Digestive Health Archives

Artificial sweeteners may harm your gut health

Diet, Digestive Health / By Staff Writer

Earlier this year, we explained how poor gut health can be one underlying factor that contributes to the epidemic of obesity plaguing our country.

So, you start on the right track by getting the right amount of exercise and sleep, cutting down on fatty foods, and switching from products containing real sugar to those made with non-caloric artificial sweeteners (to liven up that early morning infusion of java).

Unfortunately, those artificial sweeteners—specifically sucralose (sold in America as Splenda), aspartame (Nutrasweet and Equal) and saccharine (Necta Sweet or Sweet‘N Low)—may have the opposite effect, according to research published in the journal Nature.

Scientists from the Weizman Institute of Science’s Department of Immunology (Israel) made the discovery after feeding 10-week-old mice one of several diets (normal or high-fat) and water laced with one of the artificial sweeteners mirroring amounts sanctioned by the FDA, plain water or water mixed with glucose.

Eleven weeks later, the test animals exhibited signs of glucose intolerance, an indicator signaling several metabolic conditions including adult-onset diabetes or metabolic syndrome. What’s more, repeating the same test with different mice and different amounts of artificial sweeteners produced the very same results.

How test animals react to artificial sweeteners

Then, researchers tested a theory that the gut’s reaction to artificial sweeteners may be triggering glucose intolerance, because our bodies don’t recognize the sugar as food, using only saccharin. Interestingly, they found saccharin isn’t absorbed by the gut but does have contact with the gut bacteria in mice, which triggers glucose intolerance.

Other signs that gut bacteria was affected by artificial sweeteners:

Treating the mice with antibiotics reversed the process completely.
Transferring the microbiota of mice harmed by artificial sweeteners to sterile mice conferred the same results to the new animals.
DNA sequencing revealed contact with saccharin affected the diversity of gut bacteria.
Even placing the affected gut microbiota outside the bodies of sterile mice along with artificial sweeteners was enough to induce glucose intolerance.

How YOUR gut reacts to artificial sweeteners

Lastly, researchers at the Weisman Institute turned to data collected from The Personalized Nutrition Project, the largest human trial to study the connections between the human gut microbiota and nutrition.

Based just on the reporting of some 400 people (at this time only from Israel) participating in the project, scientists discovered a significant connection between their gut bacteria, self-reported consumption of artificial sweeteners and clinical signs of glucose intolerance.

Finally, scientists recruited seven fit and health volunteers who didn’t use artificial sweeteners to incorporate the maximum daily amount of it in their diets for seven days. The gut health of four patients changed to a balance associated with the propensity for metabolic diseases, while the remaining three weren’t affected at all.

Why were some volunteers affected, but others weren’t? Specific bacteria in the guts of those who developed glucose intolerance reacted to the fake sugar by secreting substances that triggered an inflammatory response similar to sugar overdose, thus promoting changes in the body’s ability to metabolize sugar, said Dr. Eran Elinav.

Even more compelling: Treating mice with gut bacteria of volunteers whose gut bacteria developed glucose intolerance triggered the same result.

Taking a probiotic protects your gut

“Our relationship with our own individual mix of gut bacteria is a huge factor in determining how the food we eat affects us,” said Dr. Elinav in a press release. “Especially intriguing is the link between use of artificial sweeteners—through the bacteria in our guts—to a tendency to develop the very disorders they were designed to prevent; this calls for reassessment of today’s massive, unsupervised consumption of these substances.”

Because the effect of artificial sweeteners wasn’t universal, it’s possible that probiotics could be used to shift gut bacteria in order to reverse the damage done by glucose intolerance, said Dr. Eran Segal, Department of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics at the Weizman Institute to the New York Times.

Because your gut bacteria can change very quickly based on the good and bad foods you eat, it’s more important than ever to take a probiotic, like EndoMune Advanced Probiotic or EndoMune Advanced Junior (for kids), containing multiple strains of beneficial bacteria for your good gut health.

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Is the Paleo diet good for your gut and losing weight?

