The Second Brain

Eating is usually a great joy for most people-- especially those great holiday meals. The turkey and stuffing, ham and sweet potatoes and that lovely pumpkin pie. The only problem is that as we age the ability to digest and utilize our food often declines dramatically.

Michael Gershon has written a book entitled The Second Brain. In this book he describes how a bundle of 100 million nerve cells govern the functioning of the small intestine. This is called the enteric nervous system. The second brain operates independently from the first brain in the head. He points out that this brain will never write poetry or engage in dialogue but it independently governs the gut. He writes that when the second brain "runs the bowel well, there is bliss in the body. When the enteric nervous system fails and the gut acts badly, syllogisms, poetry, and Socratic dialogue all seem to fade into nothingness." (p.17)

Many of the neurotransmitters produced in the body originate in the gut. Nothing can make a person more miserable than when the process of digestion functions suboptimally. This has an effect not only on the stomach, but maldigestion can also impact brain function contributing to brain disorders including anxiety and depression.

Consuming more food than the digestive tract has the ability to process at a particular point in life is one of the most common triggers for the malfunctioning of the second brain. This is a wonderful time of year to remember to take Betagest for stomach acid support and Enzyme Digestive Aid for support of digestion in the small intestine. It helps prevent problems after overloading on food during the holidays and helps prevent inflammatory chemical messengers called cytokines that can make us feel miserable. Below is a list of some of NeoLife's helpful supplements for digestion:

Betagest: A stomach acid support made from beet stems and beet roots. It has a targeted delivery so it does not damage the teeth or throat and a slow release to prevent damaging the stomach lining.

Enzyme Digestive Aid: A blend of all the protein, fat, and carbohydrate enzymes necessary to digest foods. Targeted delivery assures that it does its work where it is most needed.

Fiber Powder: Fiber is the trigger for peristalsis or the worm-like motion of the small intestine. Deficiency can result in constipation. Fiber is also important as a nutrient source to feed and nourish the cells that line the digestive tract reducing the risk of "leaky gut syndrome."

Aloe Vera Drink: Years of experience have shown that this product will often benefit heartburn and promote healing of the digestive tract. I have a whole book on the healing properties of aloe in my library. The link below can tell you about some of these properties if you wish to pursue it.

Article on some of the healing properties of aloe.

Tre: Tre is an anti-inflammatory drink consisting of berry and fruit extracts. The digestive tract of many people today is in a constant inflammatory state due to excessive consumption of sugars and junk food. Tre can help reduce this problem through its blend of powerful anti-inflammatory polyphenols.

Prostate Cancer and Omega-3

Increasing evidence suggests that diets high in omega-6 fats tend to promote cancer while diets high in omega-3 fat inhibit its development. A recent study on the topic was published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. The researchers wrote, "We sought to determine whether a high omega-3, low omega-6 fatty acid diet with fish oil capsules (D + FO) decreases proliferation (Ki-67) in prostate biopsies in men with prostate cancer on AS (active surveillance)over a 1-year time period." The one year study concluded, "A high omega-3, low omega-6 diet with FO (fish oil)for 1 year resulted in a significant reduction in Ki-67 index, a biomarker for prostate cancer progression, metastasis, and death."

Intake of fish oil has also been associated with a reduced risk of developing breast cancer in women. "Conclusion: These results suggest that high consumption of fatty fish is associated with a reduced risk for breast cancer, and that the intake of ω-3 fatty acids from fish is inversely associated with postmenopausal breast cancer risk."

A study of the value of the NeoLife Salmon Oil Plus showed that it reduced the inflammatory index by 68% in 8 weeks. The product is tested for over 200 Pollutants with a standard of zero. It is one of the cleanest and most potent fish oil products on the market. It is standardized for all 8 members of the omega-3 family rather than just two which is common with these products.

Link to Articles:

High Omega-3, Low Omega-6 Diet With Fish Oil for Men With Prostate Cancer on Active Surveillance: The CAPFISH-3 Randomized Clinical Trial

Fish oil intake and breast cancer: Fatty fish and fish omega-3 fatty acid intakes decrease the breast cancer risk: a case-control study

 Sugar and Bowel Disease

Researchers found that it takes only two days of a diet high in sugar to increase susceptibility to inflammatory bowel diseases like colitis in mice. This supports the idea that relatively small changes in diet can trigger disease symptoms. Researchers were surprised that increases susceptibility to colitis could be triggered in such a short period of time by sugar intake.

The cause of the problem proved to be rapid changes in gut bacteria. Since these bacteria can reproduce as rapidly as every 20 minutes it did not take long to change bacterial populations in the digestive tract. A high fiber diet promotes bacteria that produce short chain fatty acids which nourish the digestive tract and produce a healthy immune response. A diet high in sugar and low in fiber promotes the growth of bacteria like E. coli which contribute to inflammation and defective immune responses.

This study showed that one of the consequences of a high sugar diet was to dramatically increase the permeability of the gut lining. This allowed undigested food particles and toxins produced by bacteria to be absorbed into the blood stream. The absorption of incompletely digested foods leads to food intolerances and may contributed to autoimmune conditions.

Tissue damage to the digestive tract was decreased by supplementation with short chain fatty acids produced by beneficial bacteria. This suggests that the damage caused to the gut by bacteria might be reduced by supplementation with short chain fatty acids, consumption of beneficial fibers with sugar intake, and/or supplementation with beneficial bacteria when consuming foods high in sugar.

This study appears to put to rest the notion that one can eat a healthy diet during the week and binge on sugars on the weekend without suffering negative consequences.

References:

Sugar and bowel disease Summary

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/11/191114115949.htm

Original Research Article

Autism and the Gut

     It has been known or a long time that people with autism tend to have intestinal problems. These digestive problems are associted with unbalanced populations of microbes in the lower digestive tract. The population of bacteria in the digestive tract is known as the microbiome.
Those with autism are prone to overgrowth of a species of bacteria called Clostridia. Clostridia produce toxic compounds called phenols which kill other bacteria which compete with them for space in the digestive tract.
     Phenols are poisonous to human cells unless they can be neutralized by sulfur. Overgrowth of Clostridia can deplete the body's reserves of sulfur which is also essential for brain development. Many autistic individuals evidence a defect in sulfur metabolism which could increase susceptibility to damage from the toxins prodced by Clostridia. Research is ongoing to see if abnormal sulfur metabolism and Clostridia overgrowth may play a role in the abnormal brain development characteristic of autism.
Reference:
Me, myself, us, The Economist, Augst 18, 2012, 69-72.