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Changing Gut Bacteria Through Diet Affects Brain Function

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Changing Gut Bacteria Through Diet Affects Brain Function
- http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/05/130528180900.htm

May 28, 2013 – UCLA researchers now have the first evidence that bacteria ingested in food can affect brain function in humans. In an early proof-of-concept study of healthy women, they found that women who regularly consumed beneficial bacteria known as probiotics through yogurt showed altered brain function, both while in a resting state and in response to an emotion-recognition task.
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The study, conducted by scientists with UCLA's Gail and Gerald Oppenheimer Family Center for Neurobiology of Stress and the Ahmanson-Lovelace Brain Mapping Center at UCLA, appears in the June edition of the peer-reviewed journal Gastroenterology.

The discovery that changing the bacterial environment, or microbiota, in the gut can affect the brain carries significant implications for future research that could point the way toward dietary or drug interventions to improve brain function, the researchers said.

"Many of us have a container of yogurt in our refrigerator that we may eat for enjoyment, for calcium or because we think it might help our health in other ways," said Dr. Kirsten Tillisch, an associate professor of medicine at UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine and lead author of the study. "Our findings indicate that some of the contents of yogurt may actually change the way our brain responds to the environment. When we consider the implications of this work, the old sayings 'you are what you eat' and 'gut feelings' take on new meaning."

Researchers have known that the brain sends signals to the gut, which is why stress and other emotions can contribute to gastrointestinal symptoms. This study shows what has been suspected but until now had been proved only in animal studies: that signals travel the opposite way as well.

"Time and time again, we hear from patients that they never felt depressed or anxious until they started experiencing problems with their gut," Tillisch said. "Our study shows that the gut-brain connection is a two-way street."   The small study involved 36 women between the ages of 18 and 55. Researchers divided the women into three groups: one group ate a specific yogurt containing a mix of several probiotics -- bacteria thought to have a positive effect on the intestines -- twice a day for four weeks; another group consumed a dairy product that looked and tasted like the yogurt but contained no probiotics; and a third group ate no product at all.

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans conducted both before and after the four-week study period looked at the women's brains in a state of rest and in response to an emotion-recognition task in which they viewed a series of pictures of people with angry or frightened faces and matched them to other faces showing the same emotions. This task, designed to measure the engagement of affective and cognitive brain regions in response to a visual stimulus, was chosen because previous research in animals had linked changes in gut flora to changes in affective behaviors.

The researchers found that, compared with the women who didn't consume the probiotic yogurt, those who did showed a decrease in activity in both the insula -- which processes and integrates internal body sensations, like those form the gut -- and the somatosensory cortex during the emotional reactivity task.

Further, in response to the task, these women had a decrease in the engagement of a widespread network in the brain that includes emotion-, cognition- and sensory-related areas. The women in the other two groups showed a stable or increased activity in this network.

During the resting brain scan, the women consuming probiotics showed greater connectivity between a key brainstem region known as the periaqueductal grey and cognition-associated areas of the prefrontal cortex. The women who ate no product at all, on the other hand, showed greater connectivity of the periaqueductal grey to emotion- and sensation-related regions, while the group consuming the non-probiotic dairy product showed results in between.

The researchers were surprised to find that the brain effects could be seen in many areas, including those involved in sensory processing and not merely those associated with emotion, Tillisch said.

The knowledge that signals are sent from the intestine to the brain and that they can be modulated by a dietary change is likely to lead to an expansion of research aimed at finding new strategies to prevent or treat digestive, mental and neurological disorders, said Dr. Emeran Mayer, a professor of medicine, physiology and psychiatry at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and the study's senior author.

"There are studies showing that what we eat can alter the composition and products of the gut flora -- in particular, that people with high-vegetable, fiber-based diets have a different composition of their microbiota, or gut environment, than people who eat the more typical

Western diet that is high in fat and carbohydrates," Mayer said. "Now we know that this has an effect not only on the metabolism but also affects brain function."

The UCLA researchers are seeking to pinpoint particular chemicals produced by gut bacteria that may be triggering the signals to the brain. They also plan to study whether people with gastrointestinal symptoms such as bloating, abdominal pain and altered bowel movements have improvements in their digestive symptoms which correlate with changes in brain response.

Meanwhile, Mayer notes that other researchers are studying the potential benefits of certain probiotics in yogurts on mood symptoms such as anxiety. He said that other nutritional strategies may also be found to be beneficial.

By demonstrating the brain effects of probiotics, the study also raises the question of whether repeated courses of antibiotics can affect the brain, as some have speculated. Antibiotics are used extensively in neonatal intensive care units and in childhood respiratory tract infections, and such suppression of the normal microbiota may have longterm consequences on brain development.