Diet, Digestive Health / By Staff Writer

Think about that bad morning when you got ready for work and nothing in your closet fit. You had been losing the battle of the bulge for so long that you were willing to consider extreme dieting fads just to fit into those old but favorite clothes.

Perhaps, that desperation has led you to consider the Paleolithic diet, better known as the Paleo diet, based on what scientists speculated cavemen/women ate during that era, ending some 10,000 years ago.

Some experts (Loren Cordain, Ph.D. and Robb Wolf) assume that shunning the many unhealthy staples of the Western diet—dairy products, processed foods filled with extra salt and sugars, carbs, starches, and grains—for a more basic diet made up of lean meats, fish, fruits and vegetables and “good” fats can be a healthier way to lose weight.

Unfortunately, the Paleo diet isn’t open to everyone. Vegans aren’t allowed in the party due to their specific dietary restrictions (no eggs, seafood or meat), plus Paleo dieters aren’t allowed to eat veggie sources of protein (beans and other legumes).

So, despite its limitations, does the Paleo diet really work? A study published by the American Society of Microbiology earlier this year that compared the gut microbes of humans and animals questioned the Paleo diet’s ability to suppress hunger.

A scientist at Imperial College London compared fecal bacteria samples taken from human vegans to those from gelada baboons, the only modern primate that mostly eats grass.

Then, researchers fed the samples one of two diets—a predigested grassy, high-fiber diet or a predigested potato, high-starch diet—then tracked the changes in bacteria.

Interestingly, human cultures fed the potato diet by scientists produced the best results: High levels of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), chemicals associated with triggering appetite-suppressing gut hormone peptides.

What’s more, baboon cultures fed the potato diet produced more SCFAs than those given grass. When some of these potato cultures were added to the colon cells of mice, the animal cells produced appetite-suppressing, gut hormone peptide YY (PYY).

Simply put, these results demonstrate the belief among many dietary experts that the appetite suppression connected with following a Paleo diet may not be entirely accurate, or that plant-based, high-fiber diets may not increase the presence of SCFAs or inhibit appetites after all.

If you want to overcome obesity and improve your health, eating like Fred and Wilma Flintstone may not help you very much.

Along with eating the right foods and starting an exercise plan, taking a multi-species probiotic like EndoMune Advanced Probiotic will increase the diversity of bacteria in your gut that will assist you in beating obesity and improving your health for the long term by helping to produce the SCFAs that decrease your appetite.

Is the Paleo diet good for your gut and losing weight? Read More »

Take these 5 steps to prevent colon cancer

Digestive Health, Disease, Probiotics / By Staff Writer

You may recall an earlier blog post discussing colon cancer, the second leading cause of death due to cancer and the third most commonly diagnosed cancer among men and women in the United States according to the CDC.

Until recently, health experts assumed most cases of colon cancer were confined to patients over age 50. However, a report discussed at the annual Gastrointestinal Cancer Symposium predicted the incidence of colon cancer will rise dramatically among 20-34-year-olds (90 percent) and to a lesser degree among 35-49-year-olds (28 percent) by 2030.

These predictions about the sharp rise in colon cancer among younger adults are especially alarming considering how avoidable this disease really is. Following these simple steps will help reduce your risk of colon cancer and many other diseases, too.

Beat the obesity bug

The plague of obesity in America—more than a third of adults are obese—contributes to scores of health problems (stroke, heart disease, type 2 diabetes and various forms of cancers including colon cancer).

Fortunately, there are many ways to beat the obesity bug, and it doesn’t take as much time and effort on your part to make that happen.

For example, the results of a preliminary study of colon cancer patients released last summer found that eating fish less than twice a week or exercising less than an hour a week more than doubled their risks of a recurrence.

Imagine how beneficial doing those two small things alone would be for you?

Get enough calcium and vitamin D

There is good evidence that taking enough calcium and vitamin D (two of the eight supplements you need to take for your good health) can help to protect you against colon cancer. Be sure to take enough of a dose of calcium (1,000-1,200 mg) and vitamin D (1,000 IU) every day.

