The gut-brain connection is fascinating. It involves an intimate communication between the gut and the brain, and it goes in both directions—from the brain to the gut, and from the gut to the brain. I mean, isn’t it cool that what happens in your gut can affect your brain?

Yet another study looking at the gut-brain connection has found that gut bacteria are associated with anxiety. The researchers used an animal model to study this link, as it is easier to work out the details of these connections in animal models. Researchers found that antibiotic treatment altered the normal gut bacterial count, producing a change in behavior—the mice became anxious. They also experienced an increase in brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), linked to anxiety and depression. When the antibiotics were stopped, behavior returned to normal.

To take this one step further, the researchers added gut bacteria from mice genetically prone to be passive, to mice prone to be more active and exploratory, and vice versa. They found that by giving the mice a different set of bacteria, the mice began to behave as the mice from which the bacteria were originally isolated. One of the researchers stated, “these results lay the foundation for investigating the therapeutic potential of probiotic bacteria and their products in the treatment of behavioral disorders, particularly those associated with gastrointestinal conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome.”

Like I said, the gut-brain connection is fascinating.  Did you know your gut had so much power over your health?

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Omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil are high in EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid). These fatty acids have been associated with heart health, joint health, brain health, gut health… the list goes on and on. The two often go hand in hand, and for most conditions, researchers don’t know the perfect ratio of EPA to DHA. But for infant health, DHA is the fatty acid that shines.

DHA is most concentrated in the brain and the retina, which is why it’s been found to be helpful in these areas of the body. In infants, DHA has been found to help improve brain development when pregnant mothers get high amounts, and when infants receive it from breast milk or supplemented formula.

Two new studies add to the science behind DHA for new mothers. One study in preterm infants found that high doses of DHA in baby formula or breast milk resulted in greater growth rate of the head, which was associated with increased mental development—both important factors when considering pre-term infants who are at a developmental disadvantage.

The second study found that pregnant women who took fish oil high in DHA had fewer symptoms common to postpartum depression. Considering 25 percent of new mothers experience postpartum depression, this is good news. More studies will be done to determine just how and why DHA works in this way, but the results are promising. Fish oil supplements are a great source of DHA, but look for a formula that has IFOS (International Fish Oil Standards) certification to ensure that you’re getting the purest fish oil.

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 Renew You Challenge

Let’s start this week off right!

Weekly challenge (I mean, opportunity!) to help set you off on the right foot and in the right direction for bringing health to your week. You could even add it to your calendar. Join us!

When Prevention Magazine is touting it, you know people are listening—cell phone radiation is hazardous to our health. The National Institutes of Health has reported that cell phone radiation increases the amount of glucose in the area of the head closest to the phone.

Researchers haven’t confirmed just what this might mean to our health, but to be safe, they recommend using the speaker phone feature or a hands-free device (just not Bluetooth, which still releases some electromagnetic radiation) when talking on the phone. Maybe even more important, they recommend that children text instead of talk when possible because children absorb the radiation at a higher rate due to their thinner skulls.

We’re so glued to our phones these days, but they haven’t been around long enough to really tell us what damage we might be doing to our brains. So this week, take note of how much you talk on your cell phone, and see what you can do to minimize it, use the speaker phone, or wait until you get to a land line. Your brain will thank you one day.

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Renew You Challenge

Let’s start this week off right!

Weekly challenge (I mean, opportunity!) to help set you off on the right foot and in the right direction for bringing health to your week. You could even add it to your calendar. Join us!

I talk all the time about the gut connection to other areas of the body—like when your gut is out of balance and it affects your brain, your skin or your joints. I also talk about the many ways your gut becomes imbalanced in the first place—like with antibiotics, acid blocking medications, poor diet, and stress.

Yes, even stress affects your gut. Stress-relieving therapies are high on my list of things to include in a healthy lifestyle. It has been known for a while now that stress can throw the gut out of balance. A recent study follows up on this by showing that not only do gut bacteria levels change with stress, but those changes also affect immunity.

The researchers of this study plan to further evaluate whether gut microbial changes are the reason that certain diseases worsen under stress. It’s a vicious cycle—stress alters the gut microbiota, which leads to worsening of symptoms, which adds more stress… and on and on.

