The study involved 80 people, some healthy and others in poor health. Skin and blood levels of tocotrienols were measured using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). In surgery patients, HPLC was used to determine tocotrienol levels in adipose tissue, brain, heart, and liver. The researchers found that oral supplementation of tocotrienols led to the accumulation of this nutrient in all areas tested. This is the first time this has been proven in a human study.

Of particular importance was the finding that alpha tocotrienol accumulated in the brain at levels proven in animal studies to offer neuroprotection against stroke. Many tocotrienol supplements contain only the cholesterol-modulating gamma tocotrienol. Clearly, alpha tocotrienol also has significant value for health, especially for brain health. Thus, supplementation with both alpha tocotrienol and gamma tocotrienol is important.

Some of the patients in the study were scheduled for liver transplants due to end stage liver disease. Fifty percent of those patients experienced improved liver health from tocotrienol supplementation. I have often pointed out that your liver and brain are the two fattiest organs in your body (except your white adipose tissue), requiring higher levels of fat-soluble antioxidants like tocotrienols. Whatever nutrients protect your brain also protect your liver, and vice versa. In this regard, tocotrienols excel.

Gene science is just beginning to understand which genes and their related signals become overactive in response to chronic stress. And scientists are now beginning to connect the dots in terms of the health consequences. For example, excessive MAPK and its byproducts can destroy joint cartilage. One study shows that a synergistic combination of resveratrol and curcumin can turn down the volume knob on stress-related MAPK signaling, thus enabling your cartilage-building carpenter cells, known as chondrocytes, to survive. Since deteriorating joint health is a major concern for an aging American population, such a finding is of immense benefit.

Interestingly, another study shows that excessive MAPK activation reduces brain levels of serotonin, inciting the type of nervous system “brain pain” that results in depression, anxiety, drug cravings, and addiction. This study shows a precise pathway whereby an excess amount of stress triggers a cascade of events that induce serious nerve problems — all resulting from excessive MAPK signaling.

While resveratrol and curcumin are not part of this second study, it is logical to conclude that their reduction of MAPK signaling (regarding joints) would apply anywhere in your body, since both nutrients are known to reduce inflammation in nerves and elsewhere. 

Collectively, the data indicate that synergistic combinations of anti-inflammatory nutrients, such as resveratrol and curcumin, are likely to improve your body’s ability to cope with the demands of stress. Since very few of us are likely to have stress-free lives, it is important that we have multiple strategies to offset such wear and tear. Lifestyle factors such as eating well, exercising, getting enough sleep, properly managing stress, and receiving high-quality nutrition should all be part of your anti-inflammatory team.

A telomere is a repeating sequence of DNA at the end of a chromosome. Each time a cell replicates and divides, the telomere loses some of its length. Eventually the telomere runs out and the cell can no longer divide and rejuvenate, triggering a poor state of cell health that contributes to disease risk and eventual cell death. In 1962, Leonard Hayflick revolutionized cell biology when he developed a theory relevant to telomeres known as the Hayflick Limit, which places the maximum potential lifespan of humans at 120, the time at which too many cells can no longer replicate and divide to keep things going. Fifty years later, new gene science emerged, opening the door to maximizing our genetic potential.

Various stressors accelerate the rate at which telomeres shorten, in turn speeding up the rate of biological aging. Many conditions of age-associated poor health are associated with short telomeres. Science continues to demonstrate that telomere length is very important, but equally important is telomere quality. 

In some ways telomeres are the weak link in DNA. They are readily damaged and must be repaired, yet they lack the repair efficiency of other DNA. This results in an accumulation of partially damaged and poorly functioning telomeres of lower quality, regardless of length. 

One way to view our potential to influence the aging process is simply to slow down the rate. In the context of telomeres, this means utilizing strategies to slow down the rate at which they shorten, while helping to protect and repair them to maintain their quality. An emerging body of nutritional science says that this is now possible.

Another intriguing possibility is that we may be able to lengthen telomeres while maintaining their quality, actually turning back the biological clock. Science shows that this is also possible, although we are far from any instant Fountain of Youth remedy.  Regardless, the path to better telomeres is very clear. My goal is to give you a better working understanding of the situation, as well as practical steps you can take to improve and maintain the health of your very important telomeres.