Cut down on red/processed meats

The link between red and processed meats and the elevated risk of colon cancer is strong, possibly due to a link with a common gene variant affecting about a third of all adults, according to a 2013 study.

The good news: Based on that same study, researchers identified another genetic variant that may lower people’s risk of colon cancer when they eat more fiber, fruit and vegetables.

For a safe baseline on eating red meat, the American Institute for Cancer Research recommends a limit of 18 ounces (cooked) per week.

Limit those lifestyle factors

When discussing how to prevent cancers, many experts lean heavily on cutting out smoking altogether and drinking alcoholic beverages to a minimum for good reason.

For colon cancer, research has pointed to changing the way nutrients are metabolized as one solid reason to reduce your consumption of alcohol, according to the American Cancer Society.

As far as the risk of smoking tobacco elevating one’s colon cancer risks, many studies have connected the dots between the two (a 2009 study cited as much as a 60 percent increase of colon cancer due to smoking).

However, the U.S. Surgeon General’s office was reluctant to make that conclusion until the most recent report released in January, spanning a half-century and 31 reports.

“Amazingly, smoking is even worse than we knew. Even after 50 years, we’re still finding new ways that smoking maims and kills people,” CDC Director Thomas Hayden told USA Today.

Take a probiotic

A 2013 study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute cited a serious cause of colon cancer: Microbial imbalances in intestinal bacteria. In fact, colon cancer patients were more likely to be depleted of some beneficial bacteria and have more “bad” bacteria linked to gut inflammation than healthy patients.

Another factor in microbial imbalances in your gut: Taking antibiotics over the long term that eliminates the good and bad bacteria in your gut indiscriminately.

The good news: Taking a multi-species probiotic like EndoMune Advanced Probiotic and EndoMune Advanced Junior (for kids) can give your immune system a much-needed boost by increasing the diversity of beneficial gut bacteria, thus protecting your health from colon cancer.

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Supplements 101 Part 2 of 2: Eight supplements to take every day for your good health

Digestive Health, Probiotics / By Staff Writer

In my previous post, I discussed the five questions everyone must ask before taking any supplement. Now, we’ll review the eight key supplements to take for your good health

Before we examine these top supplements, keep one very important caveat in mind: The best supplements for you may vary depending on your current diet, health and any current medicines you take. So you should see your doctor before taking any supplements for your own safety.

1. Vitamin D

Although commonly found in cold water fish like salmon, halibut and sardines and fortified foods (cereals, dairy products and juices), the best and most natural source of vitamin D is your body’s daily exposure to sunlight.

However, depending on the season and your work schedule, you may not get enough exposure to sunlight to make a difference. For instance, work schedules and the seasons can limit our ability to get outdoors, especially during colder times of the year. Also, when taking vacations in warmer weather, the sunscreens you wear on your body can block the sun very effectively.

In fact, some studies in 2014 have underscored the need for vitamin D, from raising survival rates among cancer patients to lowering the risks of preventing the progression of prediabetes to type 2 diabetes.

2. Calcium

Out of all the supplements listed here, calcium may be the least necessary, unless you don’t eat leafy, green vegetables, fish and dairy products regularly.

Your teeth and bones store almost all the calcium in your body, which may explain why taking a calcium supplement—at least 1000 mg—prevents bone loss, osteopenia and osteoporosis. More recently, scientists have discovered calcium, in combination with vitamin D, may improve the cholesterol levels of postmenopausal women.

Medline Plus advises consumers to look for the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) logo word or the word “purified” on calcium supplement labels. Also, be careful about calcium supplements containing dolomite, unrefined oyster shell or bone meal, as may have high levels of toxic metals, including lead, in them.

3. Vitamin B12

Vitamin B12 may be one of the lesser known supplements you need to take, but it’s one of the most important. Not only does this nutrient protect the health of the human body’s blood and nerve cells, but it also helps to create DNA.

