YOUR GUT MICROBIOME CAN FORETELL YOUR FUTURE
I just finished finishing reading Brain Maker [2015, Little Brown & Co., $28 ($12 at Amazon)], a fascinating book by David Perlmutter, MD. Its subtitle, The Power of Gut Microbes to Heal and Protect Your Brain—for Life, pretty much explains its subject matter.
You are home to some 30 to 50 trillion microscopic creatures, mostly bacteria, both inside and outside your body. These bacteria create a micro-ecosystem called the microbiome (along with fungi, viruses and archaea). Your gut hosts by far the most bacteria
Dr. Perlmutter, one of the nation’s leading neurologists, explains how our gut microbiome directly affects our susceptibility to diabetes, depression, Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia, asthma, ADHD, autism, cancer, irritable bowel syndrome, weight struggles and obesity, and many other health challenges.
I’ve written a couple of posts on gut health: For a Healthier Gut Just Add Probiotics and Gut Reactions. However, I recommend you read Brain Maker for a more thorough understanding of how keeping our microbiome healthy is vital to boosting our mental clarity, keeping disease at bay and our overall joy of life.
The Microbiome, Inflammation, Disease Connection
The primary lesson I took from the book is the connection between our microbiome, inflammation, and disease. Foods that are high in fiber, which provide fuel to the gut bacteria, and reduced in refined sugars support a robust variety of bacterial species, which helps maintain the integrity of the gut wall and keep blood sugar in check. Healthy varieties of good bacteria limit the production of inflammatory chemicals in the body and in the brain. And inflammation is the basis for degenerative conditions including diabetes, coronary heart disease, depression and Alzheimer’s disease.
Dr. Perlmutter details the various groups of organisms in the gut. The two most common, representing more than 90 % of the bacterial population in the colon, are Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes. Firmicutes have been found to be instrumental in increasing fat absorption. And researchers have discovered that obese people have elevated levels of Firmicutes in their gut flora, compared to lean people who are dominated more by Bacteroidetes. In fact, the relative proportion of these two groups to each other, the Firmicutes-to Bacteroidetes (or F/B) ratio, is critical for determining health and risk for illness.
He also describes a new aggressive therapy to reset and recolonize a very sick microbiome: fecal microbial transplant (FMT). Except for the yuck factor, this appears to be an incredibly effective way of reestablishing the balance and diversity of the gut’s microbiome—transplanting good bacteria from a healthy person into the colon of another person. It’s done by extracting fecal material in which the good bacteria thrive and introducing it into the diseased gut.
Brain Maker Recommendations
Near the end of his book, Dr. Perlmutter gives us “The Brain Maker 7-Day Meal Plan.” Prepare yourself: it includes an abundance of yogurt, kefir, kombucha, fermented hard-boiled eggs, pickled garlic and pickled salsa, but also dark chocolate, berries, walnuts, coffee and tea, even some meat. He also stresses taking antibiotics—which kill our gut flora—only when necessary, skipping them altogether for trying to combat colds and flu.
After reading Dr. Perlmutter’s book, I’m making some changes in my life. To increase good gut bacteria, I’m starting to eat more yogurt and more fermented food. I’ll also be saying no to antibiotics. I bet after reading it, you’ll also look at your gut in a whole new way.