4 ms·

What's most interesting to me is that gut biome can affect the eyes and brain.

codyb 4y ago
Seems fairly linear no? Gut biome digests food to ingest nutrients which are used by the eyes and brain, ergo more efficient processes produce better results for them?
- SemanticStrengh 4y ago
  yes but not only, the surprising mechanisms act on other ways, e.g. the gut has specific neurotransmitters/neuropeptides.
- programmarchy 4y ago
  You'd think so, but things like probiotics, and diet-based approaches to curing disease is still considered alternative medicine. Many doctors are way behind on this stuff, and we'll probably be waiting on a Kuhnian scientific revolution to occur before this really enters mainstream medicine. For example, I have a family member with Crohn's and the majority of doctors they saw were adamant that diet would not alter the symptoms of the disease, and the only way to treat it was using drugs like prednisone (steroid) or Humira (TNF blocker), both of which can have awful side effects. With some major dietary adjustments, and the guidance of "non-traditional" doctors, my family member is in full remission, and has met countless other people with Crohn's, Hashimoto's, and other diseases caused by chronic inflammation who have essentially been cured this way, too.
giarc 4y ago
I was acutely involved in similar work a while ago (I was a donor for many C diff, IBS, Crohns patients and autism patients). The science/theory may have changed, but the potential link between gut microbiome and autism for awhile was thought to do with the levels of Clostrium (Clostridia?... can't remember back to my microbiology days) bacteria in babies. Most babies are born with high levels of Clostridium species in their gut, as you may know, clostridium are usually very good at producing toxins (botulism, c. diff, perfringens etc). Majority of babies seem to get rid of these bacteria at 10 months or so, but those with autism seem to hold onto them. The thinking is these bacteria continue to produce low levels of neurotoxins that affect the brain. It seems to be supported with anecdotal research which shows improvement in autism symptoms in younger children who are given transplants but not older children. The thought being the years of toxin affect on the brain has been too much.
SemanticStrengh 4y ago
source for the eyes??
adamredwoods 4y ago
The more studies that are done, the more evidence there is that bacteria from the 'gut biome' affects quite a bit in your body. My armchair summary on this is that the cells pull bacteria from the gut and move it about the body. Diabetes: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7415231/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7415231/ Even cancer cells: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2021.622064/full https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2021.6220... The NIH Human Microbiome project: http://commonfund.nih.gov/hmp http://commonfund.nih.gov/hmp

Seems fairly linear no? Gut biome digests food to ingest nutrients which are used by the eyes and brain, ergo more efficient processes produce better results for them?

SemanticStrengh 4y ago
yes but not only, the surprising mechanisms act on other ways, e.g. the gut has specific neurotransmitters/neuropeptides.
programmarchy 4y ago
You'd think so, but things like probiotics, and diet-based approaches to curing disease is still considered alternative medicine. Many doctors are way behind on this stuff, and we'll probably be waiting on a Kuhnian scientific revolution to occur before this really enters mainstream medicine. For example, I have a family member with Crohn's and the majority of doctors they saw were adamant that diet would not alter the symptoms of the disease, and the only way to treat it was using drugs like prednisone (steroid) or Humira (TNF blocker), both of which can have awful side effects. With some major dietary adjustments, and the guidance of "non-traditional" doctors, my family member is in full remission, and has met countless other people with Crohn's, Hashimoto's, and other diseases caused by chronic inflammation who have essentially been cured this way, too.

giarc 4y ago

I was acutely involved in similar work a while ago (I was a donor for many C diff, IBS, Crohns patients and autism patients). The science/theory may have changed, but the potential link between gut microbiome and autism for awhile was thought to do with the levels of Clostrium (Clostridia?... can't remember back to my microbiology days) bacteria in babies. Most babies are born with high levels of Clostridium species in their gut, as you may know, clostridium are usually very good at producing toxins (botulism, c. diff, perfringens etc). Majority of babies seem to get rid of these bacteria at 10 months or so, but those with autism seem to hold onto them. The thinking is these bacteria continue to produce low levels of neurotoxins that affect the brain. It seems to be supported with anecdotal research which shows improvement in autism symptoms in younger children who are given transplants but not older children. The thought being the years of toxin affect on the brain has been too much.

SemanticStrengh 4y ago

source for the eyes??

adamredwoods 4y ago

The more studies that are done, the more evidence there is that bacteria from the 'gut biome' affects quite a bit in your body. My armchair summary on this is that the cells pull bacteria from the gut and move it about the body. Diabetes: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7415231/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7415231/ Even cancer cells: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2021.622064/full https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2021.6220... The NIH Human Microbiome project: http://commonfund.nih.gov/hmp http://commonfund.nih.gov/hmp