Finally, as the complexity of the gut flora and its effect on the brain is better understood, researchers may find ways to manipulate the intestinal contents to treat chronic pain conditions or other brain related diseases, including, potentially, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and autism.

Answers will be easier to come by in the near future as the declining cost of profiling a person's microbiota renders such tests more routine, Mayer said.

The study was funded by Danone Research. Mayer has served on the company's scientific advisory board. Three of the study authors (Denis Guyonnet, Sophie Legrain-Raspaud and Beatrice Trotin) are employed by Danone Research and were involved in the planning and execution of the study (providing the products) but had no role in the analysis or interpretation of the results.

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences (2013, May 28). Changing gut bacteria through diet affects brain function. ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 29, 2013, from http://www.sciencedaily.com* /releases/2013/05/130528180900.htm
 
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My stomach has been hurting so bad. I'm going to miss work today for it.

I should go buy some more yogurt. I used to eat it all the time, even in Africa, and lately have not been eating it at all. Maybe it was helping me?
 
My stomach has been hurting so bad. I'm going to miss work today for it.

I should go buy some more yogurt. I used to eat it all the time, even in Africa, and lately have not been eating it at all. Maybe it was helping me?

Drink probiotics they are hella good for you. Also, drink lots and lots of water. And leafy greens, the leafy greens help the bacteria from the probiotics be happier.
 
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Drink probiotics they are hella good for you. Also, drink lots and lots of water. And leafy greens, the leafy greens help the bacteria from the probiotics be happier.

So my diet of spicy Mexican food, Chinese take-out, and beer is not a good idea then?
 
So my diet of spicy Mexican food, Chinese take-out, and beer is not a good idea then?

The beer maybe not so much. Mexican food is high in Vitamin A and Chinese food will make you smarter if you read all the fortune cookies. That's why Chinese people are so smart.
 
My stomach has been hurting so bad. I'm going to miss work today for it.

I should go buy some more yogurt. I used to eat it all the time, even in Africa, and lately have not been eating it at all. Maybe it was helping me?
Gluten?
 
So, you are what you eat?

Seriously though as little as a year ago I was having all sorts of digestive issues without a clue why. I just thought its what happens when you get older. I started eating gluten free after hearing of a relative who cleared up their issues by doing so. I am so much better in so many ways its not funny.

So why gluten all a sudden? I believe its because of all the genetically modified grains etc... Things have changed in ways they dont understand.

My two cents.
 
Working the medical field I hear about certain studies and whatnot. The unbalance of the bacteria in your stomach and in your intestines during digestion has been linked to a whole slew of medical problems....all the way from cancer, to certain forms of arthritis (such as what I have ankylosing spondylitis ---in my spine) al the way to the acne on your face and your mental health - but here is the thing.... you should not go attempting to change said bacteria on your own. People get nutso with this stuff getting high-colonics made of coffee and yogurt....seriously people, EAT A YOGURT...don't stick it up the other end....it wasn't meant to be ingested that way.
Until further research can be done and a good honest solid "this is the answer" is heard I would not give too much weight to articles talking about how you can alter your natural flora to make yourself healthier....not that it is not interesting [MENTION=4956]charlene[/MENTION] I rather enjoyed reading it, thank you. But it's kind of like playing fast and furious with antibiotics, they threw them at everything the last 30-40+ years and now we see antibiotic resistant strains of certain bugs - MRSA, VRE are only the beginning....give them a bit more time....most of us now actually (I don't mean to frighten anyone) carry MRSA in our bodies and it's just waiting for our immune systems to drop so it can rear it's ugly head. Good times.
The fact is you should just eat healthy...we all know what that is....more fruits and vegetables than grains and meat....fewer processed foods...low sugar...low sodium....low fat....ugh.
Or you can do like I do and find a happy medium...seriously, moderation.
There's my two cents.
Sorry if I pissed anyone off.
 
The fact is you should just eat healthy...we all know what that is....more fruits and vegetables than grains and meat....fewer processed foods....

Gluten aside... I really believe processed foods are killing us in ways we dont really understand yet. I know people who eat the paleo diet and whose doctors are scratching their heads when they tell them what they eat. Eggs, bacon, red meat etc...and their cholesterol levels, weight and high blood pressure plummets.

Evolution is real and humans evolved through the ages eating whole foods. Our bodies dont know what to do with all the new junk put into food to preserve it not to mention the genetically modified crap. When you give your body what it evolved to eat, it does so much better.