Basic Nourishment for Your Telomeres

Genetic destiny is not written in stone. Genes are somewhat pliable and nutrition excels at offsetting gene weaknesses. Many gene systems are set up in the womb, in the first few weeks of life, and further molded into shape in your early years. Thereafter, they are influenced by a variety of factors, especially nutrition. These are called epigenetic settings, and they determine how genes manifest their functions. For example, if we say that a thermostat represents your core genetic make up, then the temperature the thermostat is set to and the program that will raise and lower the temperature are epigenetic factors.

Telomere length is epigenetically regulated, meaning it is influenced by nutritional status. Malnourished mothers give their children a bad dealing of the telomere deck, leading to future increased rates of heart disease (atherosclerotic arteries have higher numbers of short telomeres). Conversely, well-nourished mothers help establish optimal telomere length and quality in their children. 

Healthy function of telomeres requires adequate methylation. Methylation is the chemical process of donating a methyl group (one carbon atom bonded to three hydrogen atoms —CH3) to the genetic material of the telomere, epigenetically marking the telomeres for proper function. 

The important point to understand is that an adequate supply of methyl donors is needed for telomeres to work properly, just like a car needs gasoline. The primary methyl donor for this purpose is called SAMe, which uses nutrients like methionine, MSM sulfur, choline, and trimethylglycine as building blocks. Forming SAMe from these building blocks requires vitamin B12, folic acid, and vitamin B6.  Folic acid and B12 actually play multiple roles in supporting telomere genomic stability.

The most important basic supplement for telomere support is a good quality multiple vitamin, along with adequate dietary protein, especially sulfur-rich proteins. Examples include whey protein, eggs, cottage cheese, dairy, red meat, chicken, legumes, duck, nuts, and seeds. Eggs contain the highest source of choline in the diet, with others such as red meat, chicken, dairy, nuts, and seeds containing moderate amounts.

Your brain also requires a large supply of methyl donors to maintain a good mood. Chronic stress and depression typically indicate a lack of methyl donors, meaning telomeres are undernourished and prone to accelerated aging. This is a major reason why stress ages people.

This simple fact can help you determine your personal “minimum daily requirement” for methyl donors. You may want to increase your B vitamin intake. Either take more of your multi vitamin or take an extra B-complex, along with adequate protein and possible other cofactors such as MSM sulfur, choline, and trimethylglycine, to the point that you feel a significant improvement in energy and mood. You can assume that if you have sufficient methyl donors for healthy brain function, you will most likely have adequately nourished telomeres.

A study with 586 women found that those who took a multiple vitamin on a regular basis had five percent longer telomeres compared to those who did not. Men with the highest levels of folic acid had longer telomeres than men with low folic acid. And another study with men and women found low folate was related to shorter telomeres.

The more demands you are under and/or the worse you feel, emotionally or mentally, the more you need to focus on getting an adequate support of basic nutrients, which will not only help your nerves and brain, but also your telomeres. Conversely, if you feel pretty good most of the time, with a good energy level and mostly positive mood, and you have basic B vitamins and adequate dietary protein, then you are doing a good job of covering your telomeres’ basic nutrient needs.

Minerals & Antioxidants Help Genomic Stability and Telomeres

Nutrition excels at helping offset the wear and tear that is part of daily life. Many nutrients help protect and enhance our DNA’s repair capacity, including that of telomeres. A lack of antioxidants leads to increased free radical damage and more risk for damage to telomeres. For example, patients with Parkinson’s have shorter telomeres than expected for “normal aging” in direct relation to the amount of free radical damage associated with their condition. Women with lower dietary intake of antioxidants have shorter telomeres and an increased risk for breast cancer.

Magnesium is necessary for many enzymes involved with DNA replication and repair. One animal study shows that magnesium deficiency is associated with increased free radical damage and shorter telomeres. A human cell study shows that magnesium deprivation causes rapid loss of telomeres and inhibits cell replication. Magnesium deficiency is common in the United States and likely contributes to rapid aging. Ensuring magnesium adequacy supports many aspects of health, including the length of telomeres. Total magnesium intake should be between 400 mg – 800 mg per day, with higher levels for increased stress.

