I recently had a patient ask me to prescribe DRYSOL© for her excessive axillary sweating. I felt it my duty to explain to her that the main ingredient in that drug is aluminum, which has been associated with Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) or Dementia. Other heavy metals, pesticides and assorted Endocrine Disruptors like plastics are also on the list. Added to a diet low in veggies and heavy on processed foods, especially sugar, you increase your risk of AD. It cannot be treated. Prevention is the way to go. Hugo Rodier, MD
One in 10 Americans over 65 had dementia in 2016
“CNN (10/24/22, LaMotte) reports, “One in 10 Americans over 65 had dementia, while 22% experienced mild cognitive impairment, the earliest stage of the slow slide into senility,” investigators concluded after analyzing “data from in-depth neuropsychological tests and interviews with nearly 3,500 people over age 65.” The study was “conducted between 2016 and 2017.”
“The Hill (10/24/22 Mueller). The study “indicated that the prevalence of dementia and mild cognitive impairment was similar between men and women but differed by age, race, ethnicity and education level.” For example, “compared to white individuals, dementia was more common among those who self-identified as Black, and mild cognitive impairment was more common among those who self-identified as Hispanic.” Published online in JAMA Neurology.”
Personalized microbiome-driven effects of non-nutritive sweeteners on human glucose tolerance
J. Cell 2022;185:3307-3328.e19
“Non-nutritive sweeteners (NNS) are commonly integrated into human diet and presumed to be inert; however, animal studies suggest that they may impact the microbiome and downstream glycemic responses. We causally assessed NNS impacts in humans and their microbiomes in a randomized-controlled trial encompassing 120 healthy adults, administered saccharin, sucralose, aspartame, and stevia sachets for 2 weeks in doses lower than the acceptable daily intake, compared with controls receiving sachet-contained vehicle glucose or no supplement. As groups, each administered NNS distinctly altered stool and oral microbiome and plasma metabolome, whereas saccharin and sucralose significantly impaired glycemic responses. Importantly, gnotobiotic mice conventionalized with microbiomes from multiple top and bottom responders of each of the four NNS-supplemented groups featured glycemic responses largely reflecting those noted in respective human donors, which were preempted by distinct microbial signals, as exemplified by sucralose. Collectively, human NNS consumption may induce person-specific, microbiome-dependent glycemic alterations, necessitating future assessment of clinical implications.”
Comment: and you thought sweeteners are 100% safe. They also induce insulin resistance and lead to weight gain.
Gut-Brain Circuits for Fat Preference.
J. Nature (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-05266-z
“The perception of fat evokes strong appetitive and consummatory responses. Fat stimuli can induce behavioral attraction even in the absence of a functional taste system. Fat acts post-ingestively via the gut-brain axis to drive preference for fat. We identified the vagal neurons responding to intestinal delivery of fat, and showed that genetic silencing of this gut-to-brain circuit abolished the development of fat preference. We compared the gut-to-brain pathways driving preference for fat versus sugar, and uncovered two parallel systems, one functioning as a general sensor of essential nutrients, responding to intestinal stimulation with sugar, fat and amino acids, while the other is activated only by fat stimuli. We engineered animals lacking candidate receptors detecting the presence of intestinal fat, and validated their role as the mediators of gut-to-brain fat-evoked responses. Distinct cells and receptors using the gut-brain axis as a fundamental conduit for the development of fat preference.”
Comment: think of “taste buds” in the gut. When they get used to processed sugars and fats, they are not happy until you give them what you got them used to. Hence cravings for bad foods.
Gut microbiome of multiple sclerosis patients
J. Cell 2022;185:3467-3486.e16
“Changes in gut microbiota have been associated with several diseases. The International Multiple Sclerosis Microbiome Study studied the gut microbiome of 576 MS patients (36% untreated) and genetically unrelated household healthy controls (1,152 total subjects). We observed a significantly increased proportion of Akkermansia muciniphila, Ruthenibacterium lactatiformans, Hungatella hathewayi, and Eisenbergiella tayi and decreased Faecalibacterium prausnitzii and Blautia species. The phytate degradation pathway was over-represented in untreated MS, while pyruvate-producing carbohydrate metabolism pathways were significantly reduced. Microbiome composition, function, and derived metabolites also differed in response to disease-modifying treatments. The therapeutic activity of interferon-β may in part be associated with upregulation of short-chain fatty acid transporters. Distinct microbial networks were observed in untreated MS and healthy controls. These results strongly support specific gut microbiome associations with MS risk, course and progression, and functional changes in response to treatment.” Comment: yet another example of the Brain-Gut connection. It is more commonly found in anxiety and depression.
The tumor mycobiome: A paradigm shift in cancer pathogenesis
J. Cell 2022;185:3648-3651
“Distinct fungal communities or “mycobiomes” have been found in individual tumor types and are known to contribute to carcinogenesis. Two new studies present a comprehensive picture of the tumor-associated mycobiomes from a variety of human cancers. These studies reveal that fungi, although in low abundance, are ubiquitous across all major human cancers and that specific mycobiome types can be predictive of survival.”
Comment: the microbiome, having significant immune-detoxification functions, is a big reason why nutrition can prevent 2/3 of cancer.
Mechanisms controlling hormone secretion in human gut and its relevance to metabolism
J. Endocrinology 2022; 244: R1–R15
“The homoeostatic regulation of metabolism is highly complex and involves multiple inputs from both the nervous and endocrine systems. The gut is the largest endocrine organ in our body and synthesises and secretes over 20 different hormones from enteroendocrine cells that are dispersed throughout the gut epithelium. These hormones include GLP-1, PYY, GIP, serotonin, and CCK, each of which play pivotal roles in maintaining energy balance and glucose homeostasis. Some are now the basis of several clinically used glucose-lowering and weight loss therapies. The environment in which these enteroendocrine cells exist is also complex, as they are exposed to numerous physiological inputs including ingested nutrients, circulating factors and metabolites produced from neighbouring gut microbiome. In this review, we examine the diverse means by which gut-derived hormones carry out their metabolic functions through their interactions with different metabolically important organs including the liver, pancreas, adipose tissue and brain. Furthermore, we discuss how nutrients and microbial metabolites affect gut hormone secretion and the mechanisms underlying these interactions.”
Comment: the endocrine system (hormones) is closely interwoven with the immune-detox system. Their main function is to optimize our metabolism—how we fuel each cell in our body.
