Your immune system is a complex network made up of an array of cells and biological compounds that work together to keep you healthy as your body comes into contact with foreign “invaders” of all sorts—bacteria, viruses, fungi, allergens, toxins, and more. Your immune system is tasked with identifying harmful substances and getting rid of them all while letting benign…
A number of studies have linked stress during pregnancy to premature birth and low birth weight, eczema, asthma, skin condition, and general illness as well as anxiety, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and impaired cognitive and psychomotor development.1 The reasons for these associations is not completely understood. Some researchers believe that gut microbes play a role. Intestinal microbes affect the development…
The intestinal lining is a protective interface between the digestive tract and the rest of the internal organs and systems. It is a semi-permeable lining that, when healthy, lets in small digested nutrients and keeps out larger undigested food particles and pathogens. When the intestinal lining is damaged, a condition known as increased intestinal permeability or leaky gut usually due…
Antibiotic overuse is a problem that I discuss on a regular basis. One of the most detrimental effects of antibiotic overuse is the increase in obesity it is thought to contribute to. Dr. Smith recently blogged about the use of antibiotics during early infancy and its link to obesity later in life. A recent study published in the International Journal…
Fiber supplements are known for a range of benefits, including the improvement of bowel regularity, regulation of healthy blood sugar levels, and reduction of appetite. Another amazing benefit of some fibers is the ability to favorably alter the balance of gut bacteria. A recent study published in the journal Microbiome analyzed the ability of two types of fiber—polydextrose and soluble…
You may have already heard about leaky gut syndrome (increased intestinal permeability)—damage to the intestinal lining that creates holes through which travel toxins, bacteria, and large food particles from the digestive tract—all of which are not meant to cross the intestinal lining and can trigger an inflammatory immune response that enters systemic circulation and can manifest disease processes in virtually…
You’ve heard the old adage, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away,” but never has it rung more true than it does now. According to researchers from Washington State University, Granny Smith apples act as a prebiotic in the gut, altering the bacteria in obese individuals to be more like those found in lean individuals. Their study, published recently…
Every Friday for six weeks I am sharing with you a recipe from my new book, The Skinny Gut Diet. If you have tried it all, but you still can’t lose weight, then this book is for you. You are not entirely to blame for your extra pounds. As it turns out, the bacteria in your gut play a major…
Artificial sweeteners—the likes of saccharine (the pink packets), aspartame (the blue packets), and sucralose (the yellow packets)—were created as an alternative to caloric sweeteners like sugar and honey, which contribute to raised blood sugar and the development of metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes. Artificial sweeteners are added to a wide range of commonly consumed foods such as diet sodas,…
The diversity of your gut bacteria refers to the abundance of different types of microbes. As a rule, the more diverse your gut microbes, the healthier you are. A recent study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism further supports this idea. Researchers from the National Institutes of Health National Cancer Institute discovered that gut bacterial diversity may…