Zinc is intimately involved with binding signals to DNA, as well as with DNA repair. Lack of zinc causes an excessive amount of DNA strand breakage. A lack of zinc in elderly people is associated with excessive numbers of short telomeres. The minimal amount of zinc you want is 15 mg per day, ranging up to 50 mg for women or 75 mg for men. A novel antioxidant that contains zinc is carnosine, which has been shown to slow the rate of telomere depletion in human fibroblast cells, while extending their longevity. Carnosine is also a major brain antioxidant, making it a great stress management nutrient.

Numerous antioxidants are likely to help protect and repair your DNA. Vitamin C has been shown to slow the loss of telomeres in human vascular endothelial cells. Impressively, the special form of vitamin E known as tocotrienols has been shown in human fibroblast cells to actually restore the length of telomeres while reducing DNA damage. This study shows that it is possible for a nutrient to reverse the shortening of telomeres, a potential reversal of aging.

DNA is under constant free radical attack. In healthy individuals, there is an adequate antioxidant defense system fueled by nutrition. These antioxidants help reduce damage and preserve DNA function. In some cases they help repair DNA.

As you age and/or as your health begins to decline, you start to accumulate damaged molecules that trigger more frequent free radical attacks, as well as interfere with DNA recovery and telomere function. You don’t want a snowballing effect that leads to poor health and is accompanied by excessive telomere loss. For example, simply being overweight causes significant free radical damage not seen in normal weight people. 

Antioxidant nutrients are highly synergistic and mutually beneficial to each other and thus to your body. You want a comprehensive array of antioxidant nutrients as a foundation. This baseline of support needs to be higher in people with chronic health problems or under high demands (stress load, physically challenging day, lots of exercise, etc.). In addition to an antioxidant foundation, specific antioxidant nutrients such as magnesium, zinc, vitamin C, carnosine, and especially tocotrienol E are likely to directly benefit your telomeres.

Inflammation and Infection Drive Telomere Loss

At this time in our scientific understanding of telomeres, the most realistic expectation is to be able to slow the rate of telomere loss. Hopefully, this will enable you to fulfill your Hayflick obligation of 120 years of healthy life. It means you must effectively manage wear and tear. High stress and infection are two examples of wear and tear that shorten telomeres. Both situations are highly inflammatory, causing significant cell damage. As inflammation rises, so does free radical damage. For example, patients with periodontal inflammation, which is typically accompanied by low-grade mouth infections, have higher levels of inflammatory markers, higher amounts of free radical damage, and shorter telomeres.

Under conditions of higher inflammatory stress, cells increase their rate of replication and division in order to restore themselves. This need to recover from cellular damage actually accelerates telomere loss due to significantly increased cell turnover. Additionally, free radicals generated during inflammation also damage existing telomeres. Thus, we want to do everything we can to reduce inflammation (especially traumatic injury, physical or emotional) and prevent infectious illness. In addition to the more obvious acute and intense issues, we also need to manage the low-grade, chronic issues such as infections in our sinuses, mouth, and digestive tract. 

It is simply not realistic or even desirable to avoid all stress or inflammation. However, it is important to manage life effectively in order to prevent premature shortening of our telomeres. In the unfortunate event of trauma or a nasty infection, it is a good idea to boost telomere support nutrition until there is a full recovery. The most basic supplements to address the inflammatory aspect are vitamin D and DHA (the omega-3 fatty acid).

Vitamin D determines how much inflammatory heat the immune system generates. With a lack of vitamin D, it is easy to overheat, generate a ton of free radicals and damage your telomeres. Your ability to tolerate stress successfully is based in no small part on your vitamin D status, including your ability to fight infection. Researchers have now demonstrated in 2,100 female twins, ages 19-79, that the highest levels of vitamin D were associated with the longest telomeres and the lowest vitamin D levels were associated with the shortest telomeres, a difference equating to five years of lifespan potential. 

Inflammation sets off a chain reaction of free radical damage, a problem that can magnify if inflammation remains high. Quenching inflammation naturally with nutrition is key in preserving telomeres. With our understanding of DHA and EPA - that they actually produce compounds that protect against as well as resolve inflammation- these omega-3 essential fatty acids play an important role in preserving telomeres. In a group of 608 cardiovascular patients followed over a five year period, those with the highest intake of DHA/EPA had the longest telomeres, and those with the lowest levels had the shortest telomeres.

