Those of us living in developed countries where we have multiple food choices often focus on our calorie intake while neglecting the health of our gut microbiome – the vast numbers and variety of microorganisms inside our intestines. We’re talking about several pounds of tiny critters – 10’s of trillions of them, including about 1,000 different species of bacteria made up of over 3 million genes all living and working in our intestinal walls to digest our food and keep our bodies healthy.
Some of the important functions of those multitudinous microorganisms in our guts (Gut Microbiota WorldWatch, 2015):
Helping digest foods that the stomach and small intestine have not been able to digest
Helping produce some vitamins (B and K)
Helping combat aggressions from other microorganisms
Maintaining the integrity of the intestinal mucosa
Playing an important role in the immune system, performing a barrier effect
Gut Microbiome
If you’re not keeping those pounds of critters healthy and in balance, you’re likely to become ill – perhaps not in the short run but as you move along through your life. The kinds of illnesses and conditions we’re talking about include acne, allergies, asthma, autism, cancer, celiac disease, Crohn’s disease, depression, diabetes, eczema, endocrine imbalances, endometriosis, Graves’ disease, some heart disease, infertility, juvenile arthritis, lupus, Lyme disease (chronic), MS, myesthenia gravis, peripheral neuropathy, psoriatic arthritis, psoriasis, rheumatic fever, rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, vitiligo … and many more.
A HEALTHY VERSUS A DAMAGED GUT LINING Isn’t the image below graceful and beautiful? It shows the villi, mucosal cells in the lining of a healthy small intestine. The mucosal layer is where our probiotic microorganisms live and work. It’s also home to the body’s largest population of immune cells.
Now compare that lovely image to the one below. This person’s intestinal villi have been seriously damaged by celiac disease:
Here’s another image of damaged intestinal villi. There are holes where there should be intact cells that allow only needed nutrients to get through the intestinal walls into the blood stream. These holes allow larger particles of undigested food and toxins through and the body attacks them as invading pathogens, producing an inflammatory response.
THE CONNECTION BETWEEN AN UNHEALTHY GUT MICROBIOME, CHRONIC INFLAMMATION AND AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES
As someone who’s now having to work hard to repair a very damaged gut lining and reverse several autoimmune conditions – the result of being given infant formula instead of breast milk, childhood exposure to heavy metals (fluoride in my formula and in my city’s water supply, mercury fillings), many courses of antibiotics in adulthood – I assure you it’s wise to nurture your gut microbiome so your gut lining resembles that first, beautiful slide above and is never allowed to turn into the second or third. A diagram of how damage to the intestinal lining leads to increased gut permeability – also called Leaky Gut:
And another graphic depicting how damage to the gut’s mucosal lining allows undigested food particles and toxins to escape into the body, where they cause an inflammatory response. Chronic inflammation –> autoimmune responses –> disease.
See INCREASED GUT PERMEABILITY – CAUSES & CONSEQUENCES for more information on Leaky Gut and some great images of what the inside walls of our intestines look like.
POLYPHENOL PREBIOTICS HELP HEAL DAMAGED GUT LININGS
Now that we’ve covered the importance of the probiotic microorganisms living in your gut microbiome, I hope you’re ready for some really good news!
It’s about polyphenols and how they can help us repair our overall health by restoring the health of our gut linings. Polyphenols are a type of PREbiotic, the kind of nutrient that feeds your PRObiotics.
PREbiotics and PRObiotics
Polyphenols are anti-oxidant micro-nutrients derived from a variety of plants that increase the amount of good bacteria (probiotics) and inhibit the amount of bad bacteria in our guts. They also act as PREbiotics. (Marksteiner, 2014)
This table shows the 100 richest sources of dietary polyphenols. (Pérez-Jiménez, 2015)
Strong evidence is accumulating that polyphenols’ play an important role in preventing degenerative diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases. (Manach et al, 2004)
Now a start up company in California, Greenteaspoon, has formulated a combination of nutrients called Preliva™ from plant extracts rich in polyphenols.
GOOD GUT DAILY – GOOD NEWS FOR DAMAGED GUT LININGS Prepare for a radical improvement in your digestion and your general health! Greenteaspoon’s Good Gut Daily is a tasty, liquid dietary supplement containing antioxidant, PREbiotic polyphenols for protecting or rebuilding a healthy gut. Preliva™, the proprietary active formula in Good Gut Daily, is made from plant extracts rich in bio-available polyphenols. The results of a large double-blind and placebo-controlled clinical study, published in the peer-reviewed publication the World Journal of Gastroenterology (Noguera et al, 2014), strongly support the prebiotic potential of the polyphenol blend in Preliva™ to:
Strengthen the protective digestive lining
Nourish the body’s good microflora (the friendly digestive microbes living in our guts
Reduce digestive distress – diarrhea, stomach discomfort and bloating
Calm digestion
Reduce inflammation
Strengthen your immunity
Fight immune burnout
Combat symptoms of stress
Support your overall well being
Greenteaspoon makes three versions of Good Gut Daily in a variety of flavors and sizes:
GOOD GUT DAILY NATURAL IMMUNE HEALTH
Good Gut Daily Natural Immune Health is formulated to strengthen your immunity and support your overall well-being. Good Gut Daily Natural Immune Health is designed for people with ongoing digestive problems, food sensitivities or ‘leaky gut’ symptoms – including acute digestive issues like gastroenteritis, travelers sickness, diarrhea, gas, bloating, or an upset stomach. Taken daily, it protects your digestive system and can decrease digestive distress. What it does:
Fights immune burnout
Clinically proven to calm digestion
Reinforces your digestive lining
Combats symptoms of stress, diarrhea, stomach discomfort and bloating
Who it’s for: Good Gut Daily Natural Immune Health is for people actively trying to improve and manage their ongoing immune health. Flavors:
Pomegranate-Blueberry
Mango Passion Fruit
Available in three sizes:
2-oz quick-shots (sold in 12-packs)
12-oz bottles (12 servings)
32-oz (32 servings)
Safe for children over age 2 and for adults of all ages.