Break the cycle. Find some kind of stress-relieving activity, like massage, meditation, yoga, tai chi, exercise—anything that brings you calm. This is an essential part of your well-being. After you’ve done that, make sure your gut also has the right support with probiotics. Break the cycle.

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The Standard American Diet (aptly named SAD), also known as the Western diet, is full of processed and fried foods, refined carbohydrates and sugars, and saturated and trans fats. It is low in fiber, fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins and beneficial fats (like omega-3s).

This diet has been blamed (and rightfully so) for so many different health conditions, most notably, heart disease and diabetes. But cheer up! A change in diet and increase in exercise can reverse both these conditions. 

Another recent study links another condition to SAD. Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHC, or as it used to be known ADD) is one of the most common childhood disorders, and may continue into adulthood. It involves difficulty staying focused, difficulty controlling behavior and hyperactivity. In adolescents, consumption of a Standard American Diet was found to more than double the risk of being diagnosed with ADHD when compared to a diet low in the foods found in the SAD diet.

The suggested reasons for this difference were:

• SAD diet has a less optimal fatty acid profile (too much omega-6 and not enough omega-3)
• SAD diet may not provide essential micronutrients needed for brain function
• SAD diet contains more artificial colors, flavors and additives linked to ADHD symptoms

More studies need to be done to figure out which came first, but I simply can’t wait that long to get the word out about how detrimental the SAD diet is to our children’s health. I know that children and adolescents are picky eaters, but it is essential that they get all the nutrients they need for the best start in life – one that will carry them through the years. The earlier they begin eating well, the more likely they will eat that way for life.

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Brenda and I have been talking for years about the toxic soup that we all live in. It’s in our food, in the water, in the air and in our own bodies. It’s impossible to completely avoid toxins, and that’s a problem, especially in light of the scientific evidence that shows environmental toxins are destroying our health.

Many recent studies have looked at air pollution and its many harmful effects. It has been known for some time that exposure to air pollution is associated with health conditions like asthma, cardiovascular disease and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In fact, polluted air can even create serious ventricular arrhythmias.¹ Also, the incidence of heart attacks in rush hour traffic in the United Kingdom are thought to be due to the polluted air. In support of this is a quote from the August 2005 Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP) referring to particle laden dirty air, “Ultrafine particles < 0.1 µm (UFPs) dominate particle number concentrations and surface area, and are therefore capable of carrying large concentrations of adsorbed or condensed toxic air pollutants. It is likely that redox-active components in UFPs from fossil fuel combustion reach cardiovascular target sites. High UFP exposures may lead to systemic inflammation through oxidative stress responses to reactive oxygen species and thereby promote the progression of atherosclerosis, and precipitate acute cardiovascular responses ranging from increased blood pressure to myocardial infarction.”²

The studies on this topic keep rolling in. The latest issue of EHP published a study on the link between prenatal exposure to air pollutants and subsequent behavioral problems in children.³ Children with the highest levels of pollution exposure had more attention problems, anxiety and depression at age 5 to 7 than those children with the least exposure. It is also known that exposure to organophosphate pesticides found on foods is linked to ADHD symptoms, by the way. And we wonder why ADHD is on the rise.

Other new studies continue to support just how air pollution affects health. One study in animals found that chronic inhalation of polluted air triggered inflammation that spread throughout the body.⁴ To quote one of the researchers, “Our main hypothesis is that particulate matter stimulates inflammation in the lung, and products of that inflammation spill over into the body’s circulation, traveling to fat tissue to promote inflammation and causing vascular dysfunction.”

This comes as no surprise to me. Inflammation is involved in most every disease, and certainly plays a role in all chronic diseases. Inflammation can be triggered by a number of factors—toxins, stress, illness, digestive imbalance—and it can travel throughout the body causing disease.

Another recent study, again published in EHP, found that short term exposure to air pollution damaged areas of the brain associated with memory loss and Alzheimer’s disease in mice.⁴ Guess what the study found? The brains affected by air pollution showed signs of inflammation associated with premature aging and Alzheimer’s disease.

