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Gut microbe bifidobacteria found to help fight cancer

Apr

1

According to March 20, 2020, a Medical News Today article says scientists discovered various species of Bifidobacterium that are able to enter tumors, and activate immune support which serve to enhance a type of cancer treatment called CD47 blockade immunotherapy.

The report was led by Prof. Yang-Xin Fu at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and Prof. Ralph R. Weichselbaum, co-director of The Ludwig Center for Metastasis Research at the University of Chicago. Originally reported in the Journal of Alternative Medicine, the injection of bifidobacteria in mice successfully converted the nonresponder mice into responders. They found that bifidobacteria survive within the low oxygen environment inside tumors. Current treatments block the aid from our natural immune response.

Having made this finding, the scientists are also conducting several additional clinical trials using other anaerobic bacteria, namely Salmonella typhimurium and Clostridium novyi–NT, to destroy tumors.

(See https://rupress.org/jem/article-abstract/217/5/e20192282/133861/Intratumoral-accumulation-of-gut-microbiota?redirectedFrom=fulltext, and https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/amp/articles/gut-bacteria-may-boost-cancer-therapy-by-colonizing-tumors ).

#bacteria #chinesemedicine #diet #easternmedicine #gutmicrobiome #health #healthinnovation #healthtech #herbalmedicine #herbs

Can probiotics like kimchi aid against Coronavirus?

Mar

18

A March 18, 2020 article in the American Journal of Gastroenterology reports that diarrhea and other digestive symptoms can be early signs of the Coronavirus. After studying 204 Coronavirus patients in Hubei Province, scientists found that nearly half suffered from digestive symptoms before respiratory issues become noticeable. Various types of probiotics have been recommended to address digestive related symptoms, among them are kimchi. (see https://www-yahoo-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.yahoo.com/amphtml/lifestyle/study-suggests-digestive-issues-first-212548290.html ).

Kimchi is definitely good for you. It is a healthy food rich in dietary fiber, vitamin C, β-carotene, β-sitosterol, chlorophylls, phenols, lactic acid bacteria (LAB), and minerals.

There have been studies suggesting that kimchi can protect against ailments such as colon cancer. Scientists treated cancerous mice with the methanolic extracts from different kimchis, particularly 1.89 g/kg of anticancer kimchi, which significantly increased their colon length, decreased the ratio of colon weight/length, and resulted in the lowest number of tumors (see https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4126272/?fbclid=IwAR3aJDzBpHYd0x6XkSXJyehnaZarASt0R0bpYFoF_uVupRfsfsUgavmU_AA ).

But does eating kimchi help protect against the coronavirus?

This youtube video news report says it does and the lactic acid bacteria in kimchi is the key: https://youtu.be/nY6w3Rhz33Q

#bacteria #diet #easternmedicine #gutmicrobiome #health #healthinnovation #healthtech #herbalmedicine #herbs #kimchi #plantnutrition #spices

Facts behind health remedies of Cannabis- DeepCell Industries CEO Kelly Ogilvie

Mar

15

How Cannabis saved his sister and inspired Ogilvie's deep dive into "non-intoxicating cannabis R&D, product dev. Deepcell success now hinges b2b technology licensing to food products industry.

Herbsprout.com discusses the state of the Cannabis industry with DeepCell Industries CEO Kelly Ogilvie. He invites us to look behind the curtain and learn about the science behind Cannabis as a health remedy, and what's in store for the industry's future. -- blogger and podcaster Chris Kenji Beer

#CBD #THC #ai #artificialintelligence #bacteria #cannabis #datascience #diet #gutmicrobiome #health #healthinnovation #healthtech #herbalmedicine #herbs #machinelearning #marijuana #mindbody #plantnutrition #spices

Hinoki oil tests positive for easing stress

Feb

29

Permalink

Hinoki, Japanese Cypress.

