As much as I'd like to believe that one "bad" bacteria (desulfovibrio) is responsible for Parkinson's, I suspect the situation is more complicated than that, as this recently released study suggests;
nature.com/articles/s41467-...
Certainly the evidence is accumulating though, that a reduction in butyrate producing bacteria is a key factor, so upping the inulin and resistant starch intake is probably a good idea.
Great Paper!
From your paper:
"Interestingly, there is a possibility that the disruption effect of Akkermansia and other mucin-degraders might be reversed by switching to a high-fiber diet, indicating the potential of dietary intervention in intervening gut dysbiosis at prodromal and early α-synucleinopathy, especially among patients with concomitant anxiety and depressive disorders48."
I like that. I did not read every word but still seems to be saying "Fix your gut, fix your health". I need to cut out the sugar and carbs and add Butyrate to my stack. I think.
Butyrate's a very promising molecule, not just for the gut but the brain itself. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...
And taking butyrate orally might do more for the brain than the gut, since it appears to be mostly absorbed in the small intestine. So unless you want to do butyrate enemas, the best way to get butyrate to the colon is to deliver the right kinds of fiber to the bacteria there.
newsroom.uw.edu/postscript/...
Thanks! Kudos to chartist for cluing me in on the SCFA benefits of Pistachios. I eat a LOT of pistachios every morning!
Effects of almond and pistachio consumption on gut microbiota composition in a randomised cross-over human feeding study 2014 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/246...
"The effect of pistachio consumption on gut microbiota composition was much stronger than that of almond consumption and included an increase in the number of potentially beneficial butyrate-producing bacteria. Although the numbers of bifidobacteria were not affected by the consumption of either nut, pistachio consumption appeared to decrease the number of lactic acid bacteria (P< 0·05). Increasing the consumption of almonds or pistachios appears to be an effective means of modifying gut microbiota composition."
Thanks, Bolt. We already eat a lot of almonds, will be adding pistachios to the grocery list. 😊
Thank you, Gaga. We've been using this one, trying to cut down on sodium.
Having gone down another rabbit hole, I found something I thought you (Bolt) might be interested in. It appears butyrate and niacin could share an anti-inflammatory mechanism of action;ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...
"GPR109A (also known as hydroxycarboxylic acid receptor 2 (HCAR2), niacin receptor 1 (NIACR1), HM74a in humans and PUMA-G in mice) is a G protein-coupled anti-inflammatory receptor. It is present in macrophages and neutrophils, at higher levels of expression than other human organs and tissues [5]. Its anti-inflammatory role is well-established in in-vivo and in-vitro studies [6]–[9]."
"GPR109A has a high affinity for niacin (also known as vitamin B3 or nicotinic acid) which also acts as its agonists and help suppress inflammation [10], [11]. We propose that GPR109A is a crucial part of the chronic inflammation and microglia activation in PD in the substantia nigra and this inflammatory state correlates with GPR109A levels in the blood macrophages."
"Niacin supplementation may reduce the participation of these activated microglia and macrophages in ongoing neuroinflammation."
"There are multiple agonists of GPR109A that might be useful as anti-inflammatory agents, including BHB, niacin, and Na butyrate [50]"
"reduction in butyrate producing bacteria"
I'd want to find something that targets the cells, not eat a different diet (my diet is already fairly healthy with fiber and veggies etc.) This seems to need more than a better diet which is slow.
But it's so exciting to see yet more evidence that this type of bacteria may be a meaningful contributor. Much easier to eventually find treatments for then some of the other theories 😀
Yes, it would be nice if researchers would come up with something targeted and quick acting!
In the meantime, we're trying the shotgun approach, which involves lots of fiber AND butyrate supplements. As well as a "few" others. 😉
Strong PD Clinic - 1st appt.!
Microbiome and faecal transplants
PD and Botox in Urethra
Studies in exercise and PD
Gut Bacteria in PD: Not All Lactic Acid Bacteria Are the Same
