Disease Archives

The Western lifestyle is harming your gut health

There’s no denying the typical Western lifestyle — consuming diets high in processed foods, red meat, refined sugars, carbohydrates and saturated fats — has fueled the current obesity epidemic plaguing much of the industrialized world.

Part of the damage done to our bodies is how our health has changed drastically to compensate for eating these calorie-rich, nutrient-poor diets, doing great harm to our gut microbiota.

A trio of 2015 studies show how the human gut health varies according to lifestyle and geography, and, in one case, how quickly one’s gut health can change.

Native populations have more diverse gut microbiomes

Two studies compared the gut microbiomes of natives in various non-industrialized communities around the world to those U.S. residents.

In one study comparing the gut microbiomes of people living in the U.S. to those in non-industrialized Papau New Guinea (published in Cell Reports), scientists discovered Americans lacked some 50 different species of gut bacteria.

Why? Western lifestyles that reduce the ability of bacteria to move from person-to-person (bacterial dispersion) via drinking water or sanitation may have contributed to these differences in gut bacteria, says study co-author Dr. Jens Walter of the University of Alberta Department of Agricultural, Food & Nutritional Science.

This discovery implies a connection to the hygiene hypothesis, in which the body’s immunities and gut health are harmed by constant exposure to antibacterial soaps, bottled water, antibiotics and disinfectants.

The real challenge posed by this study is developing methods to reduce the damage done to human gut health without jeopardizing the benefits, says study co-author Dr. Andrew Greenhill of Federation University Australia.

The same lack of gut bacteria was also discovered in another study, appearing in Nature Communications. This study compares Americans living in Norman, Okla., to native farmers and hunter-gatherers living in Peru and the Amazon.

In this study, the genus Treponema, a family of bacteria that has co-existed for millions of years in humans and primates, was missing in industrialized populations.

“In our study, we show that these lost bacteria are in fact multiple species that are likely capable of fermenting fiber and generating short chain fatty acids in the gut. Short chain fatty acids have anti-inflammatory properties,” says Cecil Lewis, co-director of the Laboratories of Molecular Anthropology and Microbiome Research at the University of Oklahoma College of Arts and Sciences, in a press release.

“This raises an important question: could these lost Treponema be keystone species that explain the increased risk for autoimmune disorders in industrialized people?”

Multi-national diet changes quickly alter colon cancer risks

Western diets were blamed for rapid gut health changes that raised the risks of colon cancer in a third study appearing in Nature Communications, comparing the health of African-Americans in the U.S. to native Africans living in rural South Africa.

Twenty African-Americans swapped diets with a similar number of native South Africans for two weeks. Before and after the change in diets, all patients were given colonoscopies. Also, researchers examined biological markers that measured a patient’s risks of colon cancer, along with bacterial samples taken from the colon.

At the beginning, nearly half of the Americans participating in the study had polyps (growths in the colon that can evolve into colon cancer). Americans who followed the African diet experienced a reduction in biomarkers for cancer, significantly lessening the inflammation in their colons and an increase in butyrate, a byproduct of metabolizing fiber linked to key anti-cancer benefits.

Conversely, the cancer risk for African patients following a westernized diet, one low in fiber but high in protein and fat, increased dramatically too.

Both sets of findings underscore how a change in diet can quickly and dramatically alter one’s health for better or worse. The obvious difference in the Western diet was the lack of dietary fiber, according to Dr. Jeremy Nicholson, of Imperial College London in a press release.

“This is not new in itself but what is really surprising is how quickly and dramatically the risk markers can switch in both groups following [a] diet change. These findings also raise serious concerns that the progressive westernization of African communities may lead to the emergence of colon cancer as a major health issue.”

Increasing your daily intake of dietary fiber by 30 grams (about 1 ounce) can also help you lose weight and help reduce cardiovascular problems.

Boosting your intake of dietary fiber, along with taking a quality probiotic like EndoMune Advanced Probiotic, provides even greater benefits.