There is a very long list of dietary supplements that help calm the core inflammatory gene signal known as NF-kappaB. NF-kappaB-quenching nutrients are also found in the fruits, vegetables, nuts, and whole grains in your diet. In theory, the sum total of your NF-kappaB support nutrients versus lifestyle demands, plus daily wear and tear should give you some idea if inflammation is taking too much of a toll. If you feel a poor trend in symptoms, you can assume your telomeres are also struggling. Conversely, if your body feels fit, energetic, free of aches and pains, and you recover well with a good night’s sleep, you are in relatively good anti-inflammatory shape.

There are some specific studies on anti-inflammatory nutrients known to calm down NF-kappaB, which also help preserve telomeres. Nutrients such as quercetin, green tea catechins, grape seed extract, curcumin, and resveratrol all show specific ability to help preserve telomeres, with grape seed extract and curcumin showing the ability to generate longer telomeres. Certainly, other NF-kappaB-quenching nutrients would likely show benefits; there just aren’t currently any specific studies in this regard. On the other hand, the nutrient curcumin is being extensively studied for its ability to help repair DNA, especially epigenetic malfunction, and prevent and help treat cancer, making it one of the best documented nutrients you could take.

Likewise, resveratrol is particularly intriguing. Calorie restriction may help extend lifespan. Eating too much on a regular basis will shorten your telomeres. Animal data indicates that eating less food preserves telomeres. Eating less activates the sirtuin 1 (sirt1) gene, which helps the body’s systems maintain themselves during times of food scarcity—a feature very important for the survival of the human race. Resveratrol also activates sirt1, a feature likely to confer benefits to telomeres, especially if you take resveratrol and avoid overeating as a lifestyle pattern.

We now know that short telomeres are reflective of a “worn out” DNA repair and rejuvenation capacity that increases risk for cancer and heart disease. An interesting human study tracked 662 people from childhood until age 38, measuring their HDL levels (the protective form of cholesterol). Those with the highest HDL levels had the longest telomeres. The researchers believed this was due to less cumulative inflammatory and free radical damage in their life up to this midlife point. This study shows that a low HDL level is not only predictive of a longer-term lifestyle of poor health, but also of the toll those health issues take on telomeres. Of course, every chronic health problem has increased inflammation and free radical damage as features, and is likely to be associated with shorter telomeres, as has been demonstrated for COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease).

Summary

The bottom line is that you need a lifestyle and nutrition intake that can offset wear and tear and prevent free radical damage. Nutritional anti-inflammation strategies are an important part of your telomere preservation toolbox. The healthier you are, the less you need to do. The worse off your health, the more you need to make changes. Even if you are healthy, general aging takes its toll on your telomeres, and you want to do everything you can to maintain your fitness and health while preserving them. This means that more nutritional support is needed as you grow older, simply as an attempt to minimize the common wear and tear of aging.

You should have a baseline nutritional support program that is relevant to your current health trends and issues. Your lifestyle should be fairly balanced, avoiding known behaviors and substances that cause wear and tear and speed telomere loss. 

Furthermore, in the unfortunate event of an accident, injury, illness, or emotional trauma, you should boost up support until such issues have resolved, as they are a major hit to your telomeres. Lingering effects, such as post traumatic stress disorder, predict poor telomere status. Every effort should be made to fully recover from any type of trauma.

Telomeres reflect the vitality your body displays to keep up with demands and challenges. As telomeres shorten and/or or become functionally impaired, your body struggles to keep up. In this situation, damaged molecules accumulate in your body, hampering repair processes and accelerating aging. This sets the stage for the early onset of any number of health issues, based on whatever your weak spots may be. Disease is more likely and quality of health declines.

Skin health is another predictor of telomere status, reflecting biological age. Simply hold your forearm next to a child’s forearm and closely compare the differences in skin (don’t do this for too long or you will start feeling really old). Youth and body growth are reflective of the free-spending, happy-go-lucky days of your telomeres. Your skin looks fresh and new. With age, cell division starts to slow down in order to preserve telomeres. The “reckless” spending of youth is replaced by more prudent saving for the future. Better quality skin as you age is directly related to the health of your telomeres.