Although the recommended daily amount of vitamin B12 is low for teens and adults (ranging from 2.4-2.8 mcg), epidemiological studies have found more than 20 percent of older adults have less than what they need. Moreover, many older adults over age 50 don’t have enough hydrochloric acid in their bodies, preventing them from getting enough vitamin B12 through food alone. As a result, doctors have prescribed vitamin B12 supplements ranging from 25-100 mcg in older people, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Deficiencies in vitamin B12 can also occur when you take certain medications, including proton pump inhibitors (Prevacid or Prilosec) for the long term, histamine H2 receptor antagonists (Zantac or Tagamet), the diabetes drug metformin and the antibiotic chloramphenicol (Cholormycetin).

4. Iron

Iron supplementation is important but can be tricky. Too little iron due to blood loss—particularly women during their child-bearing years due to menstruation or people who donate blood more than twice a year—can trigger anemia. Not to mention, the healthy RDA amount of iron a pregnant woman needs jumps to 27 mg, according to the National Institutes of Health.

On the other hand, taking too much iron can poison your body, and an inherited disease like hemochromatosis allows the body to buildup too much iron.

5. Omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil

There’s no doubt about benefits of eating a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids, naturally found in fatty fish (catfish, halibut, salmon) and plant-based sources (vegetables oils, tofu, walnuts).

However, as mentioned earlier, the problem lies in getting the right amounts, as most people don’t consume the right balance of fatty acids for their good health. Instead of consuming foods rich in omega-3s, American diets are dominated by high levels of health-harming omega-6 fatty acids, like those found in palm, soybean sunflower and rapeseed oils, that have been linked to depression and heart disease.

On the other hand, the advantages of taking a fish oil supplement are its rich sources of omega-3s that may benefit people with a number of health obstacles, including cardiovascular and sleep problems.

6. Aspirin

More doctors are prescribing a low dose aspirin tablet—81 mg—at least every other day, if not daily, to lower one’s risks of a second stroke or heart attack and preventing one altogether.

This low dose routine works by slowing down the blood’s clotting action by decreasing the risk of platelets clumping that forms blood clots.

However, if you’re interested in pursuing this therapy, be sure to see you doctor first, as there are many reasons why some people shouldn’t take a low dose aspirin, from existing stomach ulcers to allergies and asthma.

7. Multivitamins

Recommendations about the value of taking multivitamins seemingly change by the day. A recent Annals of Internal Medicine editorial says using them or supplements is “waste of money.”

That said, taking a multivitamin that contains 500 mg of calcium and 1,000 IU of vitamin D may be a good two-for-one solution for your health, if you’re not getting enough of either from your diet.

Iron is another consideration. If you’re a healthy adult over age 50, you won’t need iron in a multivitamin, unless you donate blood more than twice a year. And, a woman going through menstruation will also need that iron.

8. Probiotics

Seemingly, there are studies being released every day that spell out all the reasons you need to be taking a daily probiotic for your continued good health. Boosting your body’s immune system by replenishing some of the key strains of beneficial bacteria is one of just 10 very important reasons to take them.

When you’re doing research to find the best probiotic for your health, I strongly recommend taking ones containing multiple strains of bacteria, as they have been found to be more effective in treating many health problems, including diarrhea, respiratory tract infections, immune functioning and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Supplements 101 Part 2 of 2: Eight supplements to take every day for your good health Read More »

Supplements 101 Part 1 of 2: Five questions to ask before taking a supplement

Digestive Health, Disease / By Staff Writer

From time to time, many folks who take EndoMune Advanced Probiotic on a daily basis have asked me what other kinds of supplements they should be taking to help them maintain their good health.

The answer to that question actually isn’t so easy, and it’s filled with confusing and conflicting information. For example, a recent Annals of Internal Medicine study advised Americans to stop wasting money on multivitamins. (Just tell that to the 40 percent of Americans who take at least one every day.)

One co-author of that study advised Americans to spend their time and money eating fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans and low-fat dairy, and getting more exercise. The real catch: How many people actually get the 40+ vital nutrients and daily activity they need to stay healthy without receiving help from a supplement?

Yet, other governmental sources—Nutrition.gov and the National Institutes of Health—provide good referential information about supplements.