Eating more fiber feeds your gut bacteria the starches it needs to jump-start the fermentation process to provide nourishment to the cells lining the colon. As a result, the intestinal tract becomes much healthier and functions more effectively.

Adding a probiotic containing multiple strains of beneficial bacteria like EndoMune, not only increases the fermentation process of fiber in the gut, it reduces the impact of various diseases.

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Could probiotics be the answer for allergies?

Disease, Probiotics / By Staff Writer

As physicians steer patients away from drugs that can do more harm than good, like antibiotics, probiotics have attracted much attention as a safer way to treat allergies.

For example, giving patients a drink containing a proprietary strain of Lactobacillus casei was shown to boost the immune systems of patients, according to a 2013 PLOS One study we featured in a previous blog post.

Nevertheless, up to 30 percent of all American adults and 40 percent of children suffer from nasal allergies, leading to more than 13 million visits to the doctor, according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.

These numbers could explain why allergies are considered the sixth leading cause of chronic illness in America with an estimated annual price tag of more than $18 billion in healthcare costs, according to the CDC.

The latest study giving probiotics a four-star review was featured in the International Forum of Allergy & Rhinology. It took a look at 23 studies and all but six demonstrated some improvements in at least one aspect of a patient’s health after starting a probiotic regimen.

“When you look at all the studies combined, there was a statistically significant improvement in both the rhinitis-specific quality of life of those patients and in their nasal specific quality of life,” said lead author Dr. Justin Turner, an associate professor of otolaryngology at Vanderbilt University.

Here’s where the results get tricky. The studies that the researchers examined featured probiotics with very different mixes of bacteria and durations of treatments. Some probiotic bacteria were found in foods like yogurt or in supplements like EndoMune Advanced Probiotic.

Is it seasonal allergies or a cold?

Another potential complicating factor, based on a recent survey conducted by Doctor on Demand and Harris Interactive, is not knowing whether the symptoms experienced are derived from allergies or the common cold.

Some symptoms, such as a runny or stuffy nose and sneezing, are shared by colds and allergies. However, more than half of the Americans polled in the Doctor on Demand survey attributed some symptoms (itchy ears and watery and itchy eyes) to colds.

The obvious difference between colds and allergies is the duration. Allergies can go on for months while colds have an expiration date of up to 14 days.

No matter which sets of symptoms you’re experiencing, probiotics can help with allergies and colds by strengthening your immune system to prevent bad bugs and allergens from slowing you down.

Multi-species probiotics like EndoMune Advanced Probiotic or EndoMune Kids contains multiple strains of beneficial bacteria that can be a healthy improvement for your gut and body.

Could probiotics be the answer for allergies? Read More »

Heartburn meds can harm your heart

Disease, Drug interactions / By Staff Writer

According to the CDC, heart disease is the leading cause of death among American men and women, claiming more than 600,000 lives every year.

Of the 735,000 Americans who have a heart attack every year, more than 70 percent (525,000) are experiencing one for the first time. Nearly half of Americans have at least one of these risk factors for heart disease:

High LDL cholesterol
Smoking
High blood pressure

A new risk factor for heart attacks is Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPIs), which are drugs that work by decreasing the amount of acid in the lining of the stomach, based on a recent study appearing in PLOS One.

Accounting for an estimated $13 billion in annual sales, PPIs are one of the most popular classes of drugs that Americans take. (One out of 14 Americans have taken PPIs, according to the FDA.)

Although patients use PPIs to treat heartburn, these drugs are prescribed to treat other health problems too, including Barrett’s esophagus, ulcer-inducing H. pylori infections and Zollinger-Ellison syndrome.

The most popular PPIs are available over-the-counter, including Zegerid (a combination of omeprazole and sodium bicarbonate), Nexium (esomeprazole magnesium), Prilosec (omeprazole magnesium) and Prevacid (lansoprazole).

A recent review of some 2.9 million patient records by researchers at Houston Methodist and Stanford University concluded that those with no prior history of heart disease, who took PPIs increased their risk of heart attack by as much as 21 percent.

