Saturday 7 October 2017

Probiotics experiment- VSL#3. Gut dysbiosis and cancer, epilepsy.

I am currently on day 5 of a 30 day experiment using myself as a human guinea pig to test these high potency probiotics from Visibiome.

I first heard about this product from Dr. Rhonda Patrick and I trust her judgement. She stated how Visibiome contains 8 strains of live bacteria in concentrations of 450 billion bacteria per packet and I had this confirmed by the company that produces it. 

Why is this so important?

This is impressive as many probiotics only contain about 100 million bacteria (often dead as they should ideally be kept cold). I decided to investigate further and try these probiotics myself to see if I may benefit so I contacted the sister company based in the U.K. (Vivomaxx). 



The gut micro biome. You are only 10% organically human. (9)


Let's begin...

I received them promptly in pill l form, placed in an ice packed package. I chose the capsules because the carbohydrate content is negligible so should not interfere with my ketogenic diet to manage my epilepsy. I could experience some 'turbulence' as I adjust to it, which may or may not result in increased seizure activity temporarily. I have no idea, but I'm prepared for anything. So far so good.



The formulation used in these products is said to be the same as VSL#3, a probiotic that has been the subject of over 60 human clinical trials as a medical food in the dietary management of gastrointestinal and liver disorders.

From reading about the capsules, I found that they contain 112 billion bacteria per tiny capsule, and you can take up to 4 a day! It is said that these quantities are necessary to properly colonise the gut, which contains up to 10-100 billion bacteria/ml of faeces material. Optimal conolisation is achieved in 2-3 weeks so I have personally chosen to do this for 30 days, consistent with some interesting studies I have read. More information on the product can be found here: 


https://www.vivomixx.co.uk/faq.php 



I became interested further by studies suggesting novel mechanisms of action accounting for deficiencies of the endocannabinoid system (which is implicated in several chronic conditions) to regulate inflammation. It has also been established that endocannabinoid signalling is a key regulator of synaptic neurotransission throughout the brain (7), allowing for improvements in seizure control if you are able to target the appropriate receptors.

'The endocannabinoid system plays an important role in regulating inflammation in several chronic or anomalous gut inflammatory diseases. In vivo and ex vivo studies showed that 30 days treatment with a probiotic mix activated the endocannabinoid system in zebrafish.' (4)





The endocannabinoid system controls a variety of gastrointestinal functions. (10)


I decided to attempt to replicate this protocol in similar fashion, for 30 days. Obviously I am not a zebrafish, but I know that they are commonly used in research as they posess a similar genetic structure to humans. They share 70 percent of genes with us and 84 percent of genes known to be associated with human disease have a zebrafish counterpart. (5)


Orthologue genes shared between the zebrafish, human, mouse and chicken genomes, using orthology relationships from Ensembl Compara 63. (1)


Back to the experiment:


I began with just 1 capsule in case I experienced any gastrointestinal disturbance and from day 3, I had begun to take 2 capsules with food as I seem to tolerate it well. 


My main curiosity with this experiment in general, is to see how taking these probiotics may affect my epilepsy- positively, negatively, or no change. Personally I'm not sure if there will be any difference, but my general health may be improved. I will have a stool sample analysed after the experiment.


I also suffered a brain haemorrhage as a result of the tumour and have had brain surgery so it was interesting to find research on how the gut micro biome becomes altered as part of the inflammatory response, impacting both short and long term recovery. The simplest explanation I found came from this study on the inflammatory response to stroke in the Journal of Neuroscience. (12) A brain haemorrhage is not too dissimilar to a stroke, especially if the blood brain barrier integrity has been further affected by having had brain surgery. I still have invisible disabilities as a result of the assault on this area of my brain and I am able to control it to a large degree with diet and lifestyle adjustments but I am always looking to improve this.


Schematic showing how stroke alters gut microbiota,
which primes the immune system to exert further damage. 
(6)
I realise that the gut and brain have a complex, fascinating connection through these trillions of bacteria, that is only just starting to be understood at a higher level. This is exciting and provides us with so many opportunities to learn more and investigate all posibilities. 

The gut brain connection is facilitated via the vagus nerve, which is very important to note for individuals with epilepsy. The vagus nerves are a pair of nerves running from the brain throughout the body to send electrical messages around all physiological systems. The central nervous system can become spontaneously overstimulated with epilepsy, but it is possible to attempt to regulate these electrical impulses with Vagal Nerve Stimulation or with microbial and/or nutritional stimuli.

