(lively music)
- Welcome to HealthyLiving, I'm Lorie Johnson.
Today's topic, gut health.
Scientists recently discoveredthe good and bad bacteria
in our intestines influencejust about every aspect
of our health, including our weight.
Take a look.
The Cleveland Clinic's Dr. Mark Hyman
is one of a growing number of physicians
who believe the path towellness lies in our intestines,
specifically therelationship between the good
and bad bacteria there,
something called gut flora or microbiome.
- Many of the thingsfloating around in your blood
are informational moleculesproduced by bacteria
that control your biology, sothat's how the gut microbiome
can be linked to everythingthat's going on with us
in terms of chronic diseasefrom cancer to heart disease
to diabetes to dementia toautism to autoimmune disease,
depression, and much more.
- [Lorie] Scientists at America'stop medical institutions
are churning out moundsof data on the microbiome.
The bottom line, as the gut goes,
so goes the rest of the body.
This is the Mayo Clinic's microbiome lab.
Scientists here examine human feces.
Sounds a little gross, butit tells them exactly which
bacteria are in thepatient, how much of it,
and what bacteria might be missing.
Dr. Purna Kashyap and his teamfound more than a thousand
different species in the intestines
of the healthiest people,
very important consider 80%
of our immune system resides there.
- All of our guts havedifferent kinds of bacteria,
and the more differentkinds of bacteria we have,
it's more diverse and the lessdifferent kinds of bacteria
we have, it's less diverse,and so as you can imagine,
if you're more differentkinds of bacteria,
that's generally consideredto be good for us
because they will be able totackle intruders much better
than if you have lessdifferent kinds of bacteria.
- [Lorie] In addition to thevariety, the healthiest people
also measure high amounts,trillions of good bacteria
and some bad all total three pounds worth,
10 times more bacteria than regular cells.
Dr. Heidi Nelson sees this as a complex
and delicate ecosystemthat demands balance.
- We think of the microbiomein the gut like a little bit
like a garden, you have totend, you have to weed it,
you have to put seedsin, you have to water it.
There's a lot of things you do,
it's not usually one thing.
- [Lorie] Since like all living creatures,
bacteria eat and expel certain things,
Dr. Nelson explains why having too many
or too few can lead to disaster.
- If you have a buildupof certain bad nutrients,
let's take for example hydrogen sulfite,
we know that some bacteriaproduce hydrogen sulfite,
and others remove it and use it,
but if you have too much hydrogen sulfite,
that could, in some people,be the cause of the break
of DNA that starts the chain reaction
of colon cancer developing.
- [Lorie] Not enough goodbacteria or too many bad
can make us sick and overweight.
According to Johns Hopkinsgastroenterologist,
Dr. Gerard Mullin, author ofthe Gut Balance Revolution,
certain bacteria increase ghrelin,
the hormone that causes hunger.
- And when the gut microbiomeis in a state of disruption,
then we actually have a higher appetite,
and we crave more food.
- [Lorie] Certain badbacteria can also cause
the body to crave particularfoods like sugar or bread.
Similarly, gut dysbiosissuppresses leptin,
the hormone that tells us to stop eating,
and it gets worse.
- The gut microbiome alsochanges the way we metabolize
fiber in foods and can makeus absorb more of our calories
in our foods and they anunhealthy gut environment.
- [Lorie] A newly discoveredbacteria can possibly determine
whether someone is either slim or obese.
In fact, research proves thinpeople carry more diverse
gut bacteria than overweight people.
Scientists found peoplein developing countries
have more of this bacteria than Americans.
- There's inflammationthat occurs when we have
an unhealthy balance of gut bacteria.
It could really lead to injury in the gut,
a more permeable gut whichsome people call leaky gut,
and therefore when thatinflammation becomes more systemic,
then we get insulin resistance,
and we accumulate fat more readily.
- [Lorie] In a landmarkdevelopment, researchers
at Washington Universityin St. Louis studied
gut microbiomes from human twins.
While they had identical DNA,
one was obese and the other thin.
Scientists took bacteria from each twin
and put it into germ-free mice.
The animals with theobese twin's microbiome
also became obese while theother mice became thinner.
Researchers noted the thinhuman and mice carried
more diverse bacteria thantheir heavier counterparts.
