intestine

The body warns of Alzheimer’s long before the brain. The track is in the intestine

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Keep ‘healthy’ The bacteria we have in the intestine It is more important than we can think. During the last decade there are many voices that have arisen pointing to the relationship between our microbiota and other parts of our body. Now, a study has given light on the amazing connection that exists between digestive and metabolic health and the risk of developing diseases neurodegenerative as Alzheimer’s either Parkinson. A study that has used data of all kinds. Research, published in Science Advances, Not only identifies specific disorders that increase the risk of these diseases, but also demonstrates that these signals can be detected up to 15 years before neurological diagnosis, opening a new and promising via for Early detection and prevention. The work, which analyzed the clinical, genetic and proteomic data of hundreds of thousands of biobancos such as the UK Biobank, Finngen and Sail, is the most extensive of its kind and reinforces the importance of called intestine-corebro axisthe complex communication network that connects our digestive system with the central nervous. Digestive disorders and Alzheimer’s. The researchers analyzed the association of 155 digestive, endocrine, metabolic and nutritional disorders with the future risk of Alzheimer and Parkinson. The results are revealing. For Alzheimer’s, it was found that previous diagnoses of the following conditions significantly increased the risk: Gastritis and duodenitis Esophageal reflux disease (esophagitis) Diabetes (all types) Vitamin D deficiency Electrolyte disorders and acid-base balance Functional intestinal disorders (such as irritable intestine syndrome) There are also warning signs for Parkinson. A disease that is also neurodegenerative and is iconicly characterized with a constant tremor, among many other signs. In this case, the pathologies that could be an alert sign to generate this disease were: Dyspepsia (indigestion) Diabetes (dependent and independent of insulin) Functional intestinal disorders The importance of being a stratified study. This means that the data were divided into windows from 1 to 5, 5 to 10 and 10 to 15 years before diagnosis. This is something really important, since researchers could confirm the theory that the increase in risk is not something that happens just after the appearance of the first neurological symptoms, but it is a process that is created over more than a decade. For example, a diagnosis of non -insulin -dependent diabetes between 10 and 15 years before was associated with a 71% greater risk of developing Alzheimer’s. The importance of an early diagnosis. And it is that diagnosing a neurodegenerative disease so in advance is the best asset we have to avoid its most unwanted effects. Right now Alzheimer is an incurable disease, but There are drugs that stop the disease. From here lies the importance of having an early diagnosis, since the sooner the timely treatment begins, the more difficult it will be to progress to the worst stages. It also has protection functions. Curiously, it has been seen that a hemorrhoid diagnosis was associated with a lower risk of Alzheimer’s. The authors speculate that this could be due to a survival bias: the serious conditions that are sometimes associated with hemorrhoids could have a higher mortality rate, which would reduce the probability that these patients live enough to be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Genetics or lifestyle? One of the most counterintuitive findings in the study has to do with genetics. The researchers calculated the polygenic risk scores (PRS), which is a measure of genetic predisposition to a disease, and compared them. They discovered that patients who developed Alzheimer’s or Parkinson and also had one of these digestive or metabolic disorders, on average, had a lower genetic risk score than those who developed the neurological disease in isolation. Inheritance does not matter so much. These results can translate into that the person with intestinal comorbidity, environmental and lifestyle factors They play a much more decisive role in the development of Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s than the genetic inheritance itself. It is the evidence that we needed to reinforce the idea that the disease is not only in our genetic material, but that the environment and our decisions can intervene in its development. Towards a multimodal predictive model. The true qualitative leap of the study is the creation of a multimodal prediction model. Instead of based on a single type of data, scientists combined four pillars of information: clinical, genetic, proteomic data (with the analysis of 1,463 biomarkers) and demographic. The result was a model with a predictive capacity much higher than that of any individual paradigm. For Alzheimer’s, the combined model reached a 0.90 precision (AUC), a very high level for this type of predictions. It is interesting to note that the model that excluded clinical data, but maintained genetics, proteomics and demography, obtained almost identical precision (0.89), which suggests that blood biomarkers already capture much of the biological information that underlies clinical diagnoses. A diagnosis based on an analytical. Among the most influential biomarkers were found GLIAL FIBRARRARARY ACID PREIIN (GFAP) and the light chain neurofilament (NFL), both known as indicators of neuronal damage, which validates the biological robustness of the model. This approach demonstrates that the integration of different “omics” (genomic, proteomic) with clinical data is the way to follow for truly early and personalized detection, long before cognitive symptoms or irreversible motors appear. The team has even developed an interactive web platform so that other researchers can explore the results, promoting transparency and reproducibility. Images | Weermeijer Robina Julien Tromeur In Xataka | We have a new “theory of all” to understand Alzheimer’s. Your key is in small granules

