Have You Ever Heard of Gut Health? - YouLookFab Forum

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Have You Ever Heard of Gut Health?

Thistle

Veteran

Okay, so I went to the weight loss specialist my cardiologist recommended with a dollop of hope and a healthy heap of skepticism.

After going through my medical records, the weight loss doctor wants to run a panel to see if there is something up with my gut health. She thinks it's out of whack (my terms) and because of that, I'm not absorbing the nutrients I need. This is leading to the osteopenea I suffer from, possibly my allergies, and is contributing to my inability to lose weight.

Any one ever hear of this? I have to confess, my BS radar went off, but I went home and googled it. There are some reputable sites (like Medical News Today and Fortune), that have articles giving it some credence.

My insurance will pay for none of this, so there's that, too.

Have you ever heard of this?

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39 replies

Latest reply was from

Jenn

(website)

Veteran

I’m a big fan of Science Friday on NPR, and the host is rather fascinated by gut health and the human microbiome, so they talk about it a lot with various scientists. It seems to be a huge area of research right now, and affects our health more than we ever realized. So yes, it’s a real thing.

The downside is, as far as I know, all that research hasn’t resulted in a lot of actionable data yet. We know that the microbiome changes based on where you live and what you eat, how many antibiotics you take, etc, and those changes do impact things like weight and overall health, but it’s still mostly guesswork as to how to change it.

Becky

Veteran

What Jenn said.

JAileen

Veteran

A friend I see every day talks about the gut all the time and has read several books on it. Her fascination with the gut started with concern about her husband’s health. He became very ill last year and nearly died.

Now she is concerned about something called lectin. It is discussed in this book:

The plant paradox : the hidden dangers in "healthy" foods that cause disease and weight gain / Steven R. Gundry, M.D., with Olivia Bell Buehl.

Since she started avoiding it she started losing weight.

cjh

(website)

Veteran

Ditto, Jenn. However I also lean towards the viewpoint that humans have been interacting with the gut microbes for millions of years and unless there is some disease invasion, we’re usually getting along fine if we take care of ourselves by eating quality nutritious food, getting enough exercise and rest, using good hygiene and maintaining our best mental health. I am suspicious that popular “cleanse” regimes might do more damage than good. Just my thinking.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

I've never heard of gut health Thistle, and medical advice is a big guessing game at best. The human body is VERY complex so it makes sense. Doctors and specialists do what they can, and hope for the best.

A few things, FWIW:

Have you tried seeing a naturopath?
There is a school of thought that believes that ingested cholesterol is not the same as the cholesterol in the blood stream which means that dieting won't help.

I have osteoporosis. Had it for 18 years. I fit the profile: small boned Nordic women are very prone to it, apparently. I have very low bone density. I need to eat a LOT of calcium in my food since calcium tablets are not absorbed by the body. I eat a LOT of dairy, so I ignore the school of thought that dairy is bad for you - I MUST eat it for my health. Good thing I am not allergic and love dairy. I also do a lot of vinyassa yoga to strengthen my bones. Yoga is the best and healthiest weight baring form of exercise. I highly recommend it.

MTBGirl

Veteran

Yes! We have many times more microbiota (good and bad bacterias, viruses, fungus...) in our bodies than human cells! They are responsible for so many functions like digestion, energy production, hormone production, regulating other functions, etc. I am no expert, I would encourage you to research it. It is amazing what our bodies do constantly!

Thistle

Veteran

No, I have not see a naturopath. Not sure what one is...

*off to Google naturopath*

And yes, I think I am on a very uphill battle with cholesterol. My father was being treated for high cholesterol for as long as I can remember. The first time I had my cholesterol checked at 26, it was already so high they were recommending statins. Until I reminded them I was a woman of child-bearing age and asked if it would affect my ability to have kids.

gradfashionista

(website)

Veteran

Yes! And I’m glad to see that microbiome health is becoming mainstream, even though it might encourage people to take probiotics indiscriminately. There are strong, evidence-based links in both human and mouse studies between gut health and weight regulation, Crohn’s or IBS (IIRC), certain mental health issues, etc.

Adriana

Veteran

Yes. It is a subject of research. But changing your biome to get a certain result is, as far as I know, still at an early stage.