So I used to eat whatever was convenient. I became sick and eventually got around to eating differently. Most of my issues are gone now and while I am not eating specifically paleo, I am eating mostly whole foods and avoiding gluten like poison. My weight has plummeted, blood pressure cholesterol. AND I am eating less and not near as hungry as I used to get. This is just fact.
 
Most of my issues are gone now and while I am not eating specifically paleo, I am eating mostly whole foods and avoiding gluten like poison. My weight has plummeted, blood pressure cholesterol. AND I am eating less and not near as hungry as I used to get.
I have heard some interesting things about that diet....that's really awesome for you....congrats!
I couldn't agree more with "Our bodies dont know what to do with all the new junk put into food to preserve it not to mention the genetically modified crap."
All you have to to do is to go outside and look at people....overweight, overweight, overweight...it isn't all from "lack of control" it honestly has a good portion to do with the processed foods and the content that you find in the stores today...sadly enough, to eat in a healthy manner you end up paying double, perhaps triple what you would for the junky processed garbage out there. It's all stacked against you my friend....ever heard of the "magic ratio"? It's an honest to god real formula that the companies use against us to sell more trash. Our brains find a certain "bliss point" when there is a certain ratio of sugar to fat in the foods we eat...the food scientists (yes it's a real job)
are always working to find the point in everything these companies put out. The sad thing is though, is that the "bliss point" could also be called the "your ass is going to grow exponentially point" or maybe "triple-bypass point". Something should really be done when children in a poor urban environment do not have access to fruits or vegetables usually greater than 5 miles from home...the stores in the hood just don't sell them....and why should they, what's the incentive...they had none.
That's cool that the diet worked so well for you....I couldn't do it myself....I love my food too much....I DO moderate and make healthy decisions though. I am in pretty good shape....but have one of those metabolisms even now being 36 that everyone hates....lolol.
 
this is a very interesting study! i'll be following this to see where it goes for sure
 
I have heard some interesting things about that diet....that's really awesome for you....congrats!
I couldn't agree more with "Our bodies dont know what to do with all the new junk put into food to preserve it not to mention the genetically modified crap."
All you have to to do is to go outside and look at people....overweight, overweight, overweight...it isn't all from "lack of control" it honestly has a good portion to do with the processed foods and the content that you find in the stores today...sadly enough, to eat in a healthy manner you end up paying double, perhaps triple what you would for the junky processed garbage out there. It's all stacked against you my friend....ever heard of the "magic ratio"? It's an honest to god real formula that the companies use against us to sell more trash. Our brains find a certain "bliss point" when there is a certain ratio of sugar to fat in the foods we eat...the food scientists (yes it's a real job)
are always working to find the point in everything these companies put out. The sad thing is though, is that the "bliss point" could also be called the "your ass is going to grow exponentially point" or maybe "triple-bypass point". Something should really be done when children in a poor urban environment do not have access to fruits or vegetables usually greater than 5 miles from home...the stores in the hood just don't sell them....and why should they, what's the incentive...they had none.
That's cool that the diet worked so well for you....I couldn't do it myself....I love my food too much....I DO moderate and make healthy decisions though. I am in pretty good shape....but have one of those metabolisms even now being 36 that everyone hates....lolol.

I understand. In my case, I HAVE to eat this way. If I dont the consequences are very difficult to cope with. However I will say this. I am eating less, not because I want to or need to but because I am simply not as hungry as I used to get. Less food means I am spending less money, it really equals out to just a little more than I was paying before because I am eating less then I was before. You know, like Chinese food where you can eat a ton and be hungry 2 hours later.

Yes it is a pain to start eating gluten free because you cant just go get fast food somewhere. Generally you have to prepare it yourself, this takes extra time etc. But after a while you get into a pattern and it becomes easier.

I always took my health for granted. You dont know what you have until its gone.
 
[MENTION=8603]Eventhorizon[/MENTION]
That is really cool for you, seriously...I guess I take certain aspects of my body for granted, such as my weight...I do have arthritis in my spine which sucks...and I have gone one a diet for my specific type of arthritis...but it has to be only when in is flaring up....it's a no nightshade diet...no tomatoes, peppers, eggplant...etc. and a few other things besides nightshades....red meat being one of them....it worked at the time. Right now I am currently at home because I am stopping all the high doses of pain medications that I have been on for it for so long, two words - living hell. I won't get into details but this has been the worst experience I have ever had...ever...or will...ever. The thing was, I was just following Doctors orders...took what they told me to...until I began to read about high doses of opioids causing more pain than they covered up. Anyhow....boring.....I guess to each their own with dieting....I do think that folks need to be a bit wiser about what they eat....on that I'm sure we can agree.
 