GOOD GUT DAILY NATURAL DIGESTIVE HEALTH
Good Gut Daily Natural Digestive Health is designed to help you manage your ongoing digestive issues. Taken daily, it protects your digestive system and can decrease digestive distress. What it does:
Calms Your Digestive System
Clinically Shown to Alleviate Occasional:
Diarrhea
Upset stomach
Gas and bloating
Nourishes Your Body’s Good Microflora
Who it’s for: Good Gut Natural Digestive Health is for people with ongoing digestive problems, food sensitivities or ‘leaky gut’ symptoms – including acute digestive issues like Gastroenteritis, travelers sickness, diarrhea, gas, bloating or an upset stomach. Flavors:
Cranberry-Raspberry
Orange-Mango
Sizes:
2-oz quick-shots (sold in 12-packs)
12-oz (12 servings)
32-oz (32 servings)
Safe for children over age 2 and for adults of all ages.
GOOD GUT RESCUE
Double strength Good Gut Rescue rapidly soothes the symptoms of digestive distress, alleviating occasional diarrhea, upset stomach, gas and bloating. Good for rapid-onset upset stomach and handy for travel. What it does:
Clinically Shown to Alleviate:
Diarrhea
Upset Stomach
Gas & Bloating
Who it’s for: Good Gut Rescue is for children and adults ages 2 and up with acute digestive issues like gastroenteritis, travelers sickness, diarrhea, gas and bloating or upset stomach. How it works:
Strengthens the protective digestive lining
Supports friendly digestive microbes
Reduces digestive distress
Reduces inflammation
Flavors:
Soothing Mint
Honey Ginger
Sizes:
2-oz quick-shots (sold in 12-packs)
Safe for children over age 2 and for adults of all ages. Ingredients NOT in Good Gut Daily
All the versions of Good Gut Daily contain NO calories, sugar, gluten, soy, dairy, or GMOs – and come with a 30-day money back guarantee.
TO BUY GOOD GUT DAILY
Good Gut Daily isn’t available at stores yet. You can order it on the Greenteaspoon website to try it for yourself.
Remember: If your gut microbiome is balanced and healthy, the rest of your body will be a nice happy place to live too.
A Personal Note: My experience with Good Gut Daily is that it greatly improved my GI health (which had become bad again a few months ago) in just a few days (4 to be exact) – alone, without taking any of my usual PRObiotics or other nutritional supplements. I started with a single 1-oz dose of Good Gut Daily’s Natural Digestive Health (the Mango-Passion Fruit flavor) and then increased to 1 oz in the AM (on an empty stomach, 30 minutes before breakfast) + another 1 oz 30 minutes before dinner. This 1 oz twice a day dosing calmed down my over-active gut and gave me back my energy, which had been disturbingly low during the previous weeks of GI upset. I’ve been taking Good Gut Daily for about seven weeks now. My gut and the rest of my body never want to be without it. Rob Wotring, Greenteaspoon’s Founder and Chief Scientific Officer, is currently engaged in clinically testing a pill version for travel. I’m hoping it’ll be available before I leave for a long vacation this fall.
Rob Wotring at Greenteaspoon told me: “We’re convinced polyphenol prebiotics will play a huge role in advancing our understanding of the importance of the gut mucus layer in health and wellness.” Many highly respected scientists, doctors, and other health care professionals agree.
REFERENCES Good Gut Daily. (2015). Website. See: http://goodgutdaily.com/ Gut Microbiota WorldWatch. (2015). Everything you always wanted to know about the gut microbiota… See: http://www.gutmicrobiotawatch.org/en/gut-microbiota-info/ Hardin, J.R. (2015). Increased Gut Permeability – Causes & Consequences. AllergiesAndYourGut.com. See: http://allergiesandyourgut.com/2015/05/10/increased-gut-permeability-causes-consequences/ Manach, C. et al. (2004). Polyphenols: food sources and bioavailability. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 79:5, 727-747. See: http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/79/5/727.full Marksteiner, K. (2014). Do Polyphenols Improve Your Gut Bacteria? See: http://chriskresser.com/do-polyphenols-improve-your-gut-bacteria/ Noguera, T. et al. (2014). Resolution of acute gastroenteritis symptoms in children and adults treated with a novel polyphenol-based prebiotic. World Journal of Gastroenterology, 29:34, 12301-12307. See: http://www.wjgnet.com/1007-9327/full/v20/i34/12301.htm Pérez-Jiménez, J. et al. (2015). Identification of the 100 richest dietary sources of polyphenols: an application of the Phenol-Explorer database. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. See http://www.nature.com/ejcn/journal/v64/n3s/fig_tab/ejcn2010221t1.html © Copyright 2015 Joan Rothchild Hardin. All Rights Reserved.
DISCLAIMER: Nothing on this site or blog is intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.