Gut bacteria improve health, mood and longevity – 01/23/2023 – Balance

Most people only know fungi and bacteria as causing infections and diseases, but their relationship with humans runs deeper. The American doctor William Davis, through his new book “Super Intestino”, tells how this relationship works.

The work explores the link between lifestyle and the microbiome – the set of microorganisms that live in the human body. The author’s proposal is that restoration of good bacteria in the gut can improve health, mood, appearance, and promote longevity.

Based on scientific work, Davis cites several microorganisms that should be prioritized for better health, but the star of the book is bacteria Lactobacillus Reuteri. It is present in the gastrointestinal tract of native populations that live closer to nature, but it is disappearing in urban civilizations.

the presence of L. reuteri helps control harmful bacteria and promotes the release of oxytocin, a substance known as the hormone of love and empathy, capable of making social relationships more positive. Its presence in the microbiome is also linked to better wound healing, increased libido, bone health and skin appearance.

Throughout the work, the doctor shows how human beings lost these microorganisms. The answer lies in the lifestyle that involves, among other issues, the consumption of antibiotics and ultra-processed foods, the lack of fiber in the diet and the presence of traces of pesticides in food.

Davis is a cardiologist, but he began to investigate how diet interferes with health when he realized that drugs for heart disease were not reducing the rate of people living with this condition in the United States.

“Among the 330 million people living here [nos EUA]more than 80 million take statins and cholesterol drugs, but there has been almost no decrease in heart disease,” the doctor told Sheet. “I wanted better answers, especially after my mother died of heart problems, even after undergoing a successful coronary angioplasty”

In his first book, the best seller “Wheat Belly”, published in 2011, Davis points out the high consumption of wheat, rice, oats and derivatives as the great villains of modern diets, being responsible for increasing inflammation in the body, causing diseases and increase the number of cases of diabetes and other metabolic diseases, which directly interfere with heart health.

In addition to restricting wheat and grains, he began investigating the gut microbiome and found that the impact of these microorganisms on individuals’ lives could be enormous.

Lifestyle changes in recent decades have made most people prone to dysbiosis, a term that designates an imbalance in the microbiome. Some people develop a more severe form of this condition called Sibo (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth).

In this disease, bacteria that should only grow in the large intestine (the final part of the gastrointestinal tract) also start to grow in the small intestine.

Davis’ research has shown that this disease alters the digestion of food, causes intestinal discomfort, and allows bacterial toxins that affect organs and mood to enter the bloodstream. If left untreated, the condition can lead to mood disorders, metabolic diseases like diabetes, and autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis.

Questioned about why medicine ignores this disease and the importance of the microbiota, Davis says that studies that more seriously investigate the role of bacteria in our health are very recent and that advances have happened very quickly, but that most doctors , especially those with more time in the field, have not yet updated on the most recent discoveries.

He also says that the diagnosis of Sibo is difficult, since the small intestine is a portion of the gastrointestinal tract that is difficult to access – this system is about nine meters long.

Davis presents four-week plans to treat dysbiosis and Sibo, restore good microorganisms, and keep your gut healthy. Their proposals range from simple to ambitious, where supporters must consume legumes, vegetables, teas and fermented foods such as kefir and kombucha, or even completely eliminate wheat and rice from the diet and consume only organic foods.

The doctor recognizes that it is not easy to follow all the recommendations. In populations like Brazil, foods like rice are indispensable and the price of organic products is very high. “I don’t think anyone in the modern world can eat perfectly,” he says. “What we must do is minimize exposure.”

According to Davis, filtering the water with activated carbon to remove chlorine and agricultural residues, eating natural or minimally processed foods, exercising and eating fermented foods every day are all good places to start.