Our body is full of almost indestructible “eternal chemicals.” It turns out that we have the solution in the intestine

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“Eternal chemicals” is a name with great loudness. They are practically indestructible molecules, and the problem is that they are really harmful for both nature and us. In recent years we are taking it seriously and we have sought Remove them with guns with electron beams. Also through forms of break their molecular bondsand now a bacterium can become an ally to end these eternal chemicals. And it will be as easy as taking a capsule. A slow poison. The perfluoroalquiladas and the polyfluoroalquiladas, known as PFASThey are a relative of about 4,700 synthetic molecules that have great resistance due to the unions between fluorine and carbon atoms. They are very useful for that resistance, since the molecular union is very stable and does not react to external agents. The problem is that they are used in many products (hygiene, textiles, pesticides, containers or Even in the wine), they accumulate in nature by not being destroyed and, potentially, also in our body. PFAS and their derivatives, such as trifluoacetic acid, are related to soil contamination and water sources. And the prolonged exposure to certain PFAS has been related With a higher risk of kidney cancer and testicles, alterations in the immune system, changes in cholesterol, fertility problems and increased blood pressure in pregnancy. Intestinal bacteria. That is why we commented on some lines: we are looking for how to end them. It is difficult, but researchers from the University of Cambridge have TOP With an unexpected ally: human intestinal bacteria. Specifically, the Faecalibacterium prausnitziian intestinal bacterium that, together with others found in our body, has proven to be very effective absorbing pfas. In experiments, and as they point out in Natureresearchers have found about 38 bacterial strains that absorb these eternal chemicals. Basically, they quickly accumulate great concentrations of PFAS minutes after exposure to them. How do they do it? Catching toxic compounds within cell groups, protecting both themselves and the host. Come on, putting the pfa in quarantine. Swallowing more and more. To test it, the toxicology unit of the University of Cambridge experienced with mice that had ingested PFAS. They introduced nine bacterial strains in their organism and observed that these bacteria quickly trapped the PFAS and then were naturally expelled through the feces. The interesting thing is that bacteria work more intensely at greater concentration, with constant elimination rates of between 25% and 74% of the PFAS present in the body. Horizon. Studies are constantly published in which they tell us how they have discovered the potential of something to improve our life, but usually, the conclusion is usually a “we need more evidence and we will see.” In the case of bacteria that engulf eternal chemicals, researchers have something clearer what the road map is after those first experiments in mice. In the next steps, they will explore the development of Probiotics specifically aimed at improving our defenses against PFAS, and they have it so clear that they have founded a startup of biotechnology To develop these products. The objective is that the first is ready by 2026 and what these specialized probiotics will do will be to capture chemicals before they are reabsorbed in the intestine and “encapsulate them” for excretion through the digestive system. Images | Cambridge University In Xataka | Some bacteria can “feel” the acid in their surroundings. And his way of adapting is mutating