Before taking any supplement, consider the answers to these simple questions when doing your homework.

1. Do I need to see a doctor before taking a supplement? Anyone wanting to take a supplement or a probiotic should see his or her family physician first. It’s the only way to ensure the supplement you’re taking on a daily basis is a safe quantity and doesn’t conflict with any other supplement or (over-the-counter or prescription) drug you’re using.

2. Where can I find simple, easy-to-understand information about any supplements I’m taking? In addition to Nutrition.gov and the National Institutes of Health, WebMD.com’s Vitamins & Supplements Center provides a great search engine to do your research for free.

Another great source of information for specific details is ConsumerLab.com (available as a paid subscription), an online service that tests supplements based on their active ingredients and any impurities or deficiencies they may have.

3. When is the best time to take a supplement? Although natural health guru Dr. Andrew Weil admits there’s no “best time,” take supplements when “they most agree with you” and your daily routine. However, be aware that taking too many supplements on an empty stomach or with a light early meal can cause indigestion, Dr. Weil says. And, be sure to drink enough water.

4. Which form of vitamin should you select? It depends on the supplement, according to WebMD. Some come in pill form because they can be harmful or ineffective, while others may perform better as a liquid or powder. Again, don’t hesitate to ask your physician or pharmacist for guidance, based on your specific daily drug and activity regimen.

5. Should you take a supplement after the expiration date listed on the bottle? Medical experts like WebMD take a conservative approach, noting that vitamins and supplements sitting in a dark, cool cabinet for too long lose their strength over time and should be thrown away.

However, please be careful about how you dispose of expired supplements or drugs. The FDA urges consumers not to flush any drugs down the sink or toilet, unless instructions on labels tell you to do so.

Be on the lookout for community-sponsored take-back programs that allow you to bring unused drugs to a central place so they can be properly disposed. If you miss those dates, mix those supplements with coffee grounds or kitty litter, place them in sealable bags and throw them in your trash.

In my next article, I’ll share information about the eight supplements you should consider taking for your good health.

Supplements 101 Part 1 of 2: Five questions to ask before taking a supplement Read More »

Probiotics may treat IBD via intestinal bacteria

Digestive Health, Probiotics / By Staff Writer

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has been one of the most frustrating conditions for gastroenterologists and their patients to treat, as this disorder—connected to a chronic immune response or inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract—requires lifelong treatment and has no cure.

The good news: Probiotics may have more value in treating forms and symptoms of IBD than ever before, based on the findings of a recent study published in the medical journal, Immunity.

Scientists at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University in New York City discovered the connection by studying the behavior of the intestinal epithelium, a single-cell layer of tissue that covers the small and large intestine and prevents intestinal bacteria and related toxins from escaping and harming the rest of the body.

The link comes in the form of metabolites, a wide variety of chemicals secreted by intestinal bacteria that influence the intestinal epithelium’s integrity in once unknown ways, said Dr. Sridhar Mani (co-corresponding author of the study).

Metabolites activate healthy proteins

Researchers believed bacterial metabolites operated by binding to, then activating, pregnane X receptors (PXRs), proteins in the nuclei of intestinal epithelial cells. According to the study, PXRs could be activated by body chemicals, such as bile acids, along with drugs (antibiotics and steroids).

As a result of several mouse studies, scientists discovered indole 3-propionic acid (IPA), a metabolite produced only by bacteria that helps with digestion, strengthens functioning of the intestinal epithelium’s barrier and prevents inflammation by activating the PXRs.

PXR activation stops the development of the inflammatory protein tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-a) and increases levels of a protein that boosts the junctions between adjacent intestinal epithelial cells, the study said.

How do probiotics help? “By adding probiotics in the form of IPA-producing bacteria to the intestine or by administering IPA directly, we may be able to prevent or treat IBD and other inflammatory diseases that occur when the intestinal epithelium has been compromised,” said Dr. Mani.

Additionally, Dr. Mani believes this probiotic strategy could be tested on other health problems related to the breakdown of the intestinal epithelium, ranging from some forms of liver disease to asthma, allergies, diabetes, heart disease and obesity.