On the other hand, patients who took another type of over-the-counter drug used to reduce stomach acid — Histamine antagonists (H2 antagonists or H2 blockers) — experienced no extra risk of heart attack. (Zantac, Pepcid and Tagamet are popular H2 blockers sold over-the-counter.)

What made the difference between these sets of drugs? A 2013 study that examined the ability of PPIs to damage the endothelium led to some answers, says Dr. John Cooke of Houston Methodist and senior author of the PLOS One study, according to a press release.

“Our earlier work identified that the PPIs can adversely affect the endothelium, the Teflon-like lining of the blood vessels. That observation led us to hypothesize that anyone taking PPIs may be at greater risk for heart attack.”

The risk of heart attack isn’t the only reason why you should think twice before taking a PPI drug. Another recent study found omeprazole disrupted the gut health of every patient so severely, that they were vulnerable to Clostridium difficile (C. diff) infections.

Before taking a PPI, you may want to consider these non-drug solutions first:

Delay your bedtime about two hours after eating a nighttime meal.
Avoid heartburn triggers like high-acidic foods, alcohol and smoking.
Consume smaller meals with less fat.
Consider losing a few pounds.
Take a probiotic with multiple strains of beneficial bacteria, like EndoMune Advanced Probiotic or EndoMune Advanced Junior (for kids) that protects your gut health too.

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Changes in gut health diversity may be a warning of type 1 diabetes

Digestive Health, Disease / By Staff Writer

Recently, we discussed how being “too clean” with antibacterial soaps, disinfectants and antibiotics may leave young people more vulnerable to type 1 diabetes.

Unlike type 2 diabetes, type 1 diabetes typically affects young people, but may also develop in adults. Once known as juvenile diabetes, type 1 diabetes occurs when the body stops producing insulin. This happens when the immune system has attacked the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, according to the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse.

Researchers from the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, the European Union funded Diabimmune Study Group and Massachusetts General Hospital, identified another marker for type 1 diabetes: Decreases in gut microbial diversity, including species of gut bacteria that promote good health, among infants.

Their findings were published in Cell Host & Microbe.

Gut health and inflammation

Scientists analyzed the stool samples of 33 infants from birth to age 3 to find who was more genetically prone to type 1 diabetes.

The few children who developed type 1 diabetes experienced a 25 percent decrease in the number of distinct species of gut microbes a year prior to be diagnosed with the disease.

Additionally, the reduction of bacteria that regulate the children’s guts worsened overall gut health, while increasing the amount of harmful gut bacteria that caused inflammation.

Good gut health remains stable

An interesting aspect of this research stems from what scientists learned over the course of the study about young children whose microbiomes developed normally and did not have type 1 diabetes. The key factor here is stability.

For one, although the species of bacteria in the human gut vary greatly between people, generally the composition of individual microbiomes remains stable over the course of time. Despite this diversity, these species functioned very consistently in the human gut over time and in each person too.

“Whether the bacterial community is very small, as it is in early infancy, or if it’s larger as it is later in life, the community is always serving the same major functions regardless of its composition. No matter which species are present, they encode the same major metabolic pathways, indicating that they’re doing the same jobs,” Dr. Aleksandar Kostic, one of the authors of the study said in a press release.

Understanding which bacterial species are present and absent in the gut microbiomes of young children with type 1 diabetes may help scientists figure out how to slow down the progression of the disease, according to Dr. Ramnik Xavier, who led the study.

“The next progression,” Dr. Xavier said, “is to expand the pool of patients, particularly among Finnish folks who are predisposed to type 1 diabetes than other ethnicities, in order to determine if their environments and the hygiene hypothesis are real factors in the development of this disease.”

As mentioned before, one goal of the Diabimmune project is to identify preventative therapies via probiotics or vaccines, if bacteria can be treated. Certainly, a probiotic like EndoMune Advanced Junior (for kids) with 10 billion colonies of four primary strains of good gut bacteria would be helpful in protecting the diversity of your child’s gut health.

