How to maintain gut health for overall wellness

Researchers uncover the intricate gut-brain connection, impacting thoughts and mood. Gut microbiota, lifestyle habits, ans intestinal permeability play crucial roles in overall health. Consult healthcare providers for personalized health strategies and maintain diverse diet with stress management.

There is more truth to ‘gut instincts’ than we knew. Researchers are increasingly discovering links between the enteric nervous system and the central nervous system that can revolutionise medicine. The gut may not be capable of thought but it does have a great influence on the way we think, researchers have found. The discovery of the close links between gut and brain and body health has revolutionized medicine and helped understand human bodies better.

The often repeated phrase” you’re what you eat” is proving to be rather intuitive. The fresh understanding of the gut-brain connection has helped doctors diagnose symptoms of disease that may arise in the gastrointestinal tract but impact mental health significantly.

The gut essentially has a “ 2^nd brain” that does not participate in intellectual activities but triggers mood changes that can profoundly impact our thoughts. The “ 2^nd brain” is the enteric nervous system (ENS)- it consists of 2 thin layers of 100 million nerve cells lining the digestive tract from the esophagus (food pipe) to the rectum.

The ENS is responsible or digestion as it controls everything from swallowing, the release of enzymes to the breakdown of food and the absorption of nutrients. Scientists has already found that depression and anxiety cause chronic problems like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and functional gastrointestinal problems like diarrhea, constipation, bloating etc. however, evidence is emerging that it works the other way round too.

With this new knowledge, healthcare providers can diagnose and treat diseases that arise due to the communication pathway between ENS and the central nervous system (CNS). For e.g. ,  gastroenterologist may prescribe antidepressants to certain patients of IBS to calm symptoms of depression in some cases by acting on nerve cells in the gut.

Various other connections between gut and brain health are emerging though they need to be firmly established. It appears that digestive system activity can impact our thinking skills and memory too. Researchers are also studying the way that signals from the gastrointestinal tract can affect metabolism and as a result our propensity toward diseases like Type 2 diabetes.

The gut is a rather thriving environment. It is home to gut microbiota—the microorganisms (bacteria) that aid digestion. These good bacteria keep all processes running smoothly and so, when we talk of gut health, we also talk of nutrient that keep these bacteria in their fittest form.

It is important to have a high fiber diet and cut down on sugars and saturated fats to keep the gut healthy. Alcohol and stress could also disrupt this fragile environment leading to inflammation and a condition that is known as “ leaky gut”.

The thin lining of the gut controls what gets absorbed into the bloodstream but when this barrier develops “holes” or “ cracks” due to a bad diet or lifestyle habits, it can pass partially digested food and toxins into the tissues beneath/ surrounding it. This may cause changes in the gut flora and cause many chronic diseases.

The leaky gut or an increased intestinal permeability may play a role in certain gastrointestinal conditions such as celiac disease, Crohn’s disease, and irritable bowel syndrome. Now, research is trying it uncover whether a leaky gut may also contribute to diseases elsewhere in the body. Scientists are exploring links between the gut and autoimmune disease like lupus, type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, arthritis,, allergies, asthma, acne, obesity and even mental illness.

It is clear that when we make alterations to our diet and lifestyle to incorporate food and habits that support overall health, every unit in our body benefits whether it be the gut, brain or heart. It is therefore important to pick a few achievable health targets and be consistent in trying to meet your goals.

Exercise regularly to keep stress at bay. Eat a diverse range of food- including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fermented products, prebiotics and probiotics= to promote gut health. If these interventions are not enough, then consult your healthcare provider for a proper diagnosis of your individual concern. Also exercise regularly and eat a healthy and balanced diet.

 

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.   

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Researchers uncover the intricate gut-brain connection, impa ..

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Researchers uncover the intricate gut-brain connection, impa ..

Read more at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/108983848.cms?utm_source=pocket-newtab-en-intl&utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

Green tea beneficial for more than just obesity

Green Tea has once again been found as the Hail Mary for not just obesity but various other inflammatory biomarkers linked with poor health, finds a recent study.

The study was done on mice to find out what other benefits can green tea actually provide.

The researchers found that the mice were fed a diet of 2 % green tea extract fared better than those that are a diet without it, a finding that has prompted an upcoming study of green tea's potential benefits in people at high risk of diabetes and heart diseases.