Studies have shown strengthening your immune system and treating a host of health problems like those mentioned may be as easy as taking a multi-species probiotic like EndoMune Advanced Probiotic and EndoMune Advanced Junior (for kids).

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Gut bacteria can change very quickly

Diet, Digestive Health / By Staff Writer

If you read our blog regularly, you appreciate how good gut health, supported by taking a multi-species probiotic, affects the overall quality of your bodily health, from lowering your blood pressure to obesity.

However, an important part of treating any health condition is knowing how long it will take before your health returns to normal.

A pair of American studies published this year have concluded the human gut microbiome is uniquely flexible and may change in as little as a single day, a good thing to know when monitoring health problems like inflammatory bowel disease.

The microbial shift between diets is fast!

In one study published in Nature, Harvard University scientists tested the composition of gut bacteria on humans after discovering how flexible and responsive the microbiomes of mice were each day.

Researchers tested their premise on nine human volunteers who were prescribed radically different diets for five days with a break in between them. (The gut health of the nine patients was tested before, during and after each diet.)

The first diet centered on meats and cheeses—ribs, eggs and bacon—then followed after a break by a high-fiber diet focused on plant-based foods—granola, lentils, fruits, rice and vegetables.

“The relative abundance of various bacteria species looked like it shifted within a day after the food hit the gut,” Duke University researcher Lawrence David told Nutraingredients-usa.com.

After three days on each diet, the collective behavior of human microbiota had changed along with the way gut bacteria behaved.

Checking your microbiota easy as checking out an iPhone app

MIT researchers came up with similar findings, published in Genome Biology, and were helped with the use of an iPhone app.

The two study participants were monitored for a full year via the collection of daily stool samples and tracking various health measures (sleep, exercise, emotions, diet) using an iPhone app.

“On any given day, the amount of one species could change manyfold, but after a year, that species would still be at the same median level,” explained Eric Alm, MIT associate professor and senior author of the paper. “To a large extent, the main factor we found that explained a lot of that variance was the diet.”

For example, increases in dietary fiber matched boosts in Roseburia, Eubacterium rectale and Bifidobacterium (one of the species contained in EndoMune Advanced Probiotic and EndoMune Advanced Junior).

During the yearlong study period, both subjects became sickened, which changed their gut bacteria considerably. In both cases, the relationship between specific groups of bacteria and diet occurred in one day.

While living in a developing country, one patient experienced a two-week bout of diarrhea and severe problems with his microbiota. However, once he returned stateside, his microbiota recovered and returned to its original composition.

Interestingly, the second patient experienced food poisoning fueled by Salmonella. During that time, Salmonella levels tripled to 30 percent of the gut microbiome while the Firmicutes phylum of beneficial bacteria almost vanished.

Beneficial levels of Firmicutes bacteria increased with the patient’s recovery to some 40 percent, but the strains were different from those present at the start.

The long-term goal of this research, said Dr. Alm, is to ease the data collection process so patients suffering from inflammatory bowel syndrome or other diseases could be fitted with a personalized monitoring system that warns them ahead of a flare-up so it can be avoided.

Gut bacteria can change very quickly Read More »

12 simple steps to lower your blood pressure safely

Digestive Health, Healthy Aging / By Staff Writer

Have you been seeking alternatives to medicines to lower your blood pressure?

Hypertension is a very common medical problem, and there are very effective medications available to treat elevated blood pressure, but most people would prefer to avoid taking prescription drugs whenever possible.

A recent Journal of the American College of Cardiology study discovered an excellent reason for patients to seek out other options, based on an extensive review of some 400,000 patient records at Kaiser Permanente Southern California who were taking medications for hypertension.

Being over-treated or under-treated with medications above or below a “normal” range of 130-139 systolic pressure and 60-69 diastolic blood pressure increased a patient’s chances of death or the development of kidney failure.

Too Much or Too Little

“Physicians have often emphasized the need to bring a patient’s blood pressure down as low as possible for the best outcomes,” said lead study author Dr. John Sim. “However, the findings of our study suggest that treating patients with high blood pressure too aggressively may potentially lead to poor health outcomes.