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One more reason why you don’t need a fecal transplant

Diet, Disease, Drug interactions / By Staff Writer

As medical science looks for new ways to conquer tough-to-treat health problems like Clostridium difficile (C. diff), fecal transplants — the transferal of gut flora from healthy donors to sick patients via tubes or pills — are attracting more attention than ever.

Due to the growing amounts of successful research, the FDA has been pushed to regulate fecal transplants as experimental drugs, yet continues to struggle on how to do so.

A recent case study published in Open Forum Infectious Diseases illustrates the conundrum the FDA and patients face when deciding if the “cure” is really worth the true price.

Unintended Consequences

This study could be defined as a case of unintended consequences, a term coined by American sociologist Robert K. Merton. Unintended consequences defines unexpected outcomes — benefits, drawbacks or perverse results — that occur from a purposeful action.

One such case was a 32-year-old woman who was successfully treated for a recurring C. diff infection with a fecal transplant from an overweight donor (her teenage daughter) in 2011. She then gained 20 percent of her body weight (34 pounds) over the following 16 months, jumping to 170 pounds.

Unfortunately, despite a medically supervised exercise program and liquid protein diet, the woman, who had never been overweight before the fecal transplant, has gained 7 more pounds since then and remains obese today.

“We’re questioning whether there was something in the fecal transplant, and whether some of those ‘good’ bacteria we transferred may have had an impact on her metabolism in a negative way,” said Dr. Colleen R. Kelly of the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University via a press release. The case report was a joint effort with Dr. Neha Alang, of Newport Hospital in Rhode Island.

The unintended consequences of sharing bad traits thanks to fecal transplants is supported in other published studies, in which fecal samples transferred from obese mice to those of a normal weight may lead to a marked increase in fat. This explains why scientists urge patients to find fecal transplant donors who aren’t obese.

What’s more, scientists speculate the fecal transplant may not be the sole reason why the woman became obese, citing several antibiotics prescribed to treat H. pylori, illness-related stress, aging, genetic factors and the resolution of her C. diff infection as other contributing factors.

One way to have counteracted those side effects: Her doctor should have prescribed a probiotic, such as EndoMune Advanced Probiotic, that would have helped her treat the H. Pylori to protect her overall gut health.

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Treat IBS with probiotics and not drugs

Diet, Digestive Health, Disease / By Staff Writer

IBS treatment. As you know, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is one of the more common and chronic gastrointestinal problems, affecting the health of up to 20 percent of the Western world.

The symptoms of IBS — bloating, constipation, diarrhea, cramping, gas and abdominal pain — are certainly uncomfortable and embarrassing, but there are treatment options available.
You can read more about how to get rid of constipation here.

Previously, we’ve discussed research that has shown how conventional medicine has treated IBS with drugs like mexiletine, part of an antiarrhythmic class of medications that are a mixed blessing due to side effects, some of which can be adverse.

A recent study featured in Gut and Family Practice News has ruled out another IBS drug: Masalazine (Pentasa), an anti-inflammatory prescription drug that belongs to the aminosalicylate class and is used to treat ulcerative colitis.

Interestingly, some of the known side effects of mesalazine include diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, which can worsen ulcerative colitis too. And, because this medication is similar to aspirin, young children and teens shouldn’t take it if they have the flu and chickenpox or have received a recent vaccine.

None of these are “good” side effects for a drug meant to treat IBS.

In a double-blind study, 115 patients who finished a trial took a daily dose of mesalazine or a placebo for 12 weeks. Patients maintained a “stool” diary, had appointments with researchers during the study and gave stool and sigmoid biopsy samples before and at the end of the trial.

Although a small group of patients experienced significant improvements in some areas, scientists determined there was no advantage between taking mesalazine and a placebo.

For most patients, taking mesalazine didn’t improve stool consistency or abdominal pain compared to the placebo during the final two weeks of the study. In fact, a worsening of IBS symptoms (diarrhea and abdominal pain) was the most common problem experienced by patients taking mesalazine.

