Patients who focus on nutrition and the Microbiome are increasing their chances of a good outcome through the COVID-19 pandemic. Remember, our gut bacteria constitute a big part of our immune system. Hugo Rodier, MD
Intestinal bacteria may affect severity of coronavirus
By Yaron Steinbuch, New York Post
“The bacteria lurking in COVID-19 patients’ intestines may play a role in how sick they get from the illness, Although the coronavirus is primarily a respiratory disease, there is increasing evidence that suggests the GI tract is involved, scientists at the Chinese University of Hong Kong said. “Based on several patients surveyed in this study for up to 30 days after clearing SARS-CoV-2, the gut microbiota is likely to remain significantly altered after recovery from COVID-19.” Researchers studied samples from 100 patients treated at two Hong Kong hospitals to see how the so-called microbiome in the digestive system might affect recovery from the deadly bug. “Gut microbiome composition was significantly altered in patients with COVID-19 compared with non-COVID-19 individuals irrespective of whether patients had received medication,” they wrote in the British Medical Journal’s publication Gut.
“Based on several patients surveyed in this study for up to 30 days after clearing SARS-CoV-2, the gut microbiota is likely to remain significantly altered after recovery from COVID-19.” The researchers said patients with severe illness exhibit high blood plasma levels of inflammatory cytokines and inflammatory markers — and that there is “substantial involvement” of the GI tract during infection, given “altered gut microbiota composition in SARS-CoV-2 infected subjects.” Cytokines, which are molecules that allow your cells to talk to each other, play a crucial role for healthy immune function. Too many cytokines, however, can result in what’s known as a “cytokine storm.”
“These results suggest that gut microbiota composition is associated with the magnitude of immune response to COVID-19 and subsequent tissue damage and thus could play a role in regulating disease severity,” they wrote. The scientists also found that because a small subset of patients showed gut microbiota dysbiosis, or imbalance, even 30 days after recovery, this could be a potential explanation for why some symptoms persist in what is known as long COVID.”
Comment: unfortunately, the authors do not discuss the most practical application of their research—eat a ton of veggies and stop eating processed sugar.
SARS-CoV-2 will resemble the common cold in the future
“The New York Times (1/12, Mandavilli) reports SARS-CoV-2 “is here to stay, but once most adults are immune – following natural infection or vaccination – the virus will be no more of a threat than the common cold, according to a study published in the journal Science on Tuesday.” At some point in the future, “the study suggests the virus will be of concern only in children younger than 5, subjecting even them to mere sniffles – or no symptoms at all.”
Comment: plan on a better diet to cope and a new vaccine each year, just like the Flu.
Current concepts, opportunities, and challenges of gut microbiome-based personalized medicine in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
J. Cell Metabolism 2021;33:21.
“Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NALFD) is now a leading cause of chronic liver disease worldwide, in part, as a consequence of rapidly rising levels of obesity and metabolic syndrome and is a major risk factor for cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma, and liver-related mortality. From NAFLD stems a myriad of clinical challenges related to both diagnosis and management. A growing body of evidence suggests an intricate linkage between the gut microbiome and the pathogenesis of NAFLD. We highlight how our current knowledge of the gut-liver axis in NAFLD may be leveraged to develop gut microbiome-based personalized approaches for disease management, including its use as a non-invasive biomarker for diagnosis and staging, as a target for therapeutic modulation, and as a marker of drug response. We will also discuss current limitations of these microbiome-based approaches. Ultimately, a better understanding of microbiota-host interactions in NAFLD will inform the development of novel preventative strategies and precise therapeutic targets.”
Comment: the authors don’t mention why we get Fatty Liver—too much sugar in our diet and a microbiome that can’t handle with such diet.
Negative effects of excess body fat on heart health cannot be canceled out by active lifestyle
“CNN (1/21, Guy, Woodyatt) reports research indicates that “the negative effects of excess body fat on heart health can’t be canceled out by maintaining an active lifestyle.” While “previous studies had suggested that being physically fit could mitigate the negative effects of being overweight on heart health…this is not the case, according to” the study. The findings were published in the European J. of Preventive Cardiology.”
Comment: when we are young, we can get away with a bad diet by working out a lot. I wager that you, like me, are not young, anymore…
Red meat intake and risk of coronary heart disease
BMJ 2020;371:m4141 “Substantial evidence from randomized trials and observational studies suggests that high consumption of red meat, especially processed red meat, is associated with an increased risk of mortality and major chronic diseases, including coronary heart disease (CHD). Consequently, the 2015-20 US Dietary Guidelines for Americans encourage dietary patterns that are low in red and processed meat intake. Increases in risk were not, however, seen in Asian populations with low consumption of red meat, or in populations in which consumption of red meat has recently increased. These inconsistencies could be due to the variable amounts and duration of red meat consumed in different populations, inadequate differentiation between processed and unprocessed red meat, differences in the levels of controlling for confounding, and, importantly, differences in the comparison sources of energy. In particular, in most populations, most energy intake come from refined starches, sugar, potatoes, and fats that are highly saturated or partially hydrogenated. Thus, analyses that fail to specify comparison foods are by default mainly comparing red meat with these suboptimal sources of energy intake. Therefore, lack of an association of red meat with disease outcomes simply implies that red meat is as unhealthy as these alternative foods.”
Comment: no question it is best for us, animals and the planet, to become vegan. Unfortunately, most people cannot overcome cultural conditioning.
Drinking coffee may lower risk of prostate cancer
“The New York Times (1/21, Bakalar) reports researchers conducted a review study and concluded that “drinking coffee may lower the risk for prostate cancer.” For the review study, which was published in BMJ Open, “researchers combined data from 16 prospective studies that calculated the risk associated with the highest versus the lowest coffee consumption.”
Comment: unfortunately, coffee may have side cardiovascular and gastric side effects.
Personalized brain stimulation may lead to better results in both depression, OCD behaviors
“NPR (1/20, Hamilton) reports, “There’s new evidence that brain stimulation isn’t a one-size-fits-all treatment. Customizing treatment for each person led to better results with both depression and obsessive-compulsive behaviors, researchers report in the journal Nature Medicine.” And the ability “to personalize stimulation may be especially important in psychiatric disorders such as depression, says Dr. Katherine Scangos, an assistant professor of clinical psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco and an author of the study on depression,” which was also published in Nature Medicine.”
Comment: we need all the help we can get when dealing with depression. Even mushrooms’ Psilocybin.
People who consume high levels of dietary vitamin C, E may lower risk for Parkinson’s disease by almost a third
“HealthDay (1/7, Reinberg) reports, “People who consume high levels of dietary vitamin C and E may lower their risk for Parkinson’s disease by almost a third,” investigators concluded after following some “44,000 adults in Sweden for an average of 18 years.” After accounting for confounding factors, researchers found that “people who got the most vitamins E and C had a 32% lower risk of Parkinson’s disease than those who got the least.” The findings were published online in the journal Neurology.”
Comment: it’s worth remembering we get PD from pesticides and a poor detoxifying microbiome.