Heard about Hinoki oil? It comes from a tree by the same name, the Hinoki Japanese cypress. A lemony, balsamic-scented oil, Hinoki is both soothing and relaxing, two components that favor the oil for baths and for massage or just to help you sleep. Try diffusing it or put a drop on your wrists and inhale.

Hinoki oil contains phytoncides, which are volatile substances that plants emit to protect against pathogens and insects. They possess insecticidal, antimicrobial, and antifungal properties. It also contains alpha-pinenes or α-Pinene, which is an organic compound of the terpene class. It is an alkene that is found in the oils of many species of coniferous trees, such as pine and hinoki. It is also found in the essential oil of rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) and Satureja myrtifolia (also known as Zoufa in some regions). This chemical is known to be anti-inflammatory, possibly antimicrobial, and a memory aid as an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor.

Distilled from wood discards of the timber industry, the Hinoki essential oil is offering a sustainable solution to forest management. In Japan, the wood of the Hinoki is highly prized but the forests are over populating in some areas. Through it’s its sourcing program for the Hinoki essential oil, doTERRA International, the essential oils company, is encouraging the creation of jobs in rural Japan while helping to clear the forests of wood by-products. .

In Japan, Hinoki is a treasured wood used in the building of some of the oldest, existing buildings, and valued for its light scent for incense. It is commonly used to:

● Heals wounds. Hinoki essential oil has antiseptic qualities which helps to heal minor cuts, scrapes and wounds. ..
● Relieves muscle spasms. ...
● Eliminates respiratory conditions. ...
● Relieves anxiety. ...

Hinoki oil is available as a limited offer, and you can get a free 5 mL bottle of Hinoki oil as the Doterra POM (product of the month) for 125PV LRP orders placed. See https://www.doterra.com/US/en/hinoki-oil .

Co-authored by Cindy Postma. You can become a doterra member here and receive discounts on natural essential oils: https://www.doterra.com/US/en/site/cindypostma .

More information about the influence of our gut bacteria and stress, https://en.bloguru.com/healthtech/355962/stress-and-the-gutbrain-connection

#bacteria #chinesemedicine #diet #easternmedicine #essentialoilso #gutmicrobiome #health #healthinnovation #herbalmedicine #herbs #japanesemedicine #mindbody #naturopathichealth #plantnutrition #spices

Links between gut health and mania/ bi-polar disorder

Feb

16

A September 04, 2019 article in the New Scientist suggests that eating a proper amount of psychobiotics, a derivation of probiotics, can improve one's mental health. (see
https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg24332460-500-how-what-you-eat-directly-influences-your-mental-health/ ). Probiotics may help improve a variety of mental health conditions, in part due to an anti-inflammatory effect, including those suffering from manic depression and bi-polar (BP) disorders. Psychobiotics are believed to mitigate chemical imbalance in the brain, and offer an alternative to drug treatment, claims the article.

Lithium has become the most accepted remedy used for treating BP. Studies such as the 2020 Neuropsychobiology report have found little connection between lithium intake and Escherichia coli or Lactobacillus rhamnosus, except that it appears to support a stronger richness and diversity of these species. However, they found a noticeable increase in Clostridium, Peptoclostridium, Intestinibacter, and Christenellaceae following lithium treatment (see https://www.karger.com/Article/FullText/504496 ). These results suggest a connection between our gut microbiota and BP treatment using lithium.

SAMPLE HUMAN TRIALS:

Researchers from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine did a study to determine if probiotics could help recently discharged manic patients, according to a Harvard Health Publishing blog of June 25, 2018. Two groups of 33 patients were given Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium species to one group and a placebo to the second group over a 24 week period.

The results for the rates of rehospitalization were 51.1% in the placebo group and 24.2% in the group who took probiotics. On average, the reduction in readmission was 74% lower in the probiotic group, and a 90% reduction of hospitalization in the group with the highest inflammation score. Additionally, patients who took probiotics and were rehospitalized stayed in the hospital on average 2.8 days, compared with 8.3 days for those taking placebo.

