The evidence for the Brain-Gut connection continues to mount. See article below. But it has always been clear that what we eat affects the microbiome AND every organ of the body. Why should the brain be different? Practical advice: if you are afraid of getting Alzheimer’s as you age, stop eating sugar. We now call sugar-induced neuro-degeneration Type III diabetes.
Hugo Rodier, MD
More Evidence Links Gum Disease and Dementia Risk
Batya Swift Yasgur, MA, LSW. August 19, 2020. Medscape
“Periodontal disease is associated with later development of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia, especially in those with severe gum inflammation and edentulism (tooth loss), new research suggests. Over a 20-year period, investigators prospectively followed more than 8000 individuals around the age of 63 years who did not have cognitive impairment or dementia at baseline, grouping them based on the extent and severity of their periodontal disease and number of lost teeth. Results showed that 14% of participants with healthy gums and all their teeth at baseline developed dementia, compared with 18% of those with mild periodontal disease and 22% who had severe periodontal disease. The highest percentage (23%) of participants who developed dementia was found in those who were edentulous (toothless).
After accounting for comorbidities that might affect dementia risk, edentulous participants had a 20% higher risk for developing MCI or dementia compared with the healthy group. Because the study was observational, “we don’t have knowledge of causality so we cannot state that if you treat periodontal disease you can prevent or treat dementia,” lead author Ryan T. Demmer, PhD, MPH, associate professor, Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Minneapolis, told Medscape Medical News. However, “the take-home message from this paper is that it further supports the possibility that oral infections could be a risk factor for dementia,” Demmer said. The study was published online July 29 in Neurology.”
Comment: What is the main cause of gum disease? Answer at the end of newsletter.
Higher urinary levels of BPA linked to higher risk of death
“CNN (8/17, LaMotte) reports research indicates that “people who had higher levels of bisphenol A (BPA) in their urine were about 49% more likely to die during a 10-year period.” Study author Leonardo Trasande, MD, director of environmental pediatrics at NYU Langone Health, stated, “This is another puzzle piece that compellingly speaks to the seriousness of the threat posed by these chemicals used in can linings and thermal papers.”
Even though “this is the first study to find that result, ‘this is not necessarily a huge stretch from the perspective of what you might expect to happen because those three conditions – obesity, diabetes, and heart disease – all step up the risk of mortality,’ Trasande said.” The findings were published online in JAMA Network Open.”
Microbial management
J. Science 10 Jul 2020;369:153
“The human colon is home to a complex microbial ecosystem (microbiota), composed mostly of anaerobic organisms. Recent data suggest that gut microbes and their metabolites can affect human health through multiple mechanisms including altering the immune response, changing host cell metabolic states, and even affecting the response to immunotherapies.”
Comment: gut microbes also affect our DNA and how the action, good or bad, of the drugs we take. A lot of the unexplained side effects from pharmaceuticals are said to be due to the liver and to “serendipity.” That will need to change. What you eat affects the microbiome, which in turn affects how pharmaceutical drugs work.
Intake of whole grain foods and risk of type 2 diabetes
BMJ 2020;370:m2206
“Higher consumption of total whole grains and several commonly eaten whole grain foods, including whole grain breakfast cereal, oatmeal, dark bread, brown rice, added bran, and wheat germ, was significantly associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes. These findings provide further support for the current recommendations of increasing whole grain consumption as part of a healthy diet for the prevention of type 2 diabetes.”
Comment: Why? Because they provide roughage, or prebiotics to our microbiome.
Association between prediabetes and risk of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular disease.
BMJ 2020;370:m2297
“Results indicated that prediabetes was associated with an increased risk of all- cause mortality and cardiovascular disease in the general population and in patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Screening and appropriate management of prediabetes might contribute to primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease.
Comment: pre-diabetes = sugar = poor microbiome. Sugar directly damages the walls of arteries, the so-called endothelium. Also, cell membranes throughout our body, which compromise cellular function.
Pomegranate supplement slows neurodegenerative diseases
By Abigail Klein Leichman. Medscape August 2, 2020
“Everybody knows that the pomegranate is a superfood. One of the seven native fruits of Israel, pomegranates are packed with health-promoting and healing antioxidants and vitamins. Now, an Israeli supplement derived from pomegranate seed oil has proven helpful in improving cognitive function in multiple sclerosis patients experiencing cognitive difficulties associated with the disease.
Prof. Dimitrios Karussis, the internationally renowned director of the Multiple Sclerosis Center at Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center in Jerusalem, found significant improvement in learning ability and text comprehension, word recall and categorization in 30 patients involved in a groundbreaking study of the patented GranaGard supplement.This is just the latest study showing benefits of this over-the-counter supplement. It is not a cure — nerve cell damage is irreversible – but GranaGard seems to prevent or slow neurodegeneration and even reduce symptoms caused by neurodegenerative diseases or aging.”
Comment: drink POM Wonderful. Dilute it with water; it has a lot of sugar.
Timing of meals effects body rhythms and metabolic health
Abbey Hunton. Medscape July 31, 2020
“Nearly every cell in the body has its own 24-hour clock, and new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania shows the way those clocks interact with each other plays a critical role in the health of a person’s metabolism. It’s widely reported that shift workers suffer from high rates of obesity and diabetes when their internal clocks do not coordinate with each other, as well as due to irregular eating times. However, little is known about the interaction between internal clocks and eating schedules, and specifically, the impact on overall health. Now, in a new study published today in Science, a team of researchers led by Mitchell Lazar, MD, Ph.D., the Willard and Rhoda Ware, Professor in Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases and director of Penn’s Institute for Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism, sheds new light on the question. “The internal clocks in the brain synchronize clocks in peripheral tissues, and misalignment of this system is associated with metabolic dysfunction,” said Lazar, the senior author of the study. “But how the environment and genetic factors control the clocks in peripheral tissue and whether communication exists between clocks in different cell types are largely unknown.”
Comment: if possible, avoid graveyard shifts. Eat breakfast as a king, lunch as a queen and dinner as a pauper.
THE MAIN CAUSE OF GUM DISEASE IS REFINED SUGARS.