[MENTION=8603]Eventhorizon[/MENTION]
That is really cool for you, seriously...I guess I take certain aspects of my body for granted, such as my weight...I do have arthritis in my spine which sucks...and I have gone one a diet for my specific type of arthritis...but it has to be only when in is flaring up....it's a no nightshade diet...no tomatoes, peppers, eggplant...etc. and a few other things besides nightshades....red meat being one of them....it worked at the time. Right now I am currently at home because I am stopping all the high doses of pain medications that I have been on for it for so long, two words - living hell. I won't get into details but this has been the worst experience I have ever had...ever...or will...ever. The thing was, I was just following Doctors orders...took what they told me to...until I began to read about high doses of opioids causing more pain than they covered up. Anyhow....boring.....I guess to each their own with dieting....I do think that folks need to be a bit wiser about what they eat....on that I'm sure we can agree.

I used to get pain in all my joints, feet, elbows, shoulder, knees, hands. So bad where I could barely walk across the room. Went to one of many doctors who told me that in at least the case of my knees, it was arthritis. When I went gluten free, it was primarily to try and stop some of my gut issues. Imagine my surprise when all these other problems went away to include the joint pain.

I dont know you as you dont know me. But I DO hope you get better. The fact that eating gluten free has cleared up most of my issues is a complete surprise to me. I had not even heard of gluten 1 1/2 years ago. I cant tell you what to do. I only suggest you eat gluten free for 2 weeks and see what happens. No gluten at all for two weeks.
 
I used to get pain in all my joints, feet, elbows, shoulder, knees, hands. So bad where I could barely walk across the room. Went to one of many doctors who told me that in at least the case of my knees, it was arthritis. When I went gluten free, it was primarily to try and stop some of my gut issues. Imagine my surprise when all these other problems went away to include the joint pain.

I dont know you as you dont know me. But I DO hope you get better. The fact that eating gluten free has cleared up most of my issues is a complete surprise to me. I had not even heard of gluten 1 1/2 years ago. I cant tell you what to do. I only suggest you eat gluten free for 2 weeks and see what happens. No gluten at all for two weeks.

I have for sure heard of it....my arthritis is pretty well under control at the moment, if and when it flares up again I will give it a go and see what happens. I am stubborn but not so much to hurt myself...lol. I do love me some GLUTEN though....lololol. Anyhow, I am dealing with this medication issue momentarily...I honestly think I will feel soooo much better without all the pain meds. I mean, I was taking high doses of Methadone for the pain since I have been on pain meds for so long....that stuff will mess you up and kill you. I have to reset. I have to see what me TRUE pain level is....I have no idea what that may be.....I hurt SOOOO bad right now, but I know it's most likey rebound pain caused by my mind aching for the pain meds it became accustomed to. After that....then I'll think about going paleo......lol.
 
So my diet of spicy Mexican food, Chinese take-out, and beer is not a good idea then?
XD My late gramps used to say "It's good to meh, but it ain't good fo meh!"
 
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I just want to mention that, as someone who does not handle dairy well, other probiotic sources include other fermented foods such as sauerkraut and kimchi.
 
I have heard some interesting things about that diet....that's really awesome for you....congrats!
I couldn't agree more with "Our bodies dont know what to do with all the new junk put into food to preserve it not to mention the genetically modified crap."
All you have to to do is to go outside and look at people....overweight, overweight, overweight...it isn't all from "lack of control" it honestly has a good portion to do with the processed foods and the content that you find in the stores today...sadly enough, to eat in a healthy manner you end up paying double, perhaps triple what you would for the junky processed garbage out there. It's all stacked against you my friend....ever heard of the "magic ratio"? It's an honest to god real formula that the companies use against us to sell more trash. Our brains find a certain "bliss point" when there is a certain ratio of sugar to fat in the foods we eat...the food scientists (yes it's a real job)
are always working to find the point in everything these companies put out. The sad thing is though, is that the "bliss point" could also be called the "your ass is going to grow exponentially point" or maybe "triple-bypass point". Something should really be done when children in a poor urban environment do not have access to fruits or vegetables usually greater than 5 miles from home...the stores in the hood just don't sell them....and why should they, what's the incentive...they had none.
That's cool that the diet worked so well for you....I couldn't do it myself....I love my food too much....I DO moderate and make healthy decisions though. I am in pretty good shape....but have one of those metabolisms even now being 36 that everyone hates....lolol.

I believe it. I used to eat McDonald's and started to think there was something in it that made it addictive. About 5 minutes into eating it was like there was this itch behind my eyeballs that was getting scratched. It felt so good. Then of course I would get nauseous about 2 hours later.