A Nature article in February 2019 referenced human trials that found connections between coprococcus and dialister bacteria, with lower levels contributing to mental health issues and specifically depression (see article, https://www.nature.com/articles/s41564-018-0337-x ).

While tests on mice are less reliable than human trials, they can effectively make connections between similar human functions. For example, The Scientist article reported that study coauthor Julio Licinio, a psychiatrist at SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse made fecal transplants of schizophrenic mice that verified lower glutamate, glutamine, and GABA in their hippocampi. These are key amino acid neurotransmitters that are essential for brain function (see https://www.the-scientist.com/news-opinion/gut-microbes-may-play-a-role-in-mental-health-disorders-66039/amp ).

What scientists can say with some accuracy is that there is a link between our gut bacteria and mental health. One step further, they've identified specific species of bacteria, keystone species such as bifidobacteria and lesser known species such as coprococcus and dialister bacteria. The next steps will be to prove efficacy and FDA approval as a form of treatment in mental health patients. When this might be achieved is still to be determined, but scientists are getting closer.

#ai #bacteria #datascience #diet #gutmicrobiome #health #healthinnovation #healthtech #herbalmedicine #herbs #mentalhealth #plantnutrition #probiotics #psychobiotics #spices

Stress and "The Gut-Brain Connection”

Feb

10

The Gut- Brain axis (source: deposit photos).

An October 2019 abstract published by the National Institute of Health (NIH) suggests that managing our stress levels in all phases of our lives from childhood to old age is key to a healthy microbiota gut-brain axis. As we grow up other factors affect our gut microbiome health such as infections, use of antibiotics, nutrition, stress, among others. Stress can particularly impact our latter years as our microbial diversity goes way down over time (see https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31460832 ).

The way we look at the brain and brain research has completely flipped on its head since a few decades ago when scientists first discovered that “messenger molecules” for the brain were circulating throughout the body in the bloodstream. None are more pervasive and penetrating than what scientists have found in the activities of microbiomes in the gut. Our bodies have more microbiome DNA than human DNA. The total human genome comprises around 20,000 genes, while the total microbiome DNA in our bodies total two to 20 million genes.

“Every cell is eavesdropping on the brain’s activity, sending and receiving messages identical to those that the brain processes,” says Deepak Chopra and contributing author Naveen Jain in their Huffington Post article “Will the Gut-Brain Connection Revolutionize Wellness?” (September 11, 2017; see http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/will-the-gut-brain-connection-revolutionize-wellness_us_59b6b598e4b0e4419674c375 ). In this article, Chopra goes so far as to say that all the common experiences we have are indicators of the brain’s connection to the gut -- “getting butterflies in your stomach when you feel nervous, overeating when you feel anxious, feeling dull and sluggish after taking an antibiotic, contracting stomach cramps before a competitive challenge, experiencing nausea or stomach upset from taking antidepressants.” Every major organ in the body from the heart to the stomach and liver combine to possess hundreds of millions of neurons with corresponding DNA, which again collectively makes up the “enteric nervous system”.

The bacteria inside our guts, microbiomes, include unlimited numbers of species and strains. They differ from person to person with limited or no relationship from person to person.” The known “messenger molecules” associated with the brain that circulate throughout the body in the bloodstream even produce neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters are the chemicals our brain uses to communicate with the rest of the body. Every cell is eavesdropping on the brain’s activity, sending and receiving messages identical to those that the brain processes. For example, 90% of the well-known serotonin neurotransmitter is made in the body’s digestive tract, according to a 2015 report by CalTech (“Microbes Help Produce Serotonin in Gut”, April 09, 2015; http://m.caltech.edu/news/microbes-help-produce-serotonin-gut-46495 ). Serotonin is the chemical often referred to as the “happy chemical” and the balance of serotonin in our body influences our mood. A deficiency of serotonin can lead to depression.

Research is being administered about the influence of gut microbiomes on everything from autism, multiple sclerosis, PTSD, Parkinson’s Disease and brain health to cancer, obesity, diabetes and weight loss. It has become widespread as major research institutions and universities are conducting studies on the subject.

