Cancer cells HATE gut bacteria. Why? Because the microflora that's supposed to be in our gut have an interesting effect on digestive bile acids - they modify these compounds into T-cell androgen receptor inhibitors, making them better at identifying and killing cancer cells! In plain language, these bacteria-modified bile acids prevent the killer T-cells from being tricked by one of the main ways cancer cells hide from the immune system. Bile acids have similar molecular structures to the sex hormones estrogen and testosterone, but not close enough to interact with those hormone receptors. Yet once our beneficial gut bacteria "eat" the bile acids, what they then excrete can block those sites under the right physiological conditions. Once blocked, the T-cells are better able to recognize and destroy cancer cells.
Many argue that the huge increase in cancers is due to better tools for finding these malignancies, but at the same time the gut diversity in humans has been dropping drastically. The causes of this loss include overuse of antibiotics, consumption of fewer foods that properly "feed" gut bacteria, excessive hygiene practices, less contact with soil, and a plethora of synthetic preservatives in processed foods that are harmful to our microbiota allies. The effects of this loss ripples through our resistance to diseases, mood and mental state, and nutritional access - in each case having a negative effect.
How can we support or critical gut bacteria? Basically, there are two ways. The first is to increase our consumption of live, acid-loving bacteria (probiotic) and the second is to properly feed these bacteria after they've entered our gut (prebiotic). For the first, home-fermented foods such as sauerkraut, kefir, kombucha, kimchee, and yogurt all supply these beneficial bacteria. Other probiotic sources are unwashed veggies and fruits picked from your garden or foraged from the wild. However, similar foods bought from grocery stores need to be washed to remove the toxins applied during their growth, which also removes most of the bacteria you seek.
There are certain prebiotic foods that bacteria love, supplying their nutritional needs. From your garden or grocery store, pick up asparagus, onions, garlic, bananas, apples, avocados, and flaxseed. In the wild, seek out dandelion roots and greens, chicory roots, burdock roots, Jerusalem artichoke tubers, and seaweeds. One key compound in all these foods is the complex carbohydrate called inulin. Our human digestive enzymes can't break down inulin, but bacteria have different biochemistry allowing them to utilize inulin as a very powerful source of energy.
What can you do if you don't have a garden or a place to forage for these plants? You know I got you covered! The Gut Pill contains live lactobacillus to repopulate your GI tract with this critical bacterium, along with triphala fruit which is known to increase good gut microbes while suppressing bad ones. However, as fantastic as this is by itself, it's even better when combined with The Brain Pill. This combo gives your Gut-Brain Axis the nutrients and compounds necessary for improved mood, cognitive function, immune response, and overall health, along with all the other improvements brought about by the two formulas independently. Happy & strong gut = happy & strong brain!
Click HERE to get a limited time, 15% discount on the Brain-Gut Axis Stack. Hurry, because this offer ends April 30th.
Later, tribe!
-Mark "Merriwether" Vorderbruggen, Ph.D.
Go Wild - Get Healthy - It's Science