Diana

Veteran

Microbiome research is super hot right now, there are tons of universities and startups and pharmaceutical companies trying to get a leg up in the field right now. (I wish I worked on it, because I'd probably have my own lab and loads of funding by now, lol!) That being said, it is super new and there is not much known about long-term effects, and a lot of studies, even reputable ones, have not been replicated yet. My take as a scientist is that while one's microbiome certainly does have an effect on health, we don't really know much yet about the long-term effects of changing it, or even whether or how we can change it beyond the short term. There's also a lot of quackery out there - people who have latched onto one or two emerging studies and drawn all sorts of conclusions that have no research basis, and are trying to make a quick buck. A lot of the supplements and things available right now are not regulated. So, yes, it is a legit field but you have to be careful. I'd suggest reading the primary research or well-referenced review articles from reputable scientific/medical journals, and don't take testimonials and that kind of anecdotal evidence on the internet too seriously.

Anonymous

Sure - gut health has been a big topic in health care and nutrition over the last 5-6 years. Lots of writing and research about it. The lectin issue is also of interest to me, and I have a book waiting for me at the library on this very topic.

kkards

Veteran

OMG yes...this is the latest and hottest topic in any thing medical that i, as a lay person read....

its related to the term " gut check", "not feeling it in my gut" etc...they are discovering that there is something to be said for the gut being very important to our overall health.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/0.....-loss.html https://www.nytimes.com/2018/0.....teria.html

Thistle

Veteran

So, it sounds like this may be a mixed bag.

Yes, there is some legitimate medical research going on. It's still in the early stages.

BUT, we don't know a ton about it yet. And even what we do know isn't repeatable or even actionable.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Nodding with Jenn and Diana.

As others have said, it has trickled down to nutrition and fitness circles (where, as you might recall, I worked for several years) but we know too little to draw conclusions.

Thistle

Veteran

Okay, I think I am going to cancel the appointment.

My skepticism has grown considerably after talking to you lovely and intelligent ladies.

I then did some reading, and I can't see anything out there that tells us how such test results could even be used. The treatments would be the same.

I'm going to stick with seeing a registered dietitian through my healthcare provider and see what she recommends.

rachylou

Veteran

What Jenn said.

I’m curious tho, as to what tests your doctor (the lady was a medical doctor) wants to run? Microbiome stuff is new, but there’s more to the ‘gut’ than that. When I was young and going through my thyroid issues, my mum took me to orthomolecular doctors (MDs). A bit ‘euro,’ with IV treatments, but I think they worked.

Anonymous

I have been both following research and living on the “microbe” bandwagon for years. If you live in US and wish to educate self on topic - look at NIH position papers but Europe has long been ahead of Curve on this stuff.
Many years ago I Was advised by GI doctors to go on probiotics and researched recommended strains ( types, numbers and pricing) . We take probiotics and Also eat probiotic foods like kimchi: helped immensely. Can’t have dairy so yogurt and kefir are out. Especially great for folks who are or have been on lots of antibiotics - like after treatment for Lymes. As always a diet of fruits and veggies instead of processed white flour and sugar makes big difference too.
Give it a few weeks- you should see a difference.

Sal

Veteran

I have heard of it and have several friends who swear by this - for their mental and physical health. They avoid inflammatory foods, use fermented foods and drinks. A good friend has had great success with her Chronic Fatigue using diet and supplements to increase good gut bacteria.

It is a challenge I think blending different medical specialists and their approaches and advice. I am no expert on this. It is hard to balance science/ego/monetary goals/traditions/insurance and regulations.

deb

Veteran

A good friend of mine has chronos disease since her 20's. She has been getting probiotics and prebiotics since I met her in 1983. Her doctors reccomended them and she really feels the difference since starting them and changing her diet.

deb

Veteran

Oh, and if she stops them and only does the diet major issues flare up.

cindysmith

Veteran

I've heard of it, and there's probably something to it, but I just love my junk food too much to give it up

Greyscale

Veteran

I've been fascinated by gut bacteria ever since I was a PhD student. Some of my research group shifted to studying that, in the context of Crohn's disease, but I stuck with my original topic (and like Diana, sometimes I wish I'd switched - it's such a big field now!). I do think we're going to learn a lot in the next few years about how metabolism, mood, physical ailments, and digestion interact with gut microbes. For some specific problems, there are very successful treatments for changing problematic gut microbes (like 'poop transplants' for certain very dangerous infections!!) - but overall the market is flooded with generic advice about taking probiotics. Or people latching onto one finding as the key to everything. I'm not sure we know enough to really take advantage of measuring gut bacteria populations yet. What's cause, what's effect, how can you stably alter your gut microbe makeup... we don't really understand this all yet.