- There's a lot of associationswith the microbiome
and in children and theincrease incidence of obesity
and metabolic syndrome amongstthe pediatric population.
- Our gut health affectsmuch more than our weight.
When we come back, see howthe bacteria in our intestines
influences our immunesystem, even our mood.
(light music)
We just showed you how our gut microbiome
affects our weight.
Now see how it influencesnearly everything else
from the common cold toour most dreaded diseases.
Shocking as it may sound,when a person becomes sick
and dies, too often doctorsfind the trouble started
in the intestines becauseof a disruption in bacteria.
Over the last decade,scientists in labs like this
have been researching theimpact of the gut microbiome
on all types of diseases.
What they've discovered isthe good and bad bacteria
in our bodies has a muchmore profound impact
than previously thought.
Dr. Jay Bajaj leads a research team
at Virginia Commonwealth University.
He says bacteria living in our intestines
dramatically influenceseach aspect of our health,
literally from head to toe.
- The potential is stillbeing unraveled to the point
that even ten years is toolittle for us to even scratch
the surface of the amountof complexity and potential
that we have both for good andfor harm in the gut microbes.
- [Lorie] Harm such as liver disease,
one of the leading causesof death and disability.
- It goes from the spectrum ofhepatitis, obesity in youths,
liver disease, alcohol, all the way
to end stage with canceras well as sorosis.
- [Lorie] Dr. Bajaj saystoo much bad bacteria
causes inflammation.
- Inflamed liver doesn'tdo its job very well.
The gut gets more inflamedand this, unfortunately,
leads to the cycle thatpatients find themselves
into liver disease without knowing it.
- [Lorie] And it's not jut that problem
that can sneak up on someone.
- There are a number ofdiseases that been linked
to aberrations in the gut microbiome.
- [Lorie] Johns Hopkins'gastroenterologist,
Dr. Gerard Mullin, author ofthe Gut Balance Revolution,
says folks need to knowintestinal problems
can lead to cancer and otherlife threatening issues.
- What's most alarming is thatthere are people out there
who have rheumatoid arthritis,
some kind of autoimmune diseaseand a cardiovascular disease
that may have a gut condition
that is silent and is the cause.
- [Lorie] He says while we mayseem okay when we're younger,
it eventually catches up to us.
- When we reach our 50s, 60son up, then all of a sudden
it becomes more sensitive tothe environment and less stable
so in particular, theelderly are more susceptible
to variations in the environment
that may disturb the microbiome.
- [Lorie] The ClevelandClinic's Dr. Gail Cresci
says the gut also profoundlyaffects thoughts and feelings
all thanks to the gut brainaxis, a well traveled pathway
between the mind and thiscrucial part of the body.
- Gut bacteria secretedifferent byproducts,
and some of the things that they secrete
are neurotransmitters thatleave the intestinal track
and signal to the brainand these are things
like serotonin and dopamine,
and we know those thenbecome into the bloodstream,
it can get into the brainand help affect mood
and so a lot of anxietydisorders, depression,
are related with alltracings in gut microbiota.
- [Lorie] Also Parkinson's,autism, Alzheimer's,
and multiple sclerosis.
An unhealthy gut can even keepdrugs from doing their jobs.
- So if you're taking a oral medication,
that's being processedby your gut microbiome,
and if you think about howsome people are responders
to medication, and some peoplearen't, it could be because
they have alterationsin their gut microbiome
than the other person doesn't.
- This is the MayoClinic's anaerobic chamber
where scientists grow andstudy bacteria that die
when exposed to oxygen.
Believe it or not, we havea lot of anaerobic bacteria
in our bodies because a good portion
of our intestines are oxygen free.
Researchers here say theright kind of bacteria means
the lining of our intestinescontains tiny, helpful holes
that allow microscopicnutrients into our bodies.
Too much bad bacteria, however,causes those holes to grow.
- Which means it allowsmore things to pass through,
things which are not desirable,and yes, there's a lot
of diseases like celiac disease
or inflammatory bowel disease
where the gut lining is not as robust.
- [Lorie] Dr. Mark Hymanagrees, adding that
when large particles leak out,
the immune system sees themas invaders and attacks them.
- Well we've had a lotof insults to our gut,
and that leads to disturbancesin our gut microbiome
that creates breakdown in our gut lining
that creates a leaky gutthat creates inflammation
that's linked to almost all diseases.