Scientists have found that differences in a person’s gut can be a clue to our specific health propensities, to cancers, but also something as immediate as our daily mood, behaviors, even happiness.

#bacteria #brainresearch #datascience #gutmicrobiome #healthinnovation #healthtech #mindbody #neuroscience

Chinese herbs ginseng and coicis seed relieve ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome

Jan

30

Coicix seed

Natural products play an important role in the improvement of gastrointestinal tract function. Several Chinese medicine products such as Red Ginseng and Semen Coicis were found to relieve the symptoms of ulcerative colitis (UC). After Red Ginseng and Semen Coicis treatment in rats, the structure of gut microbiota was altered, which may be beneficial for promoting the growth of probiotics, such as Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus, and for inhibiting the growth of pathogenic bacteria. It is a Chinese medicine (TCM) and a nourishing food in China for the treatment of warts, chapped skin, rheumatism, neuralgia, inflammatory, and neoplastic diseases. Allay, or Coix seeds, Chinese pearl barley, pearl barley, semen coicis, yokuinin, 薏苡仁 (yì yǐ rén), and 薏米 (yì mǐ), belongs to the family Gramineae.

In a double-blind, randomized clinical trial containing 54 patients, it was revealed that the combination of herbal medicine (Gwakhyangjeonggisan, GJS) and probiotics (Duolac7S, DUO) alleviated the symptoms of diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (D-IBS) by changing the composition of gut microbiota. Beneficial intestinal microbe counts, including Bifidobacterium brevis, Bifidobacterium lactis, Streptococcus thermophilus, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Lactobacillus plantarum, and Lactobacillus acidophilus, were synergistically enhanced by GJS combined with DUO, suggesting that a combined treatment of herbal medicine and probiotics might provide a promising implication for clinical treatment of D-IBS. GJS consists of 13 common crude herbs containing the ingredients naringin, hesperidin, thymol, honokiol and magnolol (source: State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Intervention, Department of Basic Medicine, School of Basic Medicine and Clinical Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, 24 Tongjiaxiang, Nanjing 210009, China).

Of course, there is also the "stress factor". We produce cortisol when we are stressed, affecting every system in our body, especially the gut-brain axis (for more information about the impact of stress on the gut, see https://www.melbournemindbodypsychology.com/blog/help-for-ibs-the-microbiome-and-stress).

#bacteria #chinesemedicine #diet #easternmedicine #gutbrainaxis #gutmicrobiome #health #healthinnovation #healthtech #herbalmedicine #herbs #plantnutrition #spices #stressfactor

How do butyrate producing foods support mental health, longevity?

Jan

26

Foods that support butyrate production, a type of short chain fatty acid, include whole grains, raspberries, pears, apples, green peas, broccoli, and turnip greens.

A January 22, 2020 article in Science Magazine reports that a healthy mix of microbes in our gut can prevent many diseases better than our own genes can, and can even indicate risk of dying in the next 15 years.

The Science Magazine cited a review by Samuel Minot, a microbiome researcher at Seattle's Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. He and his team analyzed 47 studies on collective genomes of gut microbes and their relationship with 13 common diseases. They compared these studies with 24 genome-wide association (GWA) studies dealing with human genomes and found that genetic signature of gut microbes was 20% more effective at "discriminating between a healthy and ill person" (source: see https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/01/microbes-your-gut-could-predict-whether-you-re-likely-die-next-15-years ).

A November 17, 2019 article in the New Atlas, reported a separate study that fecal transplants (in effect "microbial transplant") from young mice to older mice showed new neurons being produced called neurogenesis, a key to slowing aging. While testing in mice does not necessarily translate to the same results in humans, it is a significant factor suggesting possible solutions. The study found a greater volume of microbes produced short chain fatty acid called butyrate.

“We’ve found that microbes collected from an old mouse have the capacity to support neural growth in a younger mouse,” explains Sven Pettersson, lead on the research team from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore in the New Atlas article.