Not for pleasure, but because the intestine has memory

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A year ago, every time I ate something, my belly swelled like a balloon. I felt heavy, with gases, uncomfortable. I did not understand what happened to me, until I tested positive for bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine or its short version, Sibo. I started an antibiotic treatment and a very restrictive diet. I left gluten, dairy, nuts, fruits … almost everything. And when it seemed that I finally felt better, the strangest part of the process came: I had to reintroduce some foods, little by little, as if it were a vaccine; but I did, I would become intolerant. Increasingly widespread. Increasingly widespread. In both medical consultations and conversations, surely the term Sibo (for its acronym in English, bacterial intestinal overgrowth) is no longer unknown. This condition describes an imbalance in the intestinal microbiota: bacteria that should be found in the colon end proliferating in the small intestine, an environment where they should normally be almost non -existent. This invasion causes varied and annoying symptoms, such as abdominal swelling, gases, pain, diarrhea or constipation, According to Mayo Clinic. It is estimated that up to 15% of the Spanish population suffers from it, and is more frequent in women between 30 and 50 years, According to the Spanish Society of Primary Care Physicians (Semergen). Its diagnosis has increased in recent years thanks to greater awareness and evidence such as the breath test, a non -invasive technique that measures the amount of gases produced by bacteria after ingesting carbohydrates. After diagnosis. It is followed by a low diet in Fodmaps, a protocol that eliminates the most fermentable foods to relieve symptoms. It is not a cure in itself, but it helps reduce gas production and abdominal discomfort while antibiotic treatment takes effect. The problem comes later. We talk to Jesús Guardioladietitian-nutritionist, to understand what happens in that critical phase: food reintroduction. “A low diet in Fodmaps should not be maintained in time because, when restricting so much, it can affect nutritional diversity and microbiota. But also, if you stop consuming certain foods for a long time, you can lose tolerance to them,” he explains. The intestine also forgets. Stop eating gluten does not cause celiacy. This is an autoimmune disease that only appears in genetically predisposed people. However, eliminating it prolonged can generate an unexpected reaction: that the body tole it worse when reintroducing it, Guardiola points out. This can go through several mechanisms: enzymatic (the body stops producing enzymes such as lactase, necessary to digest lactose), immunological (less exposure can alter the immune response), or by changes in the microbiota (bacteria in charge of digesting that food disappear). From Monash Universityin Australia, an institution that developed the diet has explained about these effects in prolonged restrictions can reduce functional tolerance and affect microbial diversity. But not a real intolerance. No, of course. The point is that it has been shown that eliminating food groups can alter microbiota and digestive capacity. The body needs gradual exposure to adapt, so the reintroduction must be done carefully and individually, According to the academic institution. “The key is to do it little by little, evaluating the symptoms, writing amounts and reactions. If you introduce many foods at the same time and something feels bad, you will not know what it was. And if you do it too fast, it is more likely that you can fall or that you suggest you thinking that it will sit badly,” Guardiola warns. The diagnosis of Sibo. The boom has also been accompanied by some controversy. Each time it is diagnosed more frequently, but not always with clear criteria: in many cases it is by discard, when other pathologies have been eliminated, and sometimes without conclusive evidence. This complicates the precise identification of the disorder, and can lead to confuse with food intolerances, functional disorders or, simply, with bad habits. From Semergen They have insisted that the treatment requires a comprehensive approach: not only medications, but also changes in the diet, lifestyle and analysis of the full medical history. To this is added an increasingly common problem: patients who adopt low fodmap diets on their own, without professional supervision, and who keep them for months or even years. Instead of improving, this can end up deteriorating even more intestinal health. What I learned during the process. Today I eat gluten again. I am not celiac. But I went through months of fear of food, not knowing if what I ate was healing or getting sick. I understood that there are no good or bad foods, but contexts, quantities and, above all, processes. Reintroduction is not just another part of treatment. It is a way to reconcile with food. And to understand that, sometimes, the problem was not bread, but how we stopped eating it. Sometimes healing means exposing yourself to what you thought you hurt you. In my case, yes: I had to inoculate gluten. Image | Unspash Xataka | It looks like flavored water, enters as a soda and carries protein as a shake: this is the clear protein

The intestine has a “golden rich zone.” And if we often default out of it you have to pay attention