'...distinct microbial and nutritional stimuli activate the vagus and the nature of the signals transmitted to the brain that lead to differential changes in the neurochemistry of the brain and behaviour.' (2)

Vagal Nerve Stimulation (VNS) device (13)

I am now probably a little too aware of how every thought we have and every action we make impacts on gut health in profound ways as a 2 way feedback system between the gut and brain via the vagus nerve.

It is interesting to think how many individuals suffering with drug resistant epilepsy will attempt to put an end to their suffering with Vagal Nerve Stimulation (VNS), by which a small electrical device similar to a pacemaker is implanted under the skin to the left vagus nerve in the next with the aim of reducing seizure activity. Its pretty invasive and only appears to give significant, but partial relief at best, with a review stating that of those who responded (54%), there was a reduction in seizure frequency of around 45-63%. (3)

This is significant, but frustration will remain for these patients, especially the non responders. I wonder if we could find kinder solutions to this complex electrical circuitry that makes up our brain and central nervous system through modulation of the gut microbiome. Could probiotics help us to find some kind of solution here for non responders and perhaps even in combination with VNS for the responders?


Gut dysbiosis and cancer:

As a secondary aim of my investigation, I would like to learn more about the clear association between gut dysbiosis and a number of cancers (17), focusing on the brain and central nervous system of course.

I have recently transitioned into a more 'mediterranean' style ketogenic diet so that the probiotics have more of a variety of prebiotics to feed off. I have also increased amounts of ginger and turmeric in my diet, which should help, theoretically at least. 

I still have ghee because it is high in butyric acid, a short chain fatty acid which the microbes love. It is at a high concentration in this food, but is also produced in the intestines by bacteria that ferment non-digestible carbohydrates. (8) I feel it would be helpful for people to remember this fact when discussing carnivorous ketogenic diet ('zero carb') approaches. It has been suggested that high levels of dietary fat decrease levels of butyric acid, but this information would shed some doubt on these findings when viewed in different contexts.- how much fat, what source, what is 'high fat', what is carb/fat ratio, etc. 

I knew early on that the ketogenic diet acts partly by shifting the gut microbiome to result in favourable changes in the gut and brain chemistry, and I attempted to optimise this effect in creative ways when I was on a 'zero carb' ketogenic diet- eg. entomophagy (insect fibre), adding specific supplements, digestive enzymes.

I read an interesting study recently revealing how the ketogenic diet is able to mitigate symptoms of epilepsy at least partly by correcting an imbalanced gut microbiota in epileptic infants. (15)

I also looked at effects of how other fasting mimicking diets, including intermittent fasting and time restricted feeding, will also alter the composition of microbiota, specifically in relation to cancer, but this was harder to find. Maybe we are still learning.  



How we might determine the composition of the microbiota in patients with cancer compared to healthy volunteers. (16)


My conclusion is that, in light of the data, from what we know and what we have yet to understand, it would not be unfeasible to suggest that taking probiotics at appropriate times may help to reduce risk of recurrence of a high grade glioma. I understand (in basic terms), the close relationship between the vagus nerve and microbiome-brain-gut-axis communication and so this may have an additional or stand alone benefit for epilepsy management and improved quality of life. Its fascinating stuff.- most of the more interesting research I found is on colon cancer, but there are obvious potential applications for a host of other cancers. Its a new area to look into, we can't make any definitive conclusions, but I'm looking forward to learning more.



References:



1. Collins, J. E.White, S.Searle, S. M. & Stemple, D. L. Incorporating RNA-seq data into the zebrafish Ensembl genebuildGenome Res. 2220672078 (2012)


2. Forsythe, P., Bienenstock, J. and Kunze, W.A., 2014. Vagal pathways for microbiome-brain-gut axis communication. In Microbial Endocrinology: The Microbiota-Gut-Brain Axis in Health and Disease (pp. 115-133). Springer New York.


3. García-Pallero, M.A., García-Navarrete, E., Torres, C.V., Pastor, J., Navas, M. and Sola, R.G., 2017. Effectiveness of vagal nerve stimulation in medication-resistant epilepsy. Comparison between patients with and without medication changes. Acta neurochirurgica159(1), pp.131-136.


4. Gioacchini, G., Rossi, G. and Carnevali, O., 2017. Host-probiotic interaction: new insight into the role of the endocannabinoid system by in vivo and ex vivo approaches. Scientific Reports7.