Drugs like mesalazine and mexiletine merely treat symptoms of IBS but don’t get to the root cause of the problem: restoring the balance of beneficial bacteria that builds the foundation of good gut health.

The good news: Protecting and improving the diversity of your gut health can be as safe and convenient (no side effects) as taking a probiotic like EndoMune Advanced Probiotic and EndoMune Advanced Junior, made from multiple strains of beneficial bacteria plus the prebiotic fructooligosaccharide.

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Testing your gut bacteria: A new way to screen for colon cancer

Disease, Drug interactions, Healthy Aging / By Staff Writer

Despite our growing awareness of colon cancer, a recent report about the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in America has predicted a dramatic jump in this disease over the next 15 years. Unfortunately, this worrisome rise is among millennials and Gen Xers, not the typical age groups linked to colon cancer (those over age 50).

Currently, colon cancer screening methods (usually for patients over age 50) include uncomfortable tests like a colonoscopy, flexible sigmoidoscopy and double-contrast barium enema.

A pair of recent studies may have found new, non-invasive methods to effectively screen for colon cancer via a patient’s gut bacteria, which can complement existing tests.

Studying the human microbiome for clues to colon cancer

European researchers looking for signs of early stage tumors compared stool samples taken from 42 patients with precancerous intestinal polyps, 53 patients with advanced rectal or colon cancer and 61 healthy patients prior to the typical colon cleanse before a colonoscopy, according to the study published in Molecular Systems Biology.

Many factors were taken into consideration, from examining DNA sequencing and cataloging the genetic makeup of gut bacteria to collecting information about key factors that influence colon cancer (ethnicity, body mass index and age).

Scientists discovered that a subspecies of Fusobacterium nucleatum was present in colon cancer patients, and validated later in an independent cohort study of 335 patients from various countries. (This newer study mirrored the findings of a 2013 report that identified Fusobacterium nucleatum as a factor in increasing the likelihood of tumors.)

Testing gut bacteria using genetic analysis in tandem with existing procedures like the fecal occult blood test (FOBT) increased the accuracy of testing by 45 percent compared to the blood test alone.

Moreover, using genetic testing may be more effective in detecting early stages of colon cancer compared to the FOBT, said study co-author Dr. Julian Tap to Gut Microbiota Worldwatch.

Could gut microbiome testing be more accurate?

Examining the gut microbiome for signs of colon cancer yielded similar results in another study published in Cancer Prevention Research that compared stool samples from 30 healthy patients to equal numbers of patients with precancerous polyps and invasive colon cancer.

After identifying gut bacteria signatures for each group and including age and racial information in the mix, scientists were able to improve their ability to predict the presence of precancerous polyps by more than 400 percent. Adding body mass index with the rest of those factors increased the ability to predict invasive colon cancer by more than a factor of 5.

Also, analyzing gut microbiomes was more accurate than using the FOBT in determining which patients had precancerous polyps compared to invasive colon cancer.

“We found that the composition of the gut microbiome allowed us to identify who in our study had precancerous adenomatous polyps and who had invasive colorectal cancer,” said study co-author Dr. Patrick Schloss, associate professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor in a press release.

“If our results are confirmed in larger groups of people, adding gut microbiome analysis to other fecal tests may provide an improved, noninvasive way to screen for colorectal cancer,” Schloss continued.

These studies provide another opportunity to remind you that microbial imbalances in your gut—greater amounts of bad bacteria versus beneficial bacteria—are a serious indicator of colon cancer.

However, taking a multi-species probiotic like EndoMune Advanced Probiotic offers many benefits, including increasing the diversity of beneficial gut bacteria that can protect your health from colon cancer.

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You may be spreading antibiotic resistance while traveling

Disease, Drug interactions / By Staff Writer

The health problems associated with taking antibiotics too often have grown beyond the risk of having them not work when you really need them. Recent studies have found exposure to antibiotics can increase your odds of colon cancer and reprogram your baby’s gut microbiota for the worst.

