Is parasite cleansing right for you? In my 6 years of helping people with their gut health and analysing the gut microbiome, I have come across many people asking for help after parasite cleansing. Understanding the larger context of the gut microbiome has made this much clear: Parasites are not the route of all evil. […]
Vitamin K is an essential nutrient for blood clotting, bone health, and heart health. Gut bacteria may play an important role in maintaining vitamin K stores in the body. The study highlights that the gut microbiota can transform vitamin K1 into vitamin K2, which is the biologically active form of vitamin K. The journal: Gut […]
Is fish oil good for the gut microbiome? Evidence suggests that increasing your intake of omega-3 fatty acids, like those in fish oil, is good for promoting gut health and reducing inflammation in the gut. This paper reviewed several clinical trials that investigated the effects of omega 3 essential fatty acids on the gut microbiome […]
Gut microbiome and personality. Just when you thought there couldn’t possibly be anything else that relates to the human gut microbiome. New evidence suggests that even our personality traits may be shaped by our gut bugs! This study aimed to explore the potential relationship between gut microbiome composition and diversity and human personality traits. Accordingly, […]
A polarising topic. Is coffee good for you? What answer does the gut microbiome have for this age old question? Let’s look at some peer reviewed evidence. The journal: Nutrients The paper: Long-Term Coffee Consumption is Associated with Fecal Microbial Composition in Humans (May 2020). The authors: Sonia González, Nuria Salazar, Sergio Ruiz-Saavedra, María Gómez-Martín, […]
Constantly gassy? Is being constantly gassy is a problem you need to address, or just a healthy biproduct of good gut bacteria doing their thing? The frustrating answer is both, but there are definetely ways you can assess it with more nuance. Gas-producing bacteria in the gut are a normal and natural part of the […]
Today we look at a recently published paper about the green tea versus matcha and it’s benefits on the gut microbiome. The journal: Journal of Clinical Biochemistry and Nutrition The paper: A randomized, double-blinded study evaluating effect of matcha green tea on human fecal microbiota (Mar 2023). The authors: So Morishima, Yuki Kawada, Yoichi Fukushima, […]
What are endotoxins? Endotoxins are toxic molecules that are produced by certain types of bacteria in the gut. They are known to cause leaky gut and subsequent inflammation throughout the body. Gram-negative bacteria have an outer membrane that contains a molecule called lipopolysaccharide (LPS). LPS is a component of the bacterial cell wall and is released when […]
What is a lipopolysaccharide endotoxin? Lipopolysaccharides (LPS) are an endotoxin primarily produced by certain (gram-negative) bacteria. The LPS is a natural component of the outer membrane of these bacteria, which gets released into the gut when the bacteria die off. Species that are commonly found in the gut like Escherichia coli, Bacteroides fragilis, Citrobacter and Klebsiella […]
Today’s paper is about the gut microbiome and how it ‘cross talks’ with the vaginal microbiome – amazing! The journal: Frontiers in Immunology The paper: Female Gut and Genital Tract Microbiota-Induced Crosstalk and Differential Effects of Short-Chain Fatty Acids on Immune Sequelae (Sep 2020) The authors: Emmanuel Amabebe and Dilly O. C. Anumba Take-home points: […]