5. Howe, K., Clark, M.D., Torroja, C.F., Torrance, J., Berthelot, C., Muffato, M., Collins, J.E., Humphray, S., McLaren, K., Matthews, L. and McLaren, S., 2013. The zebrafish reference genome sequence and its relationship to the human genome. Nature496(7446), p.498.

6. Lewis, T. (2016) Stroke Alters Gut Microbiome, Impacting Recovery. The Scientist Magazine. From URL: http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/46557/title/Stroke-Alters-Gut-Microbiome--Impacting-Recovery/ Accesed online, 07 Oct 2017.


7. Ludányi, A., et al., 2008. Downregulation of the CB1 cannabinoid receptor and related molecular elements of the endocannabinoid system in epileptic human hippocampus. Journal of Neuroscience28(12), pp.2976-2990.


8. Maness, L.R., 2016. The Effect of Butyric Acid on GLUT4 and IRS1 Expression in Human Preadipocytes in vitro.


9. NeuroscienceNews.com image adapted from The Sociable Scientist. http://thesociablescientist.com  


10. Pinto, L., Capasso, R., Di Carlo, G. and Izzo, A.A., 2002. Endocannabinoids and the gut. Prostaglandins, Leukotrienes and Essential Fatty Acids (PLEFA)66(2-3), pp.333-341.


11. Schwabe, R.F. and Jobin, C., 2013. The microbiome and cancer. Nature Reviews Cancer13(11), pp.800-812.

12. Singh, V. et al., “Microbiota dysbiosis controls the neuroinflammatory response after stroke,” The Journal of Neuroscience, doi:10.1523/jneurosci, 2016.

13. Vagus nerve stimulation. Epilepsy Society. from URL: https://www.epilepsysociety.org.uk/vagus-nerve-stimulation#.WdaI0a2ZM_U Accessed online, 07 Oct 2017.

14. Vivomixx. from URL: https://www.vivomixx.co.uk/faq.php Accessed online, 07 Oct 2017.(12)


15. Xie, G., Zhou, Q., Qiu, C.Z., Dai, W.K., Wang, H.P., Li, Y.H., Liao, J.X., Lu, X.G., Lin, S.F., Ye, J.H. and Ma, Z.Y., 2017. Ketogenic diet poses a significant effect on imbalanced gut microbiota in infants with refractory epilepsy. World Journal of Gastroenterology23(33), p.6164.


16. Zitvogel, L., Daillère, R., Roberti, M.P., Routy, B. and Kroemer, G., 2017. Anticancer effects of the microbiome and its products. Nat Rev Microbiol15, pp.465-78.


17. Zitvogel, L., Galluzzi, L., Viaud, S., Vétizou, M., Daillère, R., Merad, M. and Kroemer, G., 2015. Cancer and the gut microbiota: an unexpected link. Science translational medicine7(271), pp.271ps1-271ps1.


12 comments:

  1. Hi Andrew,

    There appears to be a direct relation re: DCA. Thought you might find that link interesting with regard to your previous posts.

    In Vitro Antibacterial Activity of Unconjugated and Conjugated Bile Salts on Staphylococcus aureus.
    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5572772/

    From the above article:
    "DCA showed 20 times more potent antibacterial activity than CA. CA showed at least 10 times more antibacterial activity when compared to its conjugated forms, GCA and TCA."

    Bile Acids and the Gut Microbiome.
    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4215539/

    Can't vouch for the quality of research, since the results popped up in a search I did for the antibacterial properties of DCA.

    Take care,
    Richard

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. i am ERIC BRUNT by name. Greetings to every one that is reading this testimony. I have been rejected by my wife after three(3) years of marriage just because another Man had a spell on her and she left me and the kid to suffer. one day when i was reading through the web, i saw a post on how this spell caster on this address AKHERETEMPLE@gmail.com have help a woman to get back her husband and i gave him a reply to his address and he told me that a man had a spell on my wife and he told me that he will help me and after 3 days that i will have my wife back. i believed him and today i am glad to let you all know that this spell caster have the power to bring lovers back. because i am now happy with my wife. Thanks for helping me Dr Akhere contact him on email: AKHERETEMPLE@gmail.com
      or
      call/whatsapp:+2349057261346



      i am ERIC BRUNT by name. Greetings to every one that is reading this testimony. I have been rejected by my wife after three(3) years of marriage just because another Man had a spell on her and she left me and the kid to suffer. one day when i was reading through the web, i saw a post on how this spell caster on this address AKHERETEMPLE@gmail.com have help a woman to get back her husband and i gave him a reply to his address and he told me that a man had a spell on my wife and he told me that he will help me and after 3 days that i will have my wife back. i believed him and today i am glad to let you all know that this spell caster have the power to bring lovers back. because i am now happy with my wife. Thanks for helping me Dr Akhere contact him on email: AKHERETEMPLE@gmail.com
      or
      call/whatsapp:+2349057261346

      Delete
  2. EDIT: not all DCAs created equal. No relation to the Dichloroacetate in previous posts. Sorry for the mix-up.