Unfortunately, antibiotics like ciprofloxacin (Cipro) have been the go-to drugs for people traveling overseas to avoid traveler’s diarrhea, a very popular topic we’ve discussed often in this space. A recent study published in Clinical Infectious Diseases underscores the health risks associated with taking too many antibiotics, leading to the spread of superbugs.

Finnish researchers collected stool samples and surveys from 430 travelers before and after their trips abroad in hopes of finding traces of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (EBSL), an enzyme generated by the Enterobacteriaceae group of bacteria that produces resistance to many common antibiotics.

The numbers alone signal grave problems from antibiotics. Overall, 21 percent of travelers to tropical and subtropical areas (90 patients) contracted EBSL-producing bacteria during their trips.

The group most affected by antibiotic-resistant bacteria was the 80 percent of Finnish travelers who visited Southern Asia, followed by Southeast Asia, East Asia, North Africa and the Middle East.

According to scientists, the huge health problem was that although those 90 travelers didn’t develop infections while on vacation, they could have spread superbugs when they returned home. Had the number of infected patients been a little larger, detectable symptoms would’ve been found.

“More than 300 million people visit these high-risk regions every year, “says lead study author Dr. Anu Kantele in a press release. “If approximately 20 percent of them are colonized with the bugs, these are really huge numbers. This is a serious thing. The only positive thing is that the colonization is usually transient, lasting for around half a year.”

Should travelers face diarrhea on the road, Dr. Kantele suggests drinking plenty of fluids, using over-the-counter medications to relieve mild symptoms and only seeking medical attention for severe problems.

Interestingly, an accompanying editorial cited prebiotics and probiotics as non-antimicrobial measures to beat traveler’s diarrhea. Taking a multi-strain probiotic, like EndoMune Advanced Probiotic or EndoMune Advanced Junior (for kids), at least two days before going on a long-distance trip can boost your immune system and maintain the natural balance of bacteria in your gut.

Should you need an antibiotic for any reason, please take a probiotic as well. Follow a two-hour gap between taking an antibiotic and probiotic, as this will reduce the likelihood that the drug will deplete the live, beneficial bacteria before they’ve had a chance to do their work.

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Could probiotics be a future treatment for peanut allergies?

Disease, Probiotics / By Staff Writer

Allergies that come with the flip of a calendar page to spring may be a nagging problem for 50 million Americans but seem very minor when compared to the seriousness of food sensitivities.

Of the eight foods or food groups that provoke 90 percent of the most serious responses, allergic reactions to peanuts are the most common.

Itchy eyes, a stomach ache or a tingling in or around your mouth are considered mild symptoms that may be treated by taking an antihistamine.

More severe symptoms, including breathing difficulties, a dramatic drop in blood pressure and dizziness, are considered life-threatening medical emergencies connected to anaphylaxis, a dangerous whole body reaction by the immune system to an allergen. Such serious reactions necessitate following a prescribed action plan by your doctor, which will likely include an emergency injection of epinephrine and a trip to the ER.

Unfortunately, the number of children under age 18 who are vulnerable to allergies to peanuts and tree nuts (walnuts, almonds, cashews) is growing, according to a 2010 study published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

The Good News

A recent double-blind study that treated children with probiotics over 18 months offers some evidence of a safe, long-term solution to peanut allergies.

Australian researchers from the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute compared the effect of taking a probiotic containing a proprietary strain of Lactobacillus rhamnosus (also one of several beneficial strains of bacteria contained in EndoMune Advanced Probiotic) along with an increasing course of peanut protein in a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 60 children.

Of the 56 children who finished the 18-month trial, all but five of the 28 young patients who received probiotics could safely tolerate eating 4 grams of peanut protein without a problem, compared to only one of the placebo group. Also, the beneficial effect of the treatment lasted up to five weeks in some patients.

Researchers are planning a follow-up study that would measure the response of this treatment three to four years after giving patients probiotics.

More Research

Although some experts aren’t sure if probiotics were the answer, recent research with mice by scientists at the University of Chicago Medicine & Biological Sciences may provide some clues.

