Drug interactions Archives

Heartburn meds can harm your heart

Disease, Drug interactions / By @drHoberman

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.

Heartburn meds can harm your heart Read More »

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

Diet, Disease, Drug interactions / By @drHoberman

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.

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

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

Disease, Drug interactions, Healthy Aging / By @drHoberman

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.

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

You may be spreading antibiotic resistance while traveling

Disease, Drug interactions / By @drHoberman

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.

You may be spreading antibiotic resistance while traveling Read More »

The colon cancer-antibiotics connection

Digestive Health, Drug interactions / By @drHoberman

Taking antibiotics over the course of your life often contributes to a number of health problems, including bacterial imbalances that deplete the “good” and “bad” bacteria in your gut.

A study presented at last year’s annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology concluded that long-term and repeated exposure to some antibiotics modestly may increase your risk of colon cancer.

Researchers used the Health Improvement Network, a large population-based database of patients in the United Kingdom, to access the records of colon cancer patients.

Overall, scientists compared the health of some 22,000 colon cancer patients to nearly 86,000 healthy patients over a six-year period, taking into account risk factors for colon cancer (smoking, obesity, alcohol consumption and diabetes). Then, they tracked the use of antibiotics for at least six months prior to a colon cancer diagnosis.

While there was no connection between anti-viral or anti-fungal drugs, there was a link to some antibiotics, including metronidazole, quinolones and penicillins. Exposure to those antibiotics increased a patient’s risk of colon cancer by up to 11 percent.

Of those antibiotics, exposure to penicillin proved to be the most problematic. The risk of colon cancer continued for patients taking antibiotics for up to a decade before their diagnosis. The possible cause, according to researchers: penicillin has an effect on gut bacteria.

“Certain bacteria might promote a pro-inflammatory environment,” co-investigator Dr. Yu-Xiao Yang said to ClinicalOncology News. “Others may alter or generate toxins that might potentially be carcinogenic or might transform certain dietary or intestinal content into carcinogenic components.

“Looking at what are more biologically plausible effects of antibiotics on colorectal cancer risk, we should be looking at longer-term exposure, or exposure in the more distant past.”

(One of the side effects connected with taking penicillin, according to the Mayo Clinic: A greater likelihood for people with stomach or intestinal diseases to develop colitis.)

The best thing you can do to protect the health of you and your family when antibiotics are prescribed: Take a probiotic like EndoMune Advanced Probiotic or EndoMune Advanced Junior (for kids). Probiotics with multiple strains of beneficial bacteria like EndoMune protect the healthy balance of bacteria in the gut.

Taking a probiotic about two hours after an antibiotic will reduce the risk of these drugs depleting the live, beneficial bacteria that protect your gut.

Another safety tip: Avoid using antibacterial soaps and personal hygiene products (body soaps, toothpaste and cosmetics) that contain triclosan, a broad-spectrum antimicrobial compound also linked to bacterial resistance.

The colon cancer-antibiotics connection Read More »

C. diff heartburn

Disease, Drug interactions / By @drHoberman

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.

C. diff heartburn Read More »

Your gut bacteria may determine how statins work…or don’t

Digestive Health, Drug interactions / By @drHoberman

Statins are a very handy and popular class of drugs that reduce cholesterol levels and lessen a patient’s risks of cardiovascular disease (stroke and heart attack).

Well-known brands of statin drugs like simvastatin (Zocor), rosuvastatin (Crestor) and atorvastatin (Lipitor) can be an advantage to human health when they work properly. Unfortunately, statins don’t work for everyone, and a 2011 study published in PLOS ONE suggests a gut bacteria link may explain why.

Overall, data collected from 148 patients enrolled in the nationwide Cholesterol and Pharmacogenetics (CAP) study who had taken simvastatin were reviewed by a research team led by a Duke University scientist.

In addition to examining health data from 100 patients whose LDL cholesterol dropped dramatically thanks to taking simvastatin, researchers also reviewed results from 24 patients who derived little benefit from the statin drug and an equal number whose response was deemed “fairly good.”

Scientists collected blood work before any patients had taken a statin to identify signs of specific bile acids and sterols (fat-like substances connected to the use and breakdown of cholesterol).

Three kinds of bile acids produced by specific gut bacteria were found in samples taken from patients who responded well to statins for six weeks. On the other hand, five different kinds of bile acids were produced in patients whose bodies didn’t respond well to statins.

The difference between both groups: because bile acids and statins share the same pathways (to the intestines and liver) and compete for dominance, scientists speculate that patients whose bodies produce too many bile acids prevent statins from reaching their intended target—the liver—where the production of cholesterol is controlled.

Researchers believe a blood test that screens for bile acids could determine who responds well to simvastatin and who doesn’t.