“Through personalized treatment plans, we can minimize the lifestyle burden on patients and improve the safety of their treatment regimens, while reducing the cost to both patients and the health care system as a whole.”

A third of all Americans suffers from high blood pressure, according to the National Institutes of Health, amounting to nearly $100 billion spent on medications, services and missed workdays.

However, there are alternatives that can lessen your dependence on so many medications while being just as effective. Try these 12 simple steps to lower your blood pressure safely. (Any lifestyle alterations you make should always be discussed beforehand with and monitored by your doctor.)

The Top 12

1. Get moving with an exercise plan. Starting slowly by investing two days a week on activity is a good place to start, according to Men’s Fitness.

2. Find ways to better handle the stressors in your life, such as learning meditation or taking a yoga class.

3. Cut down on your body’s intake of salt by skipping extra condiments and limiting your intake of processed and fast foods to a minimum.

4. The best pathway to better health is exercising along with eating a better diet, rich in whole grains, fruits, vegetables and potassium that can reduce the damaging effects of sodium on your blood pressure.

5. Exposure to secondhand smoke along with smoking increases your risk of atherosclerosis, building up the fatty substances in your arteries that elevate your risk of death, according to the American Heart Association (AHA). This is one case in which you win by quitting something.

6. Because excess belly fat is a major contributor to hypertension, maintaining a body weight closer to your body mass index (BMI) is very important.

Too Much Everything!

7. Check with your doctor about all the medicines you’re taking that can elevate your blood pressure or create other health problems. Over-the-counter meds containing licorice root, ginseng and ephedra can cause problems, too.

8. Are you drinking a lot of caffeinated coffee, tea and soft drinks? Limit your intake of caffeine, considered by many to be the most popular drug in the world.

9. Limit your consumption of alcohol to a moderate, daily amount based on your gender (one drink for women and two for men).

10. Did you know the stress associated with visiting your doctor may be enough to elevate your blood pressure to hypertensive levels? Wirecutter offers great guidance on how to choose a home blood pressure monitor that will help you track your numbers more accurately every day.

11. Eating a small amount of minimally processed, flavanol-rich dark chocolate every day not only helps to lower your blood pressure, but the yummy brown stuff also interacts with the good bacteria in your gut to produce anti-inflammatory compounds.

The Probiotic Treatment

12. Taking a daily probiotic may lower your blood pressure, according to a recent study in the AHA journal, Hypertension.

Based on an analysis of nine studies examining the effect of probiotics on 543 patients with elevated or normal blood pressure readings, taking a probiotic decreased the systolic (top) number by some 3.5 milliliters and diastolic (bottom) blood pressure by 2.38 milliliters.

Patients who benefited the most took a multi-species probiotic like EndoMune Advanced Probiotic for at least two months.

Each timed-release capsule of EndoMune Advanced Probiotic contains 20 billion colony-forming units (CFUs) and 10 strains of bacteria that benefit your health in a growing number of ways.

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Avoid the Norovirus on your Cruise

Diet, Digestive Health / By Staff Writer

You’ve spent a lot of time and effort saving up for that once-in-a lifetime vacation: a leisurely cruise taking you and your loved ones across the ocean to some exotic locale.

Then, you get “that” call from one of your fellow travelers warning you about the Royal Caribbean Explorer of the Seas ship disaster last winter during which some 650 passengers and crew members were sickened by a gastrointestinal illness.

As you dig deeper on the Internet, you learn that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identified 53 separate outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness between 2010-13 and start to wonder if the CNN headline “Are cruise ships floating petri dishes?” isn’t true.

The likely target of this massive illness: norovirus, an infection that causes the sudden onset of severe diarrhea, abdominal pain and vomiting, and a leading cause of acute gastroenteritis, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Typically, symptoms can last up to three days and most people recover on their own. But, in some instances, the norovirus may hit older adults, infants and those with underlying diseases harder, necessitating medical attention.