    Please remove both posts, to prevent any unintended confusion. Thnx, Richard

    ReplyDelete
  3. ALL THANKS TO DR WILLIAMS WITH HIS HERBAL PORTION I WAS COMPLETELY CURED FROM BREAST CANCER.
    I'm here again to appreciate. DR WILLIAMS God will always continue to bless you more abundantly, for the good works you done in my life, I will always keep on writing good and posting my testimonies about you on the Internet, I’m Jessica from Orlando, Florida. I was tested breast cancer positive, I saw a blog on how DR WILLIAMS cured people with his herbal portion, i did not believe in natural medicine but i just decided to give him a try, I contacted him,and explain my situation to him,few day later he sent me the herb, after taking doc Williams herbal medicine for few week i also got my healing with his herbal portion, i am so happy. If you have any type of cancer problem ,you can contact him on Drwilliams098675@gmail.com for advice and for his product,i hope this testimony also help some one out there .

    ReplyDelete
  4. My girlfriend and I were happy as far I could tell and I never thought that we would break up. When her cousin died in a tragic car accident she went to her family in Mexico for a week. I couldn't go because I was in the middle of entertaining out of town clients for work. She did not seem to be upset that I could not go so I let her be. The next thing I knew, she reconnected with an old friend from high school that she had a crush on years back and they started to have an affair! I had no clue what was going on until she came back from Mexico. She proceeded to see this old friend and I caught her and her old friend one night hugging each other. I confronted her and she told me the truth about what happened. We broke up and went our separate ways. Neither of us fought for our relationship. I was angry and decided not to be upset about it and just keep it moving. Then after about few months of no contact with her I became sad. I wanted her to tell me she wanted to be with me and not her old friend. I was really worried and didn't now what to do bout it, until one day i saw an advert on e internet about how a Dr saved a crumbling marriage, an i was really excited and i contacted the Dr for a love spell, his name is Dr Ewan and this is email address COVENANTSOLUTIONTEMPE@GMAIL.COM,he told me to do some things and i did it, he told me not t worry that my lover will e back to me in less than 6 hours. I thought it was a joke when she called me and told me that she is really sorry for everything that has happened in the past. I was filled with joy, Dr Ewan truly helped me and brought my lover back to me withing the space of 6 hours, he was able to get her to miss me, she wanted us to get back together again. She had lot of regrets and felt bad for not fighting to keep me and for cheating in generally. she cherish our relationship so much more now and we are together now! You can also get your lover back with the help of Dr.Ewan contact him through whats-app +2349057353987 his email: covenantsolutiontemple@gmail.com. Thank you Dr am grateful.

    ReplyDelete
  5. As a sign of gratitude for how my wife was saved from CANCER, i decided to reach out to those still suffering from this.
    My wife suffered cancer in the year 2013 and it was really tough and heartbreaking for me because she was my all and the symptoms were terrible, she always complain of abnormal vaginal bleeding, and she always have pain during sexual intercourse. . we tried various therapies prescribed by our neurologist but none could cure her. I searched for a cure and i saw a testimony by someone who was cured and so many other with similar body problem, and he left the contact of the doctor who had the cure to cancer . I never imagined cancer. has a natural cure not until i contacted him and he assured me my wife will be fine. I got the herbal medication he recommended and my wife used it and in one months time she was fully okay even up till this moment she is so full of life. cancer. has a cure and it is a herbal cure contact the doctor for more info on drwilliams098675@gmail.com on how to get the medication. Thanks for reading my testimony.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Most of the blogs pretend themselves as most usable and updated blogs with new information but sometime truth might different. I want to share some facts related to this subject which will help people to enhance their skills. Probiotic recipe

    ReplyDelete
  7. SARAH MORGANc
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    .