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Making peanut is a intestine health thermometer. So much that in Australia they encourage employees do your things at work. It is a moment that We can take even to read or to do Infinite scroll on mobile (Even for Share the site in which we are making poop), but also one that we should pay more attention. The reason is that the time and frequency are details that say a lot about our long -term health. Cause or consequence? Throughout the years different investigations have been carried out on the importance of defecation as such, but also about the ideal time to do sothe frequency of the same and the shape, size and texture that They should have The Depositions. Studies have been carried out that linked the constipation with a higher risk of infections and diarrhea Chronicle with neurodegenerative diseases. However, these observations were made in subjects who already had some disease, so it had to be found out if the intestinal problem was a cause or the consequence. As science is not done alone, a team from Institute for Systems Biology He took the front to answer that question. The study. In it studyresearchers are Gibbons and Johannes Johnson-Martinez analyzed the clinical, genetic, microbiological and lifestyle variables of 1,400 healthy adults. Something that the subjects had to detail was the frequency of the depositions, which would be classified as follows: One or twice a week – constipation. Three to six times a week – Low frequency. One to three times a day – normal frequency. More than three times a day – Diarrhea. “Gold rich zone”. The researchers realized that the people who reported eating a diet rich in fiber, exercised regularly and had good hydration, had a good intestinal movement. In a display of scientific humor, they baptized this as “the golden rich zone”, which becomes a frequency of intestinal movement between one and two daily stories. That is the point where, according to researchers, the balance between microbiome and physiological markers is optimal. Therefore, the optimal frequency is between one and twice daily, but it is not always the case and, when there is an imbalance is when the problems begin inside. Ideal form of feces: Type 3 and 4 More serious than it seems. Johnson-Martinez comments that “if the feces remain too long in the intestine, microbes exhaust all available dietary fiber, something that normally ferment to produce short-chain fatty acids beneficial for health. If this occurs, the ecosystem changes and begins to ferment proteins, which generates several toxins that can reach the bloodstream.” These by-products of the fermentation of protein filtered to the bloodstream, such as the sulfate p-rresol and the Indexil Sulfate, pass to the kidneys, causing damage in case of constipation. If, on the contrary, diarrhea occurs, feces practically do not go through the intestine, causing clinical parameters related to liver damage. That is: with constipation, the kidneys suffer. With diarrhea, the liver. Chivato. Gibbons comments that chronic constipation, which we have just seen what effects they produce, has been associated with neurodegenerative disorders and the chronic progression of kidney diseases. What is missing is to define whether that anomaly in the intestinal movement is an early warning of a chronic disease or damage to the organs. Now, the study also explores how this frequency of the intestinal movement is also related to the Anxiety and depressionrelating mental health to deposits. The researchers comment that it has been possible to link the frequency of the depositions with all body systems and how is something that can be a risk factor in the Chronic disease development. His hope is that medicine be taken seriously to “optimize health and well -being, even healthy populations, based on the frequency of intestinal movement.” And some drawer is that, if we have no problem, we should not hold the desire or force it, because we reduce and artificially increase the time that the feces are in the intestine Study feces. There is an important detail that must be taken into account: to have a different frequency from that of one/twice daily can be normal. The problem is when it becomes chronic. That is when we should ask ourselves what is happening. There may be a health problem, but also that we have a low diet in fiber from fruit and vegetables. It is logical, but food and Our lifestyle It is something inseparable from our feces. In addition, throwing an eye from time to time is not a bad idea because it is a free intestinal health test. Also You can scan your poop with an app that analyzes it thanks to the AI. The time, matters. Being in the “golden rich zone” is relevant, but previous studies also explored the idea that the moment we make peanut is also. Studies prepared in 2020 and 2022 They related circadian rhythms to gastrointestinal activity. At night, intestinal activity decreases significantly, but during the day, especially after waking us or eating, there is greater mobility. An optimal moment is half an hour after awakening, since the colon is activated after nighttime rest, but defecating later of that moment does not imply that something goes wrong because there is some flexibility in the matter. Images | Cabot Health, Bristol StooS Chart, Sincelely media In Xataka | Everest has become a feces. Solution: That all mountaineers carry their own in bags

Tell me what bacteria live in your intestine and I will tell you who your friends are | Health and well-being

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Mencius, a Chinese philosopher, wrote a handful of centuries ago that “friendship is one mind in two bodies.” Modern science could add another element: friendship is also a microbiota in two bodies. A study has found that the more people interact, the more similar the composition of the microorganisms living in their intestines becomes, even if they do not live in the same household. The investigation, recently published in the magazine Naturealso ensures that an individual’s microbiome is determined not only by their closest social contacts, but also by the connections of these contacts. That is, the friends of your friends. To know the details of this investigation you have to take a trip to the western heart of the Honduran jungle. It was in this Caribbean country where scientists from Yale University worked for ten years until they recruited a group of 1,787 adults, spread across 18 isolated villages, to donate a sample of their feces. All participants had a traditional diet and practically did not consume antibiotics or other medications. Nicholas Christakis, lead author of the study, explains that they were “very lucky that the participants were helpful and engaged.” The scientists needed to be able to trace each of the volunteers’ contacts with certainty, something that would have been much more complicated to do in cities like Madrid or Barcelona. The towns of Honduras, in this case, were perfect. More information Before continuing to advance with the results of this research, it is worth explaining what the microbiota is and why it is important. Francisco Guarner, director of the Digestive System Research Unit at the Vall d’Hebron General Hospital in Barcelona, ​​has a definition: “It is the bacteria communityviruses and fungi that colonize the digestive tract. We could think of it as another organ of the human body, a set of biological capacities that help the survival of an individual.” Although this organ It lives within us, it functions under its own rules and hierarchies. It is organized in its own way and it is not easy to manipulate it. “It is essential for the digestion of food. It provides us with many enzymes and metabolic pathways that humans do not have,” adds the expert. Thanks to the microbiota we can, for example, digest fiber. They are also essential for the development of a balanced immune system. For decades, science has explored the composition of the microbiota to understand how it is generated in each person. Mireia Vallés Colomer, director of the Microbiome Research Group at Pompeu Fabra University, details that vertical transmission had been, until now, the most likely explanation. “We receive these microorganisms, in large part, from our mothers, through childbirth and breastfeeding. We also share bacteria that our grandmother passed to our mother,” he details. However, the new study ventures that the microbiota changes throughout life, and that those largely responsible for these changes are our social contacts. A horizontal transmission. “We were very surprised by the reach of microbes that networks of people share. In fact, we can predict who your friends are based on how similar the microbes in your stool are to theirs,” says Christakis. Data suggests that people living in the same house share up to 14% of the microbial strains in their intestines. While those who do not live together, but usually spend time together, share 10%. The research has also been able to determine that individuals who live in the same town, but who do not usually interact too frequently, share only 4%. There is, the authors say, a chain of transmission because friends of friends share more strains than would be expected by mere chance. The transmission method There is a question that continues to swirl around this research and that is to understand how strains are transmitted bacteria from one microbiota to the other. “We do not have a conclusive answer about how this transmission occurs,” says Vallés. And he adds: “What is hypothesized is that what reaches the intestine has to pass through the mouth. “Many bacteria in the microbiome don’t tolerate direct contact with oxygen for very long, so close contact is needed, but we don’t know exactly what that looks like.” Guarner, however, details that “the fecal-oral route “It seems to be the most important transmission vector.” That is to say, although we clean ourselves and more or less control our hygiene, in some previous studies it has been detected that the bacteria that are typically found in the intestine also appear on the hands. This is how they then reach the mouth. Some of the bacteria manage to survive this journey from the intestine because they travel in the form of spores, similar to those of fungi. “With this transmission mechanism it does not have to be extremely direct contact, it can be through a towel or clothing,” details Guarner. There is no need to be alarmed. This transfer of microorganisms It is what, in some way, keeps us alive. So much so, that new lines of research on the relationship between microbiota and health suggest that a healthy and fit community of microorganisms has an impact on several aspects of our well-being. Some researchers are trying to establish a direct relationship between the microbiota and non-communicable diseasessuch as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and even depression. Guarner explains: “This is still a bit speculative, but normally what happens is that these types of diseases are associated with a poor microbiome.” Vallés contributes that “it has been observed that people with the so-called ‘modern diseases’ suffer an alteration in the composition of their microbiome.” But it is not that there is a particular bacteria responsible for these diseases, but rather it is the loss of diversity in general that worsens the state of health. In this case, the research opens the door to continue analyzing whether these non-communicable diseases, in fact, do have a transmissibility factor. And if an entire community of people has a weakened microbiota, these diseases could proliferate more easily … Read more

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