(Cruise ships aren’t the only places where the norovirus infections can spread. Schools, hospitals and nursing homes can be breeding grounds, too.)

A worldwide problem

A recent report in The Lancet Infectious Diseases spelled out the problems with the norovirus on a worldwide scale, featuring data from 48 countries on some 187,000 cases reported from 1990-2014.

You may be very surprised to learn the frequency of norovirus was slightly more common in developed countries (20 percent) than in undeveloped nations (14-19 percent).

“Norovirus spreads from person to person and through contaminated food and water and contact with contaminated surfaces,” said Dr. Benjamin Lopman, the lead author of this study who works in the Division of Viral Diseases at the CDC in Atlanta.

“The virus is contagious that as few as 18 viral particles may be enough to infect a healthy person, while more than a billion viruses can be found in a single gram of an infected person’s stool.

“Our findings show that norovirus infection contributes substantially to the global burden of acute gastroenteritis, causing both severe and mild cases and across all age groups,” Dr. Lopman concluded.

Unfortunately, the study authors believe their conclusions justify the development of a norovirus vaccine. However, there’s really no need for one more vaccine, as long as you follow the six ways to avoid traveler’s diarrhea outlined in a recent blog post.

Research has concluded taking a probiotic like EndoMune Advanced Probiotic or EndoMune Advanced Junior for kids before a long-distance vacation can boost your family’s immunities naturally and help them avoid norovirus infections altogether.

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How can white bread be healthy? It’s all about your gut!

Diet, Digestive Health / By Staff Writer

In a recent blog post, we discussed how the human body can experience measurable health benefits by eating dark chocolate that interacts with Bifidobacterium in the gut to produce anti-inflammatory compounds.

The trick about deriving nutritional benefits from dark chocolate hinges on eating bitter-tasting brands that are minimally processed.

A recent study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry demonstrates just how versatile the healthy gut can be by taking advantage of the most popular processed food in the Western diet: white bread.

The white bread scoop

Because our diet has a direct impact on gut health, Spanish researchers from the University of Oviedo compared the intake of fibers and polyphenols (commonly found in fruits, vegetables, teas and spices) consumed in a normal diet in fecal samples taken from 38 healthy adults.

Many previous studies linking the gut microbiota to diets have focused on single foods full of soluble fibers that work as prebiotics (defined as nondigestible food ingredients that benefit human health by stimulating the growth of one or several bacterial species in the gut including Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria).

In some of those studies, pectin alone, a gelatinous polysaccharide present in ripe fruits, usually evades digestion to reach the colon where it stimulates the growth of various gut bacteria.

However, pectin was also associated with a drop of certain fecal bacteria (C. leptum and B. coccoides) in this study, leading researchers to believe that it interacts with other chemicals in oranges to create this effect.

The most interesting finding: Eating plain white bread, made with refined grains, was responsible for a spike in Lactobacillus, one of the strains of bacteria contained in EndoMune Advanced Probiotic.

Until this study, prebiotic spikes in gut bacteria were mostly observed from eating whole-grain cereals due to the fiber content.

Don’t do it!

Before you consider adding white bread to your diet, there are plenty of healthy reasons to avoid it.

The most recent study on the consumption of white bread—scientists tracking the health of some 9,200 Spanish college grads during a five-year period—found patients who ate only white bread and two or more portions each day were 40 percent more likely to become overweight or obese compared to those who ate just one portion a week.

Conversely, no significant risk was found by eating only whole-grain bread with more fiber and various kinds of carbohydrates.

These results go hand-in-hand with dietary recommendations posted by the Mayo Clinic to prevent heart disease.

Yes, white bread is better than sweets, but it has a high glycemic value, so eating a lot of it can add to your risks of obesity and diabetes, said UK nutritionist Dr. Carrie Ruxton to BakeryandSnacks.com.

For your health’s sake, the best choice to promote good gut health is taking a multi-strain probiotic like EndoMune Advanced Probiotic and EndoMune Advanced Junior that contain no dairy products, preservatives and artificial colorings and are GMO- and gluten-free.

How can white bread be healthy? It’s all about your gut! Read More »