“It’s no doubt that metabolites from bacteria are playing an important role in regulating our systems,” said lead researcher Dr. Rima Kaddurah-Daouk at Duke University School of Medicine in a press release. “We’re at a very early stage of understating this relationship, but eventually we could take a quick chemical assay and get a read on where we are metabolically.”

A more recent study supporting these findings concluded increasing bile salt hydrolase (proteins produced by gut bacteria that alter the chemical properties of bile acids) may slow down weight gains and serum cholesterol in mice.

In both studies, researchers cited probiotics as a possible solution to lower cholesterol, another reason among many to protect and enhance the diversity of beneficial bacteria in your gut by taking a multi-species probiotic like EndoMune Advanced Probiotic.

Your gut bacteria may determine how statins work…or don’t Read More »

Probiotics may boost the benefits of the flu shot

Drug interactions, Probiotics / By @drHoberman

With the 2014-15 flu season coming, you may decide to forgo most of those 10 easy ways to boost your immune system naturally we discussed previously and, instead, go straight for a flu vaccine.

Unfortunately, you’ve probably also heard from some of your vaccinated and angry friends and family members coming down with the flu anyway. If you decide to get a flu shot, you’ll want to consider taking a vaccine-boosting probiotic too, based on recent research.

Lactobacillus improves flu shot response

The trick to making many vaccines work is much more than the inclusion of key antigens to help them recognize and attack diseases later on. Actually, many of these molecules aren’t able to provoke strong immune responses at all, according to the National Cancer Institute.

What’s just as important are the inclusion of adjuvants, substances that enhance the ability of vaccines to trigger protection against infection. Adjuvants work by activating the immune system, thus enabling antigens (pathogenic ingredients that provoke an immune response) in vaccines to stimulate long-term protection, according to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

A 2011 study published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed how probiotic bacteria — a proprietary strain of Lactobacillus — would be effective as an adjuvant of a live-attenuated flu vaccine in a double-blind study.

During the study, all patients received a flu shot, then a placebo or Lactobacillus twice a day for four weeks. For the H3N2 strain of flu, 84 percent of patients who were given Lactobacillus had a protective amount of the vaccine in their bodies 28 days later, compared to 55 percent who were given a placebo.

Take a probiotic with your flu shot

A more recent study in the journal Immunity that linked vaccines to the health of your gut microbiota — not depleted by antibiotics — may dictate how effective a flu shot may be.

The roots of this study date back to similar research in 2011 that monitored the response of healthy patients to the flu shot. Scientists discovered a link between the response of antibodies to the vaccine and the expression of the Toll-like receptor 5 (TLR5) gene.

This gene stimulates a healthy immune response by detecting flagellin, a component of tail-like appendages used by bacteria in the body, including the gut, to help them move.

The latest study took the next step by comparing the immune response of these three groups of mice to a flu shot to a vaccinated control group of germy mice: Genetically modified animals that lacked the TLR5 gene, germ-free mice and those that had spent four weeks drinking antibiotic-laced water.

A week after being inoculated, all three groups experienced up to an eightfold reduction of vaccine-specific antibodies in their blood compared to the vaccinated, germy control group, according to Science. However, blood antibody levels appeared to rebound within four weeks in all groups, but dropped again 85 days later among genetically-manipulated mice.

(It’s also important to remember, compared to normal, germy mice, the bodies of animals raised in a sterile environment — too clean for their own good health via the hygiene hypothesis — also produced fewer antibodies.)

In another test, mice given the polio vaccine (made of viral molecules but, like the flu vaccine, not an active virus) produced fewer beneficial antibodies too, suggesting “weaker” vaccines lacking active adjuvants require more help from bacterial signaling, according to Science.

“These results demonstrate an important role for gut bacteria in shaping immunity to vaccination, and raise the possibility that the microbiome could be harnessed to modulate vaccine efficacy,” says Dr. Bali Pulendran from Emory University.

These studies underscore how important it is to take a multi-species probiotic like EndoMune Advanced Probiotic and EndoMune Advanced Junior (for kids) to boost your immune system, especially if you’re considering getting a flu shot.

Probiotics may boost the benefits of the flu shot Read More »

Do you really need an oral fecal transplant for a C. diff infection?

Digestive Health, Drug interactions / By @drHoberman

There’s no denying fecal transplants — the transferring of gut flora from a healthy donor to sick patients — can be helpful in treating Clostridium difficile (C. diff) infections that contribute to diseases from colitis to diarrhea.

Transfers of healthy gut bacteria have been delivered via a variety of uncomfortable methods, ranging from tubes through the nose to the intestines (nasojejunal) and stomach (nasogastric) to endoscopies, colonoscopies and enemas.

However, the promising findings of a recent Journal of the American Medical Association report may be changing the delivery of fecal transplants for good.

After successfully testing the delivery of frozen fecal transplants to patients via nasogastric tubes and colonoscopy to treat patients earlier in the year, researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital designed a study to test the efficiency of fecal transplant capsules.

