What I’m Reading: Glyphosate and the Microbiome, Targeting the Mitochondria In Cardiovascular Disease, and Gastrointestinal Dysregulation & Autism

The sheer volume of health, wellness, and medical news and commentary available on the internet can be overwhelming. Every month, get a taste of what integrative medicine leader Dr. John Gannage finds interesting (and digestible) on the web.

Glyphosate shown to disrupt microbiome ‘at safe levels’, study claims

“A chemical found in the world’s most widely used weedkiller can have disrupting effects on sexual development, genes and beneficial gut bacteria at doses considered safe, according to a wide-ranging pilot study in rats.

Glyphosate is the core ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide and levels found in the human bloodstream have spiked by more than a 1,000% in the last two decades.”

A gut bacterium’s guide to building a microbiome

“Over the past decade, many studies have profiled the gut microbiome in a variety of diseases, lifestyles, geographies, and following birth. We’ve learned that the community composition of the microbiome correlates with particular conditions — for example, altered microbiome configurations may contribute to inflammatory bowel disease, autism, and Parkinson’s disease. What has remained largely unknown is how a microbiome is established and maintained in the first place.”

New study could help decide whether chelation benefits the heart

Our clinic is enrolling participants for TACT2, after the positive results of the first chelation therapy study showed a 41% reduction in future cardiac events including heart attack and 43% reduction in death among diabetic patients with previous MI. Contact us for more info. Or visit tact2.org

Children living in green neighbourhoods less likely to develop asthma

“Other studies have suggested that the exposure to the natural environment also protects against low birth weight, heart disease, mental health disorders and breast cancer, although results have not always been consistent. Therefore, as the diversity of our natural environment and resultant microbial exposure declines, we may see further increases in diseases, such as childhood allergies and asthma.”

Novel antioxidant makes old blood vessels seem young again

More traction for nutrient therapy and functional medicine, as this study demonstrates the importance of targeting the mitochondria in cardiovascular disease. Making old blood vessels young again within 6 weeks is quite an accomplishment, regardless of the treatment. The fact that it was achieved using a nutritional supplement, and the results published in a prestigious mainstream medical journal, is all the more remarkable.

“The study, published this week in the American Heart Association journal Hypertension, adds to a growing body of evidence suggesting pharmaceutical-grade nutritional supplements, or nutraceuticals, could play an important role in preventing heart disease-the nation’s No. 1 killer. It also resurrects the notion that oral antioxidants, which have been broadly dismissed as ineffective in recent years, could reap measurable health benefits if properly targeted, the authors say.”

Immune system and gastrointestinal dysregulation linked with autism

The zonulin test is readily available (in an integrative medicine practice) and relatively inexpensive, so I’ve been measuring it with greater frequency when gut permeability issues are suspected. It helps in case management, to know the starting point and then to track effectiveness of treatment, and to decide how much elimination of antigenic foods may be necessary.

“The ASD/GI children … had higher levels of the protein zonulin, which regulates cell junctions in the GI tract, influencing gut permeability. The study also found distinction in the microbiome between children with ASD and GI symptoms and typically developing children with GI problems.”

‘Mono’ virus linked to seven serious diseases

Chronic illness in a nutshell – it’s multifactorial, a complex interaction between genetics, genetic expression and environment. In the sentence below change the “or” to “and” – the influencers are happening sequentially and often simultaneously:

“Overall, the study sheds new light on how environmental factors, such as viral or bacterial infections, poor diet, pollution or other hazardous exposures, can interact with the human genetic blueprint and have disease-influencing consequences.”

Still hungry for information? Find previous month’s picks here.

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