What You're Not Eating is Keeping You Sick

What is the most important step you can take for gut health and preventing disease? It costs you nothing additional to fill this gap in your diet.

In the episode, Dr Vikki Petersen explains a critical missing element in the American diet which is setting us up for weight gain, diabetes, cancer risk and depression.

We're talking about short chain fatty acids (SCFA) - a type of fat produced in your colon from microbes. They are named: butyrate, propionate and acetate.

Benefits?
 Stabilizes blood sugar
 Supports your metabolism
 Strengthens your immune system
 Balances brain health

Practical examples:
 Study of young men with diabetes - improved the microbes (bacteria) in their gut and they instantly had better blood sugar control.

 People with cancer who “failed” immunotherapy - a treatment that requires your immune system to be strong enough to arm a defense against the cancer cells. Once their microbes were restored to a healthy level they successfully responded to the immunotherapy. Interesting melanoma research in the references below.

 Did you know - people born in 1990s are 4x more likely to develop rectal cancer and 2x more likely to develop colon cancer in their lifetime as compared to their parents who were born in the 1950s?

 People with depression - “gave” their microbes (via fecal transplant) to mice and the mice got depressed. Those humans with anxiety, depression, ADD/ADHD, Alzheimer’s - do NOT have healthy microbiomes.

How it works:
 Your gut is “outside” your body - mouth to your anus is closed system.
 On the other side of the gut lining is 70% of your immune system
 The microbes IN your gut maintain the gut lining.
 When you eat fiber it's untouched until it reaches your colon
 Why? We don’t have the enzymes to break it down - only microbes do.

What are we talking about?
 Soluble fiber - remains intact until it gets into the colon and then a feeding frenzy ensues by your microbes because soluble fiber is their preferred fuel.
 NOW the magic happens! The microbes eat the fiber and they release a fat called SCFA. 
 SCFAs then enter your bloodstream and within seconds are circulating everywhere with healing effects to your metabolism, insulin levels, decreasing inflammation and protecting your brain
 SCFAs have multiple mechanisms by which they can destroy tumor cells - they do this by empowering your immune system.

Now the problem:
 These amazing SCFAs are produced by eating fiber and most Americans (95%) don’t get even the bare minimum. 38gm in men, 25 gm in women.
 Soluble fiber found in ALL plants - fruit, vegetable, nut, seed and bean.
How to get the healthiest microbiome?
 Fiber? YES
 Diversity is key - different plants' fiber feed different microbes. 
Eat 30 plants per week = healthiest guts.

Note on Carnivore: they say you don’t need fiber but there are no human studies to support robust SFFA production and microbial diversity without fiber.


Disclaimer: The information provided in this episode is intended for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the guidance of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding your health, medical condition, or treatment options. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it. The views expressed are based on my clinical experience and current scientific understanding as of the date of publication. Individual results may vary.

Our licensed medical team at Root Cause Medical Clinic can help you identify the root cause. 
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