That said, I'm tempted to do one of the gut microbe profiling services myself.

deb

Veteran

Thistle, have you seen a gastroindocrologist yet? If not, maybe you can start there to get clarification.

Jules

Veteran

Perhaps you can do a little more research and if anything resonates, ask the dietitian about what the other doctor told you and whether that path is worth investigating. Everyone has focused on the microbiome in their responses, which I get because it is definitely the hot gut health topic du jour, but the first thing I thought of (as a total non expert, to be clear) was celiac. I'm not sure what words the doc used but "gut health" could mean various things?

Style Fan

Veteran

I have not heard of it but I research everything carefully for myself before accepting "expert" opinions. I worked in healthcare long enough to know that I need to take care of myself.

I saw a naturopath in my 30s for rheumatoid arthritis. One of the best decisions I ever made.

Emily K

(website)

Veteran

IMO, there's no reason to "throw out the baby with the bathwater": A lot of gut-health recommendations are common-sense things that you should probably do anyway, like eating a large variety of foods, including fermented items like kimchee or sauerkraut in your diet, and avoiding an over-reliance on antibiotic medicines (that's the micro-biome part of the equation). Another approach is to avoid things (like lectins) that are hard to digest--the absorptive layer of cells in the gut is very thin and, once damaged, can be hard to repair. (This is the thinking behind a lot of grain-restrictive diets.)

chouette22

Veteran

JAileen above referenced the Plant Paradox diet (which is all about gut health and thus reducing inflammation markers, which are the triggers for so many diseases and weight issues). I have started it on April 1 of this year (read the book a year ago) and have been following along 3 different support groups on Facebook. If you saw how absolutely transforming this diet is for so many people (many with stomach problems, various autoimmune diseases and other health issues, excess weight, high cholesterol, etc.), you'd be impressed.

So. many. people. have stopped or severely reduced the majority of medications they have been taking for years. So many people have lost a lot of weight that they have been trying to get rid of for a long time as well.
There is a huge amount of micro-biome research out there and I have been studying it for quite a while now (in my free time, this is not my professional field). I would NOT cancel that appointment. If this weight loss practitioner wants to go that route, then I would be thrilled to follow along. I would be wary to go to a dietician who might not even know about this new field of research and just does what has been done for a long time (like recommending low-fat diets which we know do not work). Didn't you say before that you have tried for a long time to change things, but that nothing really has worked?

texstyle

(website)

Veteran

Of course - it's nearly everywhere these days. Probiotics (microbes) are being added to all kinds of vitamins and vitamin drinks (but those that aren't kept cold are pretty much useless as the microbes die off in heat) I've read that the best way to get good probiotics is eating fermented foods - sauerkraut, kimchee, kombucha, some cheeses, some yogurt, sour dough breads, etc. have the "good" microbes. Have you ever heard of the "Blue Zones" - places around the world where people live the longest? Might be worth looking into.

We used to (in our grandparents era) get good microbes from the vegetables grown in healthy soil that had loads of "good" microbes. Today agricultural soil is severely depleted of good microbes due to pesticides, fungicides and other man-made chemicals that have killed them off. Personally, I'd be leery of any doctor who *doesn't* research and recommend focusing on creating a good gut health! Your intestines are a big part of your total immune system. If the microbes in your intestines aren't at a healthy level you will not be healthy either.

https://instituteofhealthscien.....-gi-tract/

See other links at the bottom of this one too:

https://www.nih.gov/news-event.....ct-obesity

https://www.sciencedaily.com/r.....151108.htm

londonkiwi (now back in NZ)

Veteran

Yes! I’ve got some experience with it. I don’t have enough time now, but will post some useful resources.

Before being diagnosed with two autoimmune diseases 2 years ago I would have been skeptical too. But now I’m convinced, there’s so much about food that we don’t appreciate. It’s more than just fuel, it can be medicine too.

I know make an effort to get fermented food into my diet. Sauerkraut, kombucha, kefir - all readily available and delicious.

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