- [Lorie] In his book,Food, Dr. Hyman outlines
how to repair a leaky gut.
- We need to understandhow to restore the gut
with probiotics and fiber and prebiotics.
It's a massive public health problem,
and I think it's led toa lot of other issues.
- When we come back, we'll tell you
the worst things you can do to your gut.
(light music)
Before the break, wetold you the importance
of having enough of theright intestinal bacteria.
Here are the worst thingswe can do to our gut.
Nearly a century ago, the world rejoiced
when Alexander Flemingdeveloped the first antibiotic.
Penicillin would targetbacterial infections
that wiped out millions,and those antibiotics target
all bacteria in our body,even the kind we need
to keep us healthy.
- Antibiotics are equal opportunity drugs.
They'll kill the good guysas well as the bad guys.
- [Lorie] Gastroenterologist,Gerard Mullin,
author of the Gut Balance Revolution,
says children in particular often lack
the good bacteria they need,
thanks to well-meaning pediatricians,
protective parents, andoverprescribed antibiotics.
- They're overusedindiscriminately in children
with earaches and sore throatsbecause there's been linkages
not only to obesity butalso autoimmune diseases
such as inflammatory bowel disease
where they can directlylink the number of doses
of antibiotics as achild to the probability
of developing IBD later in life.
- [Lorie] Studies show justone course of antibiotics
can disrupt the gut microbiome for years.
So in trying to build a better gut,
remember antibiotics are enemy number one.
Running a close second isthe standard American diet,
what's known as SAD.
It's this kind of stuff,what we typically eat
for breakfast, lunch,and dinner plus the good
that's missing from these meals.
- Gotta figure out firstwhat's trashin' the gut,
you've gotta shut off thefaucet and stop hurtin' the gut.
The gut'll heal itself over a long time,
but you gotta stop hurting it.
- [Lorie] Consider processedfoods a triple threat.
They're too sweet, contain no fiber,
and chock full of strange chemicals.
The Mayo Clinic's, Dr. Parna Kashyap,
says the culprits tend tohide in the small writing
on the list of ingredients.
- It's good to read the fineprint, because there's usually
a small line at the end
which says emulsifiers or additives.
- [Lorie] Dr. Gail Cresci ofthe Cleveland Clinic agrees
that digesting things not found in nature
can cause dangerous inflammation.
- And you think about processed foods,
there's a lot of foreign chemicals
that are in the processed foods,
and these are what's called xenobiotics.
So, it means that it's a foreignchemical, it's a compound,
and the microbiota has tobe able to deal with that.
- [Lorie] And watch outfor words ending in -ose,
such as dextrose, maltrose, and fructose.
They're added sugarswhich, believe it or not,
make us fat and starveus at the same time.
They rob the bacteria's food supply
because our body absorbs sugar
before it even gets to our intestines.
- Our body is very efficient in using it,
which means we're gonnaslurp it up right away,
and as a result, thebacteria then has to try
to get food from ourlining or other places.
So it can harm us becausethe bacteria now starving
and they'll have to rely onour gut lining to get food.
Drinks which have highamounts of glucose, fructose,
these are the ones whichare gonna sort of create
a artificial state ofstarvation, not for you,
but for the bacteria.
It will definitely give you energy,
but it's not going to begood for your bacteria.
- [Lorie] But don't thinkyou can replace sugar
with artificial sweeteners.
They're just as bad if not worse.
- Different bacteria are able to take
these artificial sweetenersand then they actually are able
to extract more calories from the diet,
and this is linked with insulinresistance and weight gain.
- So it's rhetorical thatwe're taking zero calorie
artificial sweeteners whichharm the gut microbiome
and ultimately cause us to gain weight
when the purpose was to not gain weight.
- When it comes to gutmicrobiome, the first two years
set the stage for the rest of life.
Believe it or not, the way a baby is born,
the type of delivery,makes a big difference.
So does the kind ofnutrition the baby receives.
Dr. Heidi Nelson says C-sections
and formula provide inferior bacteria
compared with their morenatural counterparts.