A January 06 2020 article in Neuroscience News says a study by a University of Kentucky consortium found similar results of tests for stroke victims. Researchers found that short chain fatty acids additive to the drinking water of mice showed better stroke recovery. (See https://neurosciencenews.com/gut-microbes-stroke-15425/amp/ ).

So much attention has been given to the influence of gut microbiomes on our mental health just in the past few weeks. These are a sampling of them.

While Pettersson acknowledges that further research is required, it suggests that healthy aging remedies such as herbs and good prebiotic and probiotic foods that enhance butyrate production can support longevity, and healthy living into our twilight years. To bring it home, examples of foods that support butyrate production include whole grains, raspberries, pears, apples, green peas, broccoli, and turnip greens.

https://newatlas.com/health-wellbeing/butyrate-gut-microbiome-neurogenesis-brain-aging/

#DNA #SCFA #bacteria #butyrate #diet #genomics #gutmicrobiome #health #healthinnovation #healthtech #herbalmedicine #herbs #plantnutrition #spices

Want to live long? Try the "Okinawa Diet", better yet "Ogimi Diet"

Jan

23

Ogimi Village

The "Ogimi diet"

Never underestimate the potential contributions of small town living. From Jackson Wyoming a town of 9,577 people to Ogimi, Japan a village of just 3,000, great strides in brain health and longevity are happening organically. A January 18 article in Fortune magazine drew attention to a small lab, the nonprofit Brain Chemistry Labs in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where 65-year-old ethnobotanist Paul Cox believes he’s come up with a treatment that might prevent Alzheimer’s disease, ALS, and other neurodegenerative diseases. He called it “Serine Dipity”, referring to the L-Serine amino acid critical to the central nervous system.

L-serine is a naturally occurring dietary amino acid that supports healthy neurological function as we age. It is a neuroprotective agent. It is abundant in soy protein products, sweet potatoes, eggs, some seaweed, raw veal, lima beans, peanuts, eggs, wheat germ. L-serine is said to play an important role in helping to promote and maintain neurological health. It synthesizes protein fatty acid, methylates RNA and DNA, aids "nervous system function, muscle growth, healthy metabolism, cell proliferation and much more," according to a February 12, 2019 report by Swanson Vitamins' Lindsey Toth (see https://www.swansonvitamins.com/blog/lindsey/could-l-serine-be-a-brain-health-game-changer).

Here's where Ogimi Village comes in. Let's have a look at the eating habits of the world's longest living humans in the Japanese Ogimi village of Okinawa. According to Wikipedia, several population studies conclude that Ogimi village in northwest Okinawa, has the most longevity index in the world with a great percent quantity over 100 years old. Their high consumption of L-Serine intensive foods is noteworthy. Let's just dub it the "Ogimi Diet". Villagers of the indigenous Japanese Ogimi (of Okinawa) diet has unique elements based on marine algae and soy, both containing large quantities of L-serine.

Test results further reinforce the role of L-serine on our mental and physical health. An FDA approved clinical trial of patients taking L-serine at 5 and 15 g/day had a 22% reduction in the rate of functional decline, while those at 30 g/day of L-serine experienced an 85% reduction in functional decline by the slope of ALSFRS (the functional rating scale of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis). Furthermore, the total L-serine content of the Ogimi diet for women over the age of 70 is in excess of 8 g/day. This is about 6 g/day above the daily L-serine intake (2.53 g/day) from all sources consumed by women in the USA (source: Paul Alan Cox and James S. Metcalf, Brain Chemistry Labs, Institute for Ethnomedicine).