Preserving your telomeres is an exceptionally important principle of health. Those who are able to stay on top of the telomere game will be rewarded with a longer lifespan and better quality of health as they age. A new era of anti-aging nutritional science is upon us. It is possible to make changes that point you in the right direction at any age. It’s never too young to start or too old to benefit.

Researchers at Emory University School of Medicine¹ studied a mouse engineered to lack an important gene signal, Toll-like receptor 5 (TLR5), which helps recognize self-propelling bacteria. The lack of this gene signal caused the mouse to have an excessive appetite (eating 10% more than normal), develop insulin resistance, have high blood pressure, have elevated levels of cholesterol and triglycerides, develop fatty liver disease, and become 20% heavier than normal mice. In short, the mouse developed metabolic syndrome, an epidemic in America. The mouse was also at higher risk for developing ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease.

Researchers determined that the flora content, or microbiota of the intestinal tract was the source of the problem. Because the mouse lacks TLR5, the wrong type of bacteria overgrow in the stomach. Interestingly, when the researchers transferred the overgrown bacteria to normal mice they also developed metabolic syndrome abnormalities. This overgrowth of bacteria fueled obesity and triggered inappropriate food cravings in the mice. The mice did not get fat when food was restricted, yet insulin resistance persisted (a prerequisite to type II diabetes).

While over a thousand different kinds of bacteria naturally populate the digestive tract, there are two main classes: Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes. TLR5 mice have abnormal Firmicute populations, which cause the problem. 

“It has been assumed that the obesity epidemic in the developed world is driven by an increasingly sedentary lifestyle and the abundance of low-cost high-calorie foods,” says senior author Andrew Gewirtz, PhD, associate professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at Emory University School of Medicine. “However, our results suggest that excess caloric consumption is not only a result of undisciplined eating, but that intestinal bacteria contribute to changes in appetite and metabolism.”

Earlier Research on Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes

The famous mouse that makes no leptin hormone, the ob/ob mouse, eats endlessly and becomes extremely obese. This mouse has a 50% reduction in Bacteroidetes² and a proportional increase in Firmicutes. This means that the condition of obesity itself contributes to an excess number of Firmicutes. 

Through a variety of experiments with genetically altered mice, scientists now believe that excessive populations of the wrong type of Firmicutes activate enzymes that promote the storage of fat in fat cells (adipocytes). This means that activity in the gut has a direct impact on where calories go in the body.

Firmicutes are gram positive bacteria, many of which are friendly and essential to human digestion, such as Lactobacillus. On the other side of the Firmicute coin are members of the Streptococcus and Clostridium families, which are responsible for many infections. 

Chron’s, Bacterial LPS, and Obesity

In 2010, Chinese researchers³ released a report on 3.3 million microbial genes obtained from the fecal samples of 124 individuals from Denmark and Spain. The gene set is 150 times larger than the entire human genome. Over 99% of the genes are bacterial, indicating between 1,000 and 1,150 prevalent bacterial species. Each individual has at least 160 species, which are also largely shared. This is the first catalog of organisms found in the human digestive tract. 

In this preliminary work, researchers identified gene signals associated with obesity and Crohn’s disease. “Apart from helping you digest, these bacteria may also play a very important role in ... diseases like Crohn’s disease, cancer, obesity,” said lead author Jun Wang, executive director of the Beijing Genomics Institute.

Wang and colleagues in China are working on a similar 120-sample study in Chinese hospitals. “There are four groups: obese diabetics, obese non-diabetics, lean diabetics and lean non-diabetics. And we found some interesting bugs related to each type of diabetes,” Wang said.

In other words, gene signals arising from populations of gut bacteria have a direct interaction with human metabolism – a dramatic finding.

Another aspect of this problem is that bacteria produce an endotoxin from the shedding of their cell wall called lipopolysaccharide (LPS). LPS is a commonly studied compound, as it reliably induces inflammation. Researchers have found that gut-derived bacterial LPS enters the bloodstream and directly triggers insulin resistance⁴, especially liver-related insulin resistance that typically accompanies type II diabetes. Furthermore, a chronic high-fat diet for four weeks raises LPS two to three times normal levels. It is also documented in obese women⁵ that LPS activates inflammation, setting the stage for metabolic disease.