Two sets of mice (one was born germ-free while the other was treated with antibiotics at birth) with limited gut bacteria displayed a strong reaction to peanuts when compared to normal mice. Introducing a strain of Clostridia back into the guts of mice reversed these reactions, but a second group of intestinal bacteria tested by scientists (Bacteroides) failed.

“It’s exciting because we know what the bacteria are; we have a way to intervene,” says Dr. Cathryn Nagler, senior study author, in a news release. “There are of course no guarantees, but this is absolutely testable as a therapeutic against a disease for which there’s nothing. As a mom, I can imagine how frightening it must be to worry every time your child takes a bite of food.”

Tips to Avoid Peanut Allergens

Some tips you must consider to avoid allergic reactions to peanuts:

Know what you’re eating, especially at restaurants, parties and the homes of friends. Don’t be afraid to ask about peanut ingredients in prepared foods if you have any doubt about their safety.
Peanut allergens floating in the air can cause allergic reactions, so be cautious about your environment.
Read food and product labels carefully before using them. Some shampoos, pet foods and lotions contain peanuts.
Be prepared for the worst by taking an epinephrine shot with you at all times.

Additionally, despite this good news about probiotics and a healthy gut microbiome being a possible solution one day to lessening peanut allergies, I strongly recommend seeking the advice of your family doctor first to guide you in the treatment of peanut allergies.

Could probiotics be a future treatment for peanut allergies? Read More »

C. diff heartburn

Disease, Drug interactions / By Staff Writer

The superbug Clostridium difficile (C. diff) has become a serious health problem in recent years. Deaths associated with this very potent and harmful superbug, especially among those age 65 and older, have risen dramatically to some 14,000 Americans annually.

Often, we remind you that too much exposure to antibiotics (via drugs and food) can deplete the healthy balance of bacteria in your gut, leaving you very vulnerable to superbugs like C. diff.

In fact, a recent blog highlighted several ways to avoid C. diff, including avoiding antibiotics unless your body really needs them.

A recent study featured in the journal Microbiome added a new culprit to the list of things you shouldn’t over do to protect your gut health: over-the-counter heartburn drugs in the form of proton pump inhibitors (PPI), including esomeprazole (Nexium), lansoprazole (Prevacid), omeprazole (Prilosec) and pantoprazole (Protonix).

Researchers tested the effects of taking either a low dose (one 20 mg. tablet) or high dose (two 20 mg. tablets) of omeprazole on nine healthy patients (ages 18-57) for four weeks. Stool samples were compared prior to the study, then at days seven and 28 while taking omeprazole.

No patient participating in the study suffered any adverse effects from taking a PPI, but that was the only good news.

By the end of the 28 days, the gut microbiomes of all patients were disrupted and less diverse regardless of the dosage, leaving them vulnerable to C. diff infections. And, it took a month for the gut health of these patients to partly improve.

These findings don’t include the more serious side effects related to taking PPIs too often, including osteoporosis-related fractures of the spine, wrist and hip, pneumonia, the reduced absorption of minerals and vitamins and weight gains.

Despite these results, lead researcher and gastroenterologist Dr. John DiBaise urged caution. “We’re not saying people should stop taking their regular antacids; despite the many health risks associated with PPI use, they have an extensive track record of safety when used as directed.

“What we are saying is that the medical and research communities should consider these medications in the context of the patient’s microbiome.”

To curb the overuse of PPIs (like broad spectrum antibiotics), Dr. DiBaise suggests treating milder heartburn problems with these non-drug solutions:

Lose weight.
Avoid foods, alcohol and tobacco that trigger heartburn.
Eat smaller meals with lower amounts of fat.
Delay your bedtime for about two hours after eating an evening meal.

Another non-drug solution that protects and enhances the diversity of your bacteria, especially if you’re taking a PPI over the long term to alleviate heartburn: a multi-species probiotic, like EndoMune Advanced Probiotic or EndoMune Advanced Junior (for kids) that gives your immune system a much needed natural boost.

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