I’ve
written previously on the role the diet plays on modulating a healthy gut
microbiome and why this is important. This week, I also discussed the role of
our microbiome in immunity. Specifically, I reviewed:
1. How
nutrient deficiencies in those with suboptimal gut microbiota put fuel on the
fire of inflammatory processes.
2. The
link between allergic responses and certain bacteria in the gut.
3.
A relationship to vaccination reactions and microbiome health.
4.
The role of transferring healthy gut bugs from mom to baby.
You
can read more about these topics here.
In
this blog, I want to discuss the role of chemicals on our microbiome and how it
affects our health
The Role on Artificial
Sweeteners and Microbiota
A
recent study in mice demonstrated the negative impact of artificial sweeteners
on their microbiome and its connection to glucose intolerance. Specifically, researchers
transferred microbiota from mice that consumed artificial sweeteners to
“germ-free,” or sterile, mice resulted in a complete transmission of
glucose intolerance into the recipient mice.
(1-2)
According
to Science Daily on the study:
This, in itself, was
conclusive proof that changes to the gut bacteria are directly responsible for
the harmful effects to their host’s metabolism. The group even found that
incubating the microbiota outside the body, together with artificial sweeteners,
was sufficient to induce glucose intolerance in the sterile mice.
Dr.
Elinav and Prof. Segal tested this effect in humans as well. The first looked
at data collected from their Personalized Nutrition Project,
the largest human trial to date to look at the connection between nutrition and
microbiota. According to the same article,
“Here, they uncovered a significant association between self-reported
consumption of artificial sweeteners, personal configurations of gut bacteria,
and the propensity for glucose intolerance.”
Furthermore,
in a week-long controlled experiment, a group of volunteers who did not
generally eat or drink artificially sweetened foods were asked to consume them.
They were then tested for their glucose levels and gut microbiota compositions.
The findings demonstrated that many of the volunteers began to develop glucose
intolerance and changes to their gut bugs after only one week! (1)
The Gluten-Pesticide Link
A
European study released in February demonstrated that gut bacteria played a
role in the metabolism of gluten
proteins and concluded that 94 strains of bacteria, mostly in phyla Firmicutes
and Actinobacteria (Lactobacillius, Sterptococcus, Staphlyococcus, Clostridium,
and Bifidobacterium), could play a role in gluten metabolism and possible
treatment for celiac disease. (3)
A
few weeks ago, my Sunday morning consisted of a few hours reviewing some of the
work of Stephanie Seneff on the connection between the pesticide glyphosate and its role in celiac
disease and gluten intolerance symptoms. This was triggered by an interview between
her and Dr. Mercola. (4-6).
Stephanie reports that this pesticide is
sprayed in enormous quantities on this grain. Furthermore, when a diet consists
of wheat products in combination with GMOs (genetically modified organisms), the
result could be a “creation
pesticide factories in our gut” creating a
suboptimal and dysfunctional microbiome.
The various mechanisms of how glysphosphate
exposure can manifest in celiac disease and gluten sensitivity symptoms include:
1…impairment in many cytochrome P450 enzymes,
which are involved with detoxifying environmental toxins, activating vitamin
D3, catabolizing vitamin A, and maintaining bile acid production and sulfate supplies
to the gut…
2. Deficiencies
in iron, cobalt, molybdenum, copper and other rare metals due to glyphosate’s ability
to chelate these elements.
3. Depletion
in the amino acids tryptophan, tyrosine, methionine and selenomethionine by glyphosate.
4. Celiac
disease patients have an increased risk to non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and reproductive
issues which have also been linked to glyphosate exposure.
The
implications of these papers are far-reaching and include the following
considerations:
1.
Could the chemicals on gluten be triggering the rise in celiac disease and gluten
sensitivity?
2. Is
the reason gluten sensitivity and celiac disease are also so prevalent, but not
easily diagnosed, related to an immune response not due to the wheat protein itself,
but to an altered gluten protein that results from its interaction with
glysphospate? (Specifically, the paper proposes some probable mechanisms of
auto-immunity induction to the enzymatic breakdown of gluten via
transglutaminase through either ammonium glyphosphate to the lysine residue in
deaminated gluten or nitrosylating
transglutaminase cysteines.)
3.
Could this explain the explosion of various food sensitivities and autoimmune
diseases modulated by intestinal permeability?
Interesting,
I looked up a study on ancient form of wheat that was not processed or altered.
This small study of 12 celiac patients did not exhibit the typical
immunological response, as measured by a small intestinal biopsy, as they would
exhibit to commercial. (7)
Does
this mean an organic diet that contains this form of gluten is safe for celiac
patients?
I’m
not willing to go that far yet. First of all, this was only one small trial and
just because the patients weren’t reacting in the intestinal mucosa, doesn’t
mean there weren’t sensitivities and immune responses in other areas of the
body.
However,
in time with modulating our diet and microbiome and cutting out chemicals be
the answer to cutting down the number of chronic diseases and people suffering
from autoimmunity?
I’ve seen clients no longer exhibit symptoms
when they’ve incorporated dietary and lifestyle changes and implemented healing
their intestines with “the Four R Approach.” Anything is possible when the body
is treated with TLC in my opinion!
Sources:
1.Weizmann Institute of Science. Certain gut bacteria
may induce metabolic changes following exposure to artificial sweeteners. ScienceDaily.
Retrieved September 17, 2014.
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/09/140917131634.htm2.Jotham Suez, Tal Korem, David Zeevi, Gili
Zilberman-Schapira, Christoph A. Thaiss, Ori Maza, David Israeli, Niv Zmora,
Shlomit Gilad, Adina Weinberger, Yael Kuperman, Alon Harmelin, Ilana
Kolodkin-Gal, Hagit Shapiro, Zamir Halpern, Eran Segal, Eran Elinav. Artificial
sweeteners induce glucose intolerance by altering the gut microbiota. Nature,
2014; DOI: 10.1038/nature137933.Alberto Caminero, Alexandra R Herrán, Esther Nistal,
Jenifer Pérez-Andrés, Luis Vaquero, Santiago Vivas, José María G Ruiz de Morales,
Silvia M Albillos, Javier Casqueiro. Diversity of the cultivable human gut
microbiome involved in gluten metabolism: isolation of microorganisms with
potential interest for coeliac disease. FEMS Microbiol Ecol. 2014 Feb 6. Epub
2014 Feb 6. PMID: 24499426.4.Mercola, J. Why the Use of Glyphosate in Wheat Has
Radically Increased Celiac Disease. Mercola.com. September 15, 2014. <iframe
width=”640″ height=”360″
src=”//www.youtube.com/embed/kwmwdHCbKJg?feature=player_embedded”
frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen></iframe>5.Samsel, A & Seneff, S. Glyphosate’s Suppression
of Cytochrome P450 Enzymes and Amino Acid Biosynthesis by the Gut Microbiome:
Pathways to Modern Diseases.
Entropy
2013, 15,
1416-1463; doi:10.3390/e15041416.6.Samsel, A & Seneff, S. Glyphosate, pathways to
modern diseases II: Celiac sprue and gluten intolerance. Interdiscip Toxicol.
2013; Vol. 6(4): 159-184. doi: 10.2478/intox-2013-00267.Department of Surgical and Gastroenterological
Sciences, Padua University, Italy. Lack of intestinal
mucosal toxicity of Triticum monococcum in celiac disease patients. Scandinavian
Journal of Gastroenterology (Impact Factor: 2.33). 12/2006; 41(11):1305-11.
DOI: 10.1080/00365520600699983