Of great importance is the fact that LPS inhibits leptin from appropriately entering the brain⁶. LPS has been shown to raise blood levels of leptin, directly inducing leptin resistance. It also raises blood levels of triglycerides, which are the main known cause of leptin resistance at the blood-brain barrier. 

It has been demonstrated in overweight and obese children⁷ that a lack of friendly flora and an excess number of the Firmicute Staphylococcus aureus are common findings. 

Overweight women are known to have imbalanced microbiota with excess numbers of Firmicutes⁸ in the Clostridium and Staphylococcus families. This problem is aggravated during pregnancy when the mother’s immune system is down-regulated so as not to reject the fetus, leading to excessive weight gain during pregnancy. Furthermore, the mother’s microbiota pattern is typically passed to the child. Interestingly, women given friendly flora probiotic supplements in the first trimester of pregnancy⁹ had less abdominal fat one year after pregnancy.

Another study shows that probiotics inhibit the gram negative bacteria H. pylori¹⁰ and stop it from producing the toxic LPS that interferes with human metabolism.

Collectively, these studies show a clear path from the overgrowth of the wrong digestive bacteria to the creation of leptin-resistant and insulin-resistant obesity, which eventually leads to increased risk for type II diabetes and heart disease.

While killing Firmicutes with antibiotics does lessen the metabolic problems of TLR5-lacking mice, this would only encourage regrowth of equally bad if not worse Firmicutes in humans, while also encouraging the overgrowth of another anti-metabolic population, candida albicans, making the societal problem of antibiotic resistance and new superbugs even worse.

Rather, it appears that natural remedies are the front line of defense against this problem. This begins with a diet that promotes balanced digestion by avoiding excess fat, refined sugar, alcohol, and junk food. Encouraging growth of friendly flora with probiotic supplements (acidophilus) and prebiotic supplements (various types of fiber) is another very workable solution. 

There are also many natural compounds known to kill inappropriate gram positive bacteria in the digestive tract. Oregano oil, medium chain fatty acids, bovine colostrum, and bovine lactoferrin are just some examples of nature’s toolbox. These all have significant advantages over antibiotics, as they do not breed germ resistance or disturb beneficial flora. While helping to reduce surplus populations of undesirable bacteria, these compounds also reduce surplus populations of candida albicans – unlike antibiotic drugs that encourage candida albicans overgrowth.

It is always important to address the underlying cause of any digestive problem, not just cover it up with antacids that further induce undesirable bacterial overgrowth by reducing our front line of defense (stomach acid). Improving the digestive tract can also have a significant impact on metabolism, weight management, and cardiovascular health.

This Spanish study evaluated 75 full-term newborns. It compared breast fed to bottle fed, compared those at genetic risk for celiac to those not at risk, and measured the types of bacteria forming in the newborns’ digestive tracts at various points throughout their infancy. It is clear from the research that those at genetic risk for celiac start developing a very different type of bacterial balance of power. This balance worsens with bottle feeding and improves with breast feeding.

Celiac is an autoimmune disease of the digestive tract. While it affects slightly less than one percent of Americans, a far higher percentage suffer from Celiac-like digestive problems, which often trigger thyroid autoimmune problems. In other words, while true manifestation of Celiac is certainly a health problem affecting many, gluten intolerance affects far more people, and is common among those with persisting digestive problems and food allergies/sensitivities.

A mother’s bacterial balance of power is passed onto her child as a baseline of digestive health. This means that pregnant women should take high-quality acidophilus and/or consume high-quality yogurt during pregnancy. Acidophilus is proven to help women in multiple ways, including passing along on a better bacterial starting point for their children. Furthermore, breastfeeding is essential for healthy development of the digestive tract, reducing the risk for digestive and thyroid autoimmune problems in the future. Science also shows that proper balance of digestive bacteria influences nervous system development in children, promoting increased cognitive ability.

Glutamine is also vital to muscular health. In times of increased need, muscle glutamine is sent to the digestive tract, weakening the muscles to maintain digestive health. Likewise, muscles can be broken down to bolster the immune system with glutamine. In some ways, the body views muscle-derived glutamine as an important savings account for other health needs. 

