredients added to processed foods, additives such as polysorbate 80 and hydroxymethcylcellulose frequently found in synthetic coffee creamers, ice cream, hot cocoa mixes and many other products. The emulsifying effect acts like detergent, disrupting and dispersing mucous and disabling its protective function. Among the consequences is an unhealthy shift in bowel flora composition and intestinal inflammation, effects that are nearly immediate. Such changes also amplify the toxic potential of factors such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs commonly used to “treat” arthritis pain or headaches. Conditions such as ulcerative colitis are associated with an abnormally permeable and ineffective mucous lining. Some pathogenic bacteria, such as Entamoeba histolytica that causes amebic dysentery, exert their effects by first disrupting or penetrating the mucous lining.

This brings us once again to the unique bowel flora species, Akkermansia muciniphila, the only member of the Verrucomicrobia phylum commonly found in the human gastrointestinal tract, primarily the colon. I have previously discussed how, when deprived of prebiotic fibers, Akkermansia has the unique capacity to digest human mucous as its nutritional source, a characteristic it shares with some of the species of Bacteroides. The lack of prebiotic fibers is also known to dramatically increase the numbers of Akkermansia, likely because, in the absence of prebiotic fibers, most other bacterial species either become quiescent or die because they do not have the capacity to thrive on mucous alone. And Akkermansia does so vigorously, reducing the mucous lining to a fraction of its normal thickness. Anytime you therefore fail to take in plentiful prebiotic fibers, you allow the proliferation of Akkermansia, as well as some mucous-degrading Bacteroides, at the expense of other bacterial species, while encouraging digestion of the mucous lining. It is also now clear that repeated or prolonged degradation of the mucous lining, whether by polysorbate 80, various drugs, pathogens like Entamoeba, or normally friendly Akkermansia, invites trouble in the form of intestinal inflammation, dysbiosis, and inflammation in other parts of the body. While many of the beneficial effects of bowel flora are mediated via butyrate, these effects have nothing to do with butyrate.

Part of your mucous preserving program is therefore to be mindful of prebiotic fiber intake. Deprive yourself of prebiotic fibers, whether you call it a “ketogenic diet,” “carnivorous diet,” or an ultra-low-carb diet, and you risk sacrificing the mucous lining of your gastrointestinal tract. Include around 20 grams per day of prebiotic fibers and you have taken the first step in cultivating a healthy and protective mucous lining.

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The next Wheat Belly 10-Day Grain Detox Challenge begins Wed Oct 16th!

Put it off no longer: We are planning our next Wheat Belly 10-Day Grain Detox Challenge that starts on Wednesday, October 16th. This is your opportunity to seize control over health and weight, maybe even turn the clock back 10 or 20 years, look and feel better, be freed of numerous, if not all, prescription drugs.

By joining our Wheat Belly 10-Day Grain Detox Challenge, you will have access to:

1) Our Wheat Belly 10-Day Grain Detox Private Facebook page that provides videos, success stories, and plenty of feedback and answers to your questions.

2) LIVE Facebook sessions with Dr. Davis and April Duval, our main Facebook page administrator. Dr. Davis will personally kick off the Detox Challenge on October 16th. And because April is herself an example of a fabulous Wheat Belly Detox success, she knows the ins and outs of this lifestyle like the back of her hand.

To join our Challenge, you must sign up to become a member of the Wheat Belly Blog community with an annual subscription fee of $15.99. Sign up here. Once you have signed up, you will be given access to our Private Facebook page. 

By becoming a Wheat Belly community member, you will have access to the huge number of resources available on the Wheat Belly Blog, also—additional recipes, tips, new concepts, avoiding pitfalls, etc.

Our goal: to help you succeed in turning around your life and health and achieve all your health goals including weight loss, getting off prescription medications, and turning back the clock 10 or 20 years.

 

Why the Detox Challenge?

Through my New York Times bestseller, Wheat Belly, millions of people learned how to reverse years of chronic health problems by removing wheat from their daily diets. But, after reading the original Wheat Belly or the Wheat Belly Total Health book, or even using the recipes from the Wheat Belly Cookbook and Wheat Belly 30-Minute Cookbook, people still said: “I’ve read the books, but I’m still not sure how to get started on this lifestyle.”

That’s why I wrote the Wheat Belly 10-Day Grain Detox  and now help readers along in this Wheat Belly 10-Day Grain Detox CHALLENGE. This is the quickest, most assured way to get started on regaining magnificent health and slenderness by adopting the Wheat Belly lifestyle.

We are kicking off the next Wheat Belly 10-Day Grain Detox Challenge on Facebook LIVE on Day 1: Wednesday October 16th, 12 pm EDT/11 am CDT/10 am MT/9 am PT. Come join us on the private Wheat Belly 10-Day Grain Detox Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/52751...

The Wheat Belly 10-Day Grain Detox supplies you with carefully designed meal plans and delicious recipes to fully eliminate wheat and related grains in the shortest time possible. Perfect for those who may have fallen off the wagon or for newcomers who need a jump-start for weight loss, this new addition to the Wheat Belly phenomenon guides you through the complete 10-Day Detox experience. And we will kick off this next Challenge with a live Facebook session with Dr. Davis on Day 1!

In addition to this quick-start program, I’ll teach you:

How to recognize and reduce wheat-withdrawal symptoms,
How to avoid common landmines that can sabotage success
How to use nutritional supplements to further advance weight loss and health benefits
How to effectively navigate the grocery store and choose safe products

To join the Detox Challenge:

Step 1

Get the book. And read it (at least the first 5 chapters).

Detox Challenge participants should be informed and active in order to get the most out of the challenge and private Facebook group. READING THE WHEAT BELLY DETOX BOOK IS REQUIRED TO PARTICIPATE. PLEASE DO NOT PARTICIPATE IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE BOOK or else the conversations will not make sense and you will not enjoy full benefit. It is a very bad idea to try and piece the program together just from our conversations. (Note that the Wheat Belly Detox program is NOT laid out in the original Wheat Belly book.)

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1JqzMea

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/wheatbelly10daygraindetox-bn

Indiebound: http://bit.ly/1KwcFTQ

Step 2

Join the Wheat Belly Blog community to access the thousands of discussions that provide additional recipes, discussions about issues relevant to the Wheat Belly lifestyle, access the newest ideas in the Wheat Belly Blog. The cost is $15.99 for an annual subscription. Here is why we have converted to a subscription process.

Step 3

Come join the Private Facebook Group.

http://bit.ly/WheatBelly-PrivateFBGroup

Step 4

Head back to the Private Facebook Group starting Tuesday, October 15th (the day before the official start of the Challenge) and onwards for tips, videos, and discussions to help you get through your detox and reprogram your body for rapid weight loss and health. Dr. Davis and site administrator, April Duval, will be posting video instructions and answers to your questions. Or just join the conversation now, as we discuss the ups and downs, share recipes, and just have fun every day!

 

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Sriracha Ranch Dressing

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Bowel flora: When friend becomes foe

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The magnesium habit

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The truth about oats and oatmeal

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