How does our Western diet influence Crohn's?

"Dietary-fat-induced taurocholic acid promotes pathobiont expansion and colitis in Il10−/− mice", Devkota et al. in Nature (2012) Preview"The composite human microbiome of Western populations has probably changed over the past century, brought on by new environmental triggers that often have a negative impact on human health1. Here we show that consumption of a diet high in saturated (milk-derived) fat, but not polyunsaturated (safflower oil) fat, changes the…"

Milk fat found in junk food may be to blame for dramatic rise in IBS cases

"Concentrated milk fat is a powdery substance that is abundant in processed foods and confectionery.
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Prof Chang's team found that milk fat, but not polyunsaturated fats, caused an explosion in the numbers of a normally rare gut microbe called Bilophila wadsworthia.

The bugs were almost undetectable in mice on low-fat or unsaturated fat diets, but made up about 6% of all bacteria in the guts of mice fed milk fat.  Bilophila wadsworthia has an affinity for bile, which is released into the intestines to help break down fats.
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Milk fats are unusually difficult to digest, requiring the liver to produce bile rich in sulphur.

Since B. wadsworthia thrives on sulphur, this fuels its population growth.

'Unfortunately, these can be harmful bacteria,' Prof Chang said.

'Presented with a rich source of sulphur, they bloom, and when they do, they are capable of activating the immune system of genetically prone individuals.'

By-products of the bugs' interaction with bile enhance the effect by making the bowel more permeable, the scientists said.

Immune cells then find it easier to infiltrate the bowel wall and damage tissue.
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Prof Chang added: 'Right now we can't do much about correcting genes that predispose individuals to increased risk for these diseases, and while we could encourage people to change their diets, this is seldom effective and always difficult." [Emphasis mine.]

Western diet changes gut bacteria and triggers colitis in those at risk

"Bacteria isolated from surgical infections and its susceptibilities to antimicrobial agents--special references to bacteria isolated between April 2009 and