The benefits were seen in the new study appear to stem from improved gut health, including more beneficial microbes in the intestines of the mice and less permeability in the intestinal wall which is commonly called as the leaky gut.

The results of studies looking at obesity management so far had been a real mixed bag.

Some seem to support green tea for weight loss, but a lot of other research had shown no effect, likely due to the complexity of the diet relative to a number of lifestyle factors. Our goal was to figure out how it revents weight gain, said the study's lead author.

The researchers devised an experiment that examined green tea's effects in male mice fed a normal diet and a high-fat diet designed to cause obesity. ( Female mice are resistant to diet-induced obesity and insulin resistance, a precursor to diabetes, so they weren't included).

For 8 weeks, half of the mice ate a high-fat diet designed to lead to obesity and half were fed a regular diet. In each of those groups, half ate green tea extract mixed in with their food.

After that, they measured body and fat tissue weight, insulin resistance, leaky gut syndrome and the inflammation of the fat tissue and intestines.

The mice fed a high-aft diet supplemented with green tea gained about 20% less weight and had lower insulin resistance than mice fed an otherwise identical diet without tea.

Those mice also had less inflammation within fat tissue and the intestine. Furthermore, the green tea appeared to protect against the movement of endotoxin, the toxic bacterial componenet, out of their guts and into the bloodstream.

Plus, the researchers found evidence of stronger-less " leaky" guts in these mice. Leaky gut is a problem in humans that contribute to widespread low-grade inflammation and has been implicated in a number of health problems.

The researchers also found that the green tea appeared to contribute to a healthier microbial community in the guts of the mice fed a high-fat diet. Mice fed the normal, or low-fat diet supplemented with green tea also had benefits including reduced weight gain and lower endotoxin levels and markers of leaky gut, but these were relatively  modest compared with the effects were seen in mice fed the high-fat diet.

10 cups a day is the amount of tea equivalent to what the mice were fed by the researchers.

The researchers are planning to experiment on human next and explore the effects of green tea on leaky gut in people with metabolic syndrome, a condition that pre-disposes people to type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

Green tea had a rich history in Asian countries and has been increasingly embraced in the West, in part for its potential health benefits. Catechins, anti-inflammatory polyphenols found in green tea, have been linked to anti-cancer activity and lower risk of heart and live disease.

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.                                    PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO  VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                           https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com/                                                                                                                                                         FOR INFO ABOUT KNEE REPLACEMENT, YOU CAN VIEW MY BLOG-                                                  https:// kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com/           

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Eat Tomatoes to Fight Liver Cancer, Inflammation

Higher consumption of tomatoes could be associated with a decreased risk of liver cancer caused by high-fat diets, a study has found.
The study, conducted on mice, showed that tomatoes are rich in lycopene — a strong antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer agent — which helps in effectively reducing fatty liver disease, inflammation and liver cancer development. 

 "Consuming whole foods like tomatoes and processed tomatoes from sauces, tomato paste, canned whole tomato products, ketchup and juice, provides the best source of lycopene," said a researcher.

Interestingly, we observed that tomato powder is more effective than the same dose of purified lycopene supplementation to prevent liver cancer development, said the researcher.
This could be due to the potential beneficial effects of other nutrients in a whole tomato, such as vitamin E, vitamin C, folate, minerals, phenolic compounds and dietary fibres.
In addition, feeding mice tomato powder increased the richness and diversity of beneficial microbiota and prevented the over-growth of some bacteria related to inflammation, said the study.

For the study, infant mice were infected with a liver carcinogen and then fed an unhealthy high-fat diet similar to a Western diet, with or without tomato powder containing lycopene.
Other foods including guava, watermelon, grapefruit, papaya, and sweet red pepper also contain lycopene, but in much lower concentrations compared to tomatoes.
Eating tomatoes and tomato products such as tomato sauce rich in lycopene is also associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, diabetes, and certain cancers, including prostate, lung, breast and colon cancer, the study showed.

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.                                    PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO  VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                           https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com/                                                                                                                                                         FOR INFO ABOUT KNEE REPLACEMENT, YOU CAN VIEW MY BLOG-                                                  https:// kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com/           

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