Ongoing digestive issues combined with muscle fatigue indicate a high likelihood that extra supplemental glutamine would be of value. Additionally, insufficient glutamine creates a risk for poor immunity, poor glucose metabolism, premature cell death, and poor cellular stress tolerance.

Of course, glutamine supplementation is also of extreme value in situations of acute trauma² and for those with compromised health.

Researchers believe that up to 30 grams of glutamine may be needed in times of very high stress to maintain optimal glutamine levels. I find that for most people with ongoing digestive issues, doses of 6 to 9 grams per day can really help turn a problem around.

Packed into the three to five pounds of contents within the digestive tract are ten times the number of foreign cells (bacteria, yeast, etc.) than comprise the entire human body. Additionally, this diverse population of foreign inhabitants possesses 100 times the genomic signaling activity of an entire human genome. Mapping the human genome and the far more complex gut genome is the new frontier of science. It is already clear that the human genome relies on the gut genome to produce a variety of signals that sustain human health. In essence, the human genome uses gut genomic activity as “worker bees” to sustain the “queen bee” (the body). This has clear survival advantages; it would require too much energy for the human genome to do all the work itself.

We have known for many years that disturbances within the digestive balance of power influence or cause almost every disease. As I like to say, bad gangs “set up shop” in our digestive neighborhoods, often warring with each other. This nasty state of affairs not only generates toxic trash that enters the general circulation, but gene signaling from the “gang warfare” causes immune system malfunction, both inhibiting normal immunity and inciting autoimmune reactions, allergies, asthma, and obesity.

However, the research is entirely new in our understanding of what is actually happening. It implies that the contents of the gut and thus the type of gut genomic signaling that occurs during brain development in the first few years of life profoundly influences brain function, then and later in life.

One study looked at mice bred to have no digestive bacteria. This gave researchers the option of introducing bacteria at will, enabling them to compare the mice without bacteria to the mice with normal gut flora, all the while measuring genomic signaling. Researchers found that the no-bacteria mice exhibited significantly more hyperactive and risky behavior as adults. If they were given normal bacteria early in life, they grew up with the same normal behavioral traits of the control mice. If they were given normal bacteria later in life, the hyper/risky behavior was already established. Please note, this is the simple explanation of the study, which used advanced genomic monitoring to assess outcomes. Clearly, gut genomic signaling influenced brain development.

“The data suggests that there is a critical period early in life when gut microorganisms affect the brain and change the behavior in later life,” says Dr. Rochellys Diaz Heijtz, first author of the study. “Not only are signal substances like serotonin and dopamine subject to regulation by bacteria, synapse function also appears to be regulated by colonizing bacteria,” continues Prof. Sven Pettersson, coordinator of the study.

In other words, gut flora influences the proper formation of brain structure and the healthy plasticity of nerve networks. Although this is an animal study, the data goes a long way in helping explain many human mental health issues and may shed a new understanding on how such problems originate. Extrapolating on the meaning of the data would certainly suggest that antibiotics, which disrupt normal bacterial evolution in the digestive tract, could be a significant cause or contributor to autism, ADHD, mood disorders, and generally reduced cognitive ability.

Proper development of the digestive tract is vital to immunity, digestive health, and likely brain health. Poor quality diets that depress immunity and lead to antibiotic use can result in a lifetime of poor digestive function, poor immune function, and poor brain function. I’ve seen this a countless number of times.

If you’ve had to use antibiotics with a child, it is important to get their digestive tract back in better health. Minimally, this means supplementing with probiotics to rebuild good flora in the digestive tract. It may require additional steps with safe and health-promoting natural remedies to bolster both digestive function and immunity so that antibiotics aren’t “needed” again. The reckless practice of medicine is fueled by the reckless practice of parenting. Unfortunately, the data indicates that mistakes made early in life may have consequences that last a lifetime.

One study evaluated bromelain and papain for their ability to reduce inflammation and prevent excessive muscle damage from exercise. The researchers found that these nutrients significantly enhanced muscle performance, while reducing inflammatory markers like COX2 and IL6. 

The body makes protease enzymes for its natural housecleaning operations. Unfortunately, the ability to produce these enzymes declines with age. Additionally, the need for protease enzymes is significantly increased with physical injury. I suggest taking bromelain and papain to assist with fitness conditioning and to help prevent an “itis” from developing in the process of trying to improve your health.