To produce those capsules, stool samples were taken from healthy volunteers who had been screened for infectious diseases and avoided consuming common food allergens. Then, the samples were processed, placed into capsules and frozen for four weeks.

Feeling squeamish yet?

Scientists tested their frozen transplant on 20 patients between ages 11-84 who were suffering from a persistent or recurring C. diff infection. Over two consecutive days, each patient took 15 capsules per day. After an initial two-day treatment, the symptoms from 14 patients were completely resolved.

Then, after a second treatment with the remaining six patients (who were generally in poorer health) a week later, all but one were successfully treated. Over the eight-week trial, all but two patients responded successfully to the frozen fecal transplant capsules.

Despite the success of the study, Dr. Ilan Youngster (co-author of the study) warned patients, literally, not to experiment with fecal transplants at home. “While we are striving to make this treatment more accessible to patients, it’s important to remind people of the potential dangers of attempting ‘home brew’ FMT [fecal microbiota transplants] using fecal material from family members or friends.

“Many people can be carriers of bacteria, viruses, and parasites that are shed in their stools but have no symptoms. It’s not enough to know your donor and just ask how he or she feels, as some websites suggest. In any form, this procedure should only be performed under strict medical supervision with material from thoroughly screened donors.”

The lesson to be learned from this study is pretty simple: If doctors encouraged their patients to take a probiotic when prescribing them antibiotics, doing that one thing would reduce the number of C. diff cases significantly.

Taking a probiotic about two hours after a prescribed antibiotic will reduce the risk of antibiotics depleting the live, beneficial bacteria that protect and improve your gut health naturally.

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 improving the diversity of beneficial bacteria in your gut, and eliminate the need for a fecal transplant.

Do you really need an oral fecal transplant for a C. diff infection? Read More »

Does “Too Clean” Equal Child’s Diabetes?

Disease, Drug interactions / By @drHoberman

Can you be “too clean” for your health? Apparently so, based on our recent warning about antibacterial soaps, toothpastes and cosmetics containing the broad spectrum antimicrobial and synthetic compound triclosan.

Exposure to these harmful chemicals increases the risk that antibiotics will have no effect on whatever disease you’re using them to treat, creating superbugs, a growing worldwide health problem born partly out of convenience.

Mounting research shows that being too clean may raise your child’s risks of Type 1 diabetes, a serious condition in which the body’s own immune system eliminates the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas, and other autoimmune and allergic diseases.

Understanding the hygiene hypothesis

This biological phenomenon, known as the hygiene hypothesis, occurs when the body’s immune response is reversed due to the continuing exposure to antibacterial chemicals, disinfectants, bottled water and antibiotics meant to make our lives easier and cleaner.

The hygiene hypothesis, first proposed by epidemiologist David Stratchan some 25 years ago, concludes that in the quest for cleanliness, people can become “too clean,” thus limiting the body’s ability to develop natural immunities to disease.

Early signs of the hygiene hypothesis were linked to problems with hay fever, eczema and cleanliness. The size of one’s family also mattered: The more siblings that children had, the greater their exposure to “beneficial” germs that helped their bodies develop their immunity to diseases naturally.

The reach of type 1 diabetes

The hygiene hypothesis has been cited as a cause for more serious health problems, from autism to multiple sclerosis, but, more recently, Type 1 diabetes has been linked to it too.

In fact, the rate of autoimmune diseases like Type 1 diabetes has escalated so dramatically, the European Union is funding the Diabimmune project to test the real reach of the hygiene hypothesis.

The numbers tell the story. The rate of Type 1 diabetes in the U.S. (23.7 per 100,000 children) is less than half the rate of Finland (57.6 per 100,000), one of the world’s wealthiest countries, albeit with far less pollution and a longer average life expectancy.

Some scientists believe the lack of exposure of a specific form of gut bacteria to some viral or bacteria infections may be triggering this escalation of Type 1 diabetes.

The health damage Type 1 diabetes can cause when it’s not controlled can be devastating. Among the conditions linked to Type 1 diabetes:

Nerve damage
Circulation problems
Kidney damage and eventual failure
Retinopathy leading to a loss of vision

Can probiotics help?

Can probiotics given to children at an early age prevent the harmful effects of the hygiene hypothesis? Maybe.

One goal of the Diabimmune project is to develop preventative therapies through vaccines or probiotics, if it identifies specific bacteria that can be treated.

Some experts believe “the harmless manipulation of the early environment of the gut (and gut-associated immune responses), for example by the use of probiotics, is well within our means,” according to Diapedia, a peer-reviewed database dedicated to diabetes research.

With four different strains of bacteria, no GMOs and some 10 billion bacteria in every dose, the EndoMune Advanced Junior probiotic may be a safe and easy way to help your kids avoid the health problems associated with being “too clean.”

Does “Too Clean” Equal Child’s Diabetes? Read More »