Below is a ranked frequency of consumption of the 25 top food items in the Ogimi diet compared to rank content mg/g of L-serine:

Overall rank Item --- Ogimi name --- Median --- SER rank --- Serine (mg/100 g):
1 Citrus depressa juice
(a green citrus lemon native to Okinawa & Taiwan) Kugani 1 15 162.7*
2 Oryza sativa Gohan (a form of Japanese long rice) 2 19 128.1
3 Momordica charantia Goya
(a bitter melon from a tropical and subtropical vine) 5 21 64.0
4 Tofu (coagulation soy milk, bean curd) Tofu 6 1 2351.5
5 Undaria pinnatifida
(species of edible seaweed, sea vegetable) Wakame 8 5 771.4
6 Saccharina japonica (type of kelp) Kombu 9 10 391.5
7 Glycine max (immature soybean) Edamame 9 3 1670.3
8 Ipomoea batatas (sweet potato) Beneimo 10 8 480.0
9 Ulva lactuca (sea lettuce) Aasa 10 17 138.8
10 Artemisia princeps (mugwort, wormwood) Fuchiba 12 4 805.3
(Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5343079/#!po=31.2500)

In summary, it is generally advantageous to consume Tofu and Edamame over rice, which is the case for Ogimi villagers in relation to its fellow Japanese. Most importantly, consumming a rich diversity of marine algae is ideal. However, as said earlier in this blog, traditionally western diet items also contain substantial amounts of L-serine. So if you don't like tofu or seaweed, no need to fret. Potatoes, eggs, lima beans will also keep you serene on the serine scale.

The same L-serine amino acid that year over year is creating the world’s highest per capita concentration of centenarians is the same amino acid driving innovations in brain research led by the likes of Jackson Wyoming's Paul Cox and Brain Chemistry Labs.

#Ogimidiet #Okinawadiet #bacteria #diet #easternmedicine #gutmicrobiome #health #healthinnovation #healthtech #herbalmedicine #herbs #japanesemedicine #plantnutrition #spices

Microbial strain gives Japanese Sushi-eating advantage

Jan

18

Japanese consume large amounts of raw fish and seaweed, in the form of sushi and nori. It is healthy for them partly due to a partnership with a seafaring bacteria friend found in their gut. Japanese gut bacteria aren’t just limited to the genes that they inherit from their ancestors. Bacteria native to the natural world can be introduced to our gut. Once ingested, individual bacteria can swap genes quite easily, both internal gut bacteria and externally introduced bacteria. This ‘horizontal gene transfer’ means that bacteria have an entire kingdom of genes, ripe for exchange. In the world’s oceans – a marine bacterium called Zobellia galactanivorans was introduced to the Japanese gut through consuming seaweed.

Zobellia is a seaweed-eater. It lives on, and digests, several species including those used to make nori. Nori, or seaweed, is commonly used in Japanese meals, in miso soup, sushi wrapping, for example. When you consume these algae with sushi and miso, marine bacteria is also consumed, and Zobellia is consumed. Zobellia mingles with our existing gut microbiota, "including those that allow them to break down the carbohydrates of their marine meals", according to research by the University of Victoria. The gut bacteria suddenly gained the ability to exploit an extra source of energy and those that retained their genetic loans prospered. This process is known as horizontal gene transfer. Six strains of of the human gut Bacteroides plebeius had been discovered that possess an unique gene from the aforementioned porphyran-breaking enzyme, all of them coming from the bowels of Japanese people.

See article for more information, https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/phenomena/2010/04/07/gut-bacteria-in-japanese-people-borrowed-sushi-digesting-genes-from-ocean-bacteria/

#ai #bacteria #datascience #diet #gutmicrobiome #health #healthinnovation #healthtech #herbalmedicine #herbs #plantnutrition #spices

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Gut microbe bifidobacteria found to help fight cancer

Can probiotics like kimchi aid against Coronavirus?

Facts behind health remedies of Cannabis- DeepCell Industries CEO Kelly Ogilvie

Hinoki oil tests positive for easing stress

Links between gut health and mania/ bi-polar disorder

Stress and "The Gut-Brain Connection”

Chinese herbs ginseng and coicis seed relieve ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome

How do butyrate producing foods support mental health, longevity?

Want to live long? Try the "Okinawa Diet", better yet "Ogimi Diet"

Microbial strain gives Japanese Sushi-eating advantage

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