- There is a differencebetween the vaginal birth
and the caesarean birth because the child
is more or less sterile inside the womb
and as they deliverthrough the vaginal canal,
it's understood that theyget the microbial population
from their mom, that exposure,
from the mother at thattime and the same type
of experience would hold true
for breast milk versus a bottle.
You wanna try to get the rightbugs set up in the child.
- So that's the bad news.
When we come back, we'll show you
the best things you can do for your gut.
In order to build a healthygut, we have to stay away
from antibiotics and junkfood as much as possible
and embrace probiotics andprebiotics, take a look.
The good news is we can turn things around
and build a better gutin three easy steps.
Get rid of the bad stuff,put good bacteria in our gut,
then feed it right so it grows.
Microbiome researcher, Dr.Jay Bajaj, recommends making
a direct deposit byeating foods that contain
these living healthy bugs.
- The things that can helpa healthy gut microbes
are diets that have fermented products,
and by fermented products,I do not mean beer.
- [Lorie] Fermented food contains
good bacteria called probiotics.
You can find it throughoutyour grocery store
if you know where to look.
Kim chee and other fermented vegetables
are in the produce departments.
There's also kombucha, a fermented tea,
and in the dairy department,kefir drinks and yogurt,
the right kind of yogurt.
- You have to be verycareful when you look
at the nutritional information
that you do not take yourgut that is so high in sugar
that it actually negatesthe beneficial effect
of the microbes in it.
- [Lorie] In addition tofood, probiotics supplements
can also help buildlevels of good bacteria.
According to Dr. Gerard Mullin,
author of the Gut Balance Revolution,
you must choose carefully
because all supplementsaren't always the real deal.
- If I'm in the store,I would go more towards
where there's a refrigerator.
For some people, tenbillion a day is fine,
for others, 30 billion is the sweet spot.
- [Lorie] Researcher, Dr. Gail Cresci,
says the next step is to take care
of the good bacteria living in our body.
- I like to think of the gut microbiome,
you have trillions of pets living inside
your intestinal, and justlike you would feed your cat
or your dog, you wantto give them good food,
you also need to thinkthat when you're eating,
you're not just fuelingyourself, you're fueling
those little pets living inside of you,
so you need to feed themwhat they want to be fed,
and if you do, then they'll behave
properly for you, right?
- [Lorie] And that's whereprebiotics come in, namely fiber.
- All of these havedifferent forms of fiber,
and then you consume different vegetables,
each of them will have predominance
of one fiber versus the other.
- [Lorie] Same with fruit,but instead of reaching
for old reliables like bananas,which contain high sugar,
try berries instead, and the list goes on.
Radishes, jicama, dandeliongreens, whole grain oatmeal,
flax seed, and beans all give you fiber.
- Often I'm asked how doyou recommend people eat,
and I say it's reallysimple, you can ask yourself
a question, did God makethis, or did man make this?
Did God make a Twinkie?
No, did God make an avocado, yeah.
- [Lorie] And one of thebest things we can do
for our kids is start them off
on the right road to a healthy gut.
- And really about the ageof two to three is where
the child's microbiome is more reflective
of what you'll see as an adult.
Primarily, the colonizationof the gut microbiota
occurs through the delivery process.
- The factor is whether you're born
through the vaginalcanal, natural childbirth
and we acquire thematernal flora or C-section
which has a skin microbes whichcan be more harmful for us,
and it's harder and slowerto develop the microbiome
when you're born by C-section.
- Breast milk actually has probiotics,
it has prebiotics in it as well,
and formula companiesrealize this and try to mimic
breast milk as much aspossible, and they may have
some formulations thathave added prebiotic
and probiotic, but it's not enough,
it's not that entirecomposition that you'd get,
what you find in breast milk.
- [Lorie] Then as kids getolder, keep them on the straight
and narrow by exposing themto diverse good bacteria
in solid food and nature.
- Our body gets exposed tobacteria and our immune system
develops around that, andthat sets your lifetime
immune system up so the moreexposure you have early on,
the easier it is for you to gothrough and you get exposure
to those things later in life
and not have a bad reaction to them.
We all grew up playing indirt, and it didn't hurt us,
and it probably kept us healthy
and having a strong immune system.
- We hope you learned a lot from our show
about the gut microbiome.
Thanks so much for joining us.
I'm Lorie Johnson, we'll see ya again
on the next Healthy Living.
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