Finally, the New England Journal of Medicine showed that reductions in air pollution accounted for as much as 15% of the overall increase in life expectancy in the areas that were studied!⁶

It’s difficult to know just how to avoid all this pollution, but there are things we can do to reduce toxicity. First, use high efficiency particulate air filters (HEPA filters) throughout your house (or at least your bedroom), and in your car cabin. According to Carla Kalogeridis at the Filter Manufacturers Council, only 40 percent of North American vehicles have cabin air filters despite the ongoing concern of consumers regarding cabin air quality.⁷ Others say as many as 80% or more now have cabin filters. I couldn’t find a clear answer from the www.epa.gov site, but did find where they recommended a portable cabin filter.⁸ In any case if you have a cabin filter they generally need to be replaced annually or every 15,000 miles. The filters can be easily bought from the dealers or online⁹ with instructions on how to change them at home.

If you can avoid daily bumper-to-bumper traffic jams, that’s a good start, and if you can’t it would be very wise to change your cabin air filter. If your vehicle doesn’t have one there are portables available.⁸ Eating a healthy diet high in fruits and vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats and lean proteins will help your body get many nutrients and fiber it needs. Reduce inflammation with omega-3 oils, and quell gut inflammation with probiotics. And support the body’s seven channels of elimination: colon, liver, lungs, lymph, kidneys, skin and blood with nutrients that promote the healthy function of these channels, plus periodic colon hydrotherapy, and infrared sauna. Lastly, find stress-reducing activities including exercise and meditation to round out a healthy lifestyle. All of the above strategies will help to keep your detoxification pathways open.

1. M.S. Link and D.W. Dockery, “Air pollution and the triggering of cardiac arrhythmias.” Curr Opin Cardiol. 2010 Jan;25(1):16-22.
2. R.J. Delfino, et al., “Potential role of ultrafine particles in associations between airborne particle mass and cardiovascular health.” Environ Health Perspect. 2005 Aug;113(8):934-46.
3. F.P. Perera, et al., “PAH/Aromatic DNA Adducts in Cord Blood and Behavior Scores in New York City Children.” Environ Health Perspect. 2011 Apr 4.
4. T. Kampfrath, et al., “Chronic Fine Particulate Matter Exposure Induces Systemic Vascular Dysfunction via NADPH Oxidase and TLR4 Pathways.” Circ Res. 2011 Mar 18;108(6):716-26.
5. T.E. Morgan, et al., “Glutamatergic neurons in rodent models respond to nanoscale particulate urban air pollutants in vivo and in vitro.” Environ Health Perspect. 2011 Apr 4.
6. C.A. Cope, et al., “Fine-particulate air pollution and life expectancy in the United States.” N Engl J Med. 2009 Jan 22;360(4):376-86.
7. http://www.ehow.com/about_6404803_hepa-cabin-filter_.html#ixzz1JnfTQzQA
8. http://www.epa.gov/nhsrc/pubs/TISPortableMotorVehicleCabinAirPurifier.pdf
9. www.filters-now.com

Dr. Leonard Smith is a prominent Board-Certified, general, gastrointestinal and vascular surgeon who had a successful private practice for 25 years. In addition to his active surgery practice, he also incorporated lifestyle, diet, supplementation, exercise, detoxification, and stress management into many of the therapies he would prescribe. Many of his patients with cancer, cardiovascular disease, and other serious illnesses did so well under his treatment regimes that he began to devote most of his career to foundational health care and preventive medicine.

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Renew You Challenge

Let’s start this week off right!

Weekly challenge (I mean, opportunity!) to help set you off on the right foot and in the right direction for bringing health to your week. You could even add it to your calendar. Join us!

For a long time it was thought that once the brain degrades with age, it’s not possible to reverse. Lucky for us that is simply not true. With age, one area of the brain that begins to shrink is the hippocampus. The hippocampus is a main brain component that processes memory, and one of the first areas to degrade with Alzheimer’s disease.

The good news is that regular exercise—specifically, walking three times per week for 40 to 60 minutes—has been found to increase the size of the hippocampus in previously sedentary adults who had already experienced shrinking of the hippocampus. Wow!

One of the researchers stated, “The toughest part isn’t the research, it’s convincing people to get off the couch.”

Well, I’m here to do just that. This week, if you aren’t already meeting that minimal amount of exercise (or you know someone who isn’t), send them this blog and let them know that even a small amount of exercise can make the difference. So get off that couch!

Start out with just 15 minutes per day, three days a week. From there, build up gradually until you’re at 40 to 60 minutes. Your hippocampus will thank you, and you might just remember where you put your keys.

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Oh, the vicious cycles that lead our health in a downward spiral, seemingly never-ending. When it comes to obesity, there are a number of these detrimental cycles. One involves the brain.

Pleasure receptors (known as D2 receptors) exist in the brain and are involved in—you guessed it—feelings of pleasure. Well, a recent study has found that obese people have fewer pleasure receptors and they overeat to compensate for this lack of pleasure. But overeating weakens the ability of the pleasure receptors to respond, creating yet more need to fill this pleasure void.

When you eat, dopamine is released in the brain. The more dopamine that is available, the more pleasure that is experienced. But with fewer dopamine receptors, obese people need to eat more to feel the same amount of pleasure as their lean counterparts.

This is a recipe for disaster, and explains why it can be so difficult for obese people to lose weight. I know that cravings can come from imbalances in the body and brain. That’s why I formulated Crave Be Gone. If you experience cravings (especially to carbs) then you might want to make those craves behave!

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The title of this article has been taken directly from the journal Gut Pathogens January 2011, and can be accessed for free at www.gutpathogens.com. This article tells the story of the gut connection. As we have been preaching for years, there is good evidence of a connection between gut bacteria and most (if not all) of the body organs, including the skin and brain.  What’s more, the above article presents much new, refined information, but the basic information is included from published references from 80-90 years ago!

Read, and be informed of the following concepts presented:

1.  The regular consumption of fat, sugar and simple carbs low in fiber, will decrease the beneficial bifidobacteria and other probiotic species in the colon and terminal small intestine (the end of the small intestine).

2.  Low  bifidobacteria allows increases of other bacteria that may promote colonic lining (epithelium) inflammation, with increased free radical damage and oxidative stress that leads to increased intestinal permeability (IP), or leaky gut.

3.  Increased IP leads to the passage (or translocation) of partially digested food particles, bacterial toxins, and other bacterial byproducts including fat (or lipids) from dead bacterial cell walls. 

4.  Bacterial cell wall lipids known as lipopolysaccarides (LPS), or also bacterial toxins, are easily measured in the blood, and are important indicators of how much overactivity will occur in the immune system.  Elevated LPS is very likely to occur after eating your favorite ice cream, or even too much bacon and eggs with toast and jelly (high fat, high sugar, and low fiber).

5.  Elevated blood levels of LPS cause the immune system to increase production of inflammatory markers (pro-inflammatory cytokines). These markers can cause many negative reactions, including decreased insulin receptor sensitivity, and thereby elevate blood sugar and insulin levels.

6.  Chronically elevated blood sugar and insulin promote increase in blood lipids, and  increase in inflammation which can contribute to acne, anxiety and depression, among other conditions.

Here is the good news,  a  high-fiber diet found in vegetables, whole grains, legumes, seeds and nuts, with some low glycemic fruits (especially berries) will promote high-normal levels of bifidobacteria. Taking prebiotic fibers was also shown in this article to increase bifidobacteria, and supplementing with bifidobacteria probiotics or fermented foods will definitely have overall beneficial effects on the body, including the skin and the brain. 

Leonard Smith, M.D.
Dr. Leonard Smith is a prominent Board-Certified, general, gastrointestinal and vascular surgeon who had a successful private practice for 25 years.  In addition to his active surgery practice, he also incorporated lifestyle, diet, supplementation, exercise, detoxification, and stress management into many of the therapies he would prescribe.  Many of his patients with cancer, cardiovascular disease, and other serious illnesses did so well under his treatment regimes that he began to devote most of his career to foundational health care and preventive medicine.   

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If the harmful health effects of smoking aren’t enough to get you (or someone you know) to kick the habit, how about what it will do to your looks over time?

This link to the WebMD slideshow “Surprising Ways Smoking Affects Your Looks and Life” might make you think twice about lighting up.

The need for nicotine in cigarettes is a physical addiction, involving chemical changes in the brain that encourage nicotine craving. When quitting, it can be helpful to detox the body with nutrients that help reduce the desire to smoke, reduce stress, and promote respiratory health. Look for a three-part smoker’s cleanse that can help you through this difficult (yet REWARDING) process. Quitting today is the best thing you can do for those you care about, and yourself.

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