    ReplyDelete
  8. i am ERIC BRUNT by name. Greetings to every one that is reading this testimony. I have been rejected by my wife after three(3) years of marriage just because another Man had a spell on her and she left me and the kid to suffer. one day when i was reading through the web, i saw a post on how this spell caster on this address AKHERETEMPLE@gmail.com have help a woman to get back her husband and i gave him a reply to his address and he told me that a man had a spell on my wife and he told me that he will help me and after 3 days that i will have my wife back. i believed him and today i am glad to let you all know that this spell caster have the power to bring lovers back. because i am now happy with my wife. Thanks for helping me Dr Akhere contact him on email: AKHERETEMPLE@gmail.com
    or
    call/whatsapp:+2349057261346



    i am ERIC BRUNT by name. Greetings to every one that is reading this testimony. I have been rejected by my wife after three(3) years of marriage just because another Man had a spell on her and she left me and the kid to suffer. one day when i was reading through the web, i saw a post on how this spell caster on this address AKHERETEMPLE@gmail.com have help a woman to get back her husband and i gave him a reply to his address and he told me that a man had a spell on my wife and he told me that he will help me and after 3 days that i will have my wife back. i believed him and today i am glad to let you all know that this spell caster have the power to bring lovers back. because i am now happy with my wife. Thanks for helping me Dr Akhere contact him on email: AKHERETEMPLE@gmail.com
    or
    call/whatsapp:+2349057261346

    ReplyDelete
  9. HSV1 & HSV2 Negative.
    Saying that, herpes virus is not curable is because you have not seen the right person to help you get rid of the virus. I testify because it's only someone who have experience this virus that konws what it means to be in this situation. After my marriage to Loe my hubby, i noticed one day that I had sudden Cold Sores in my genital part. I went for test and the doctor confirmed me being HSV2 positive.
    I felt my life and happiness with my hubby was finished. But to my greatest surprise my husband had contacted this virus and was later confirm HSV1 positive. I started noticing symptoms like cold sores, sore throat, fever blister, weakness of the body, runny nose, cough and finally the was a serious Outbreak. So I started looking for a remedy to our situation because the phamacytical drugs and the pains was too much for I and my hubby. I was looking for remedy online and different website when i saw a testimony about Dr. Akintunde and the herbal medicine that helped Erica to get rid of HSV2, I remembered my doctor told me the is no cure to this virus, I had to contact Dr. Akintunde on his WhatsApp number and told him about us and the virus, he promised to cure this virus with his herbal medicine. And he prepared four bottles of the herbal medicine and send to me through UPS delivery with instructions on how to take it. And only first week of my start, I noticed the outbreak and all the symptoms was off so, I told Dr. Akintunde about it and he said the medicine will eradicate the virus and boots my immune when i complete my medication. After I took the medicine I went back for retest and my doctor was surprised with my new status HSV2 negative my hubby also was cured. Thanks to Dr. Akintunde I am proud to say you safe our life and we remain greatful and we support your mission on humanity Sir, Do you experience such too?
    Tell Dr. Akin your health problem and be sure of total cure with his natural roots and herbs. Like Erica did testify to me I also testify for everyone who need help to be free from this inconveniencing virus, and any other health challenges you're having is curable believe me. All the best.
    Dr. Akintunde email and WhatsApp number below.
    Via email:-
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    WhatsApp number:. +2347035245593

    ReplyDelete
  10. My life is back!!! After 1 years of Broken marriage, my husband left me with two kids . I felt like my life was about to end I almost committed suicide, I was emotionally down for a very long time. Thanks to a spell caster called Dr Mark, which I met online. On one faithful day, as I was browsing through the internet,I came across a lot of testimonies about this particular spell caster. Some people testified that he brought their Ex lover back, some testified that he restores womb,cure cancer,and other sickness, some testified that he can cast a spell to stop divorce and so on. I also came across one particular testimony,it was about a woman called Alandre,she testified about how he brought back her Ex lover in less than 2 days, and at the end of her testimony she dropped Dr Mark e-mail address. blessedlovetemple@gmail.com After reading all these,I decided to give it a try. I contacted him via email and explained my problem to him. In just 48 hours, my husband came back to me. We solved our issues, and we are even happier than before. Dr Mark is really a gifted man and I will not stop publishing him because he is a wonderful man... If you have a problem and you are looking for a real and genuine spell caster to solve all your problems for you. blessedlovetemple@gmail.com anytime, he might be the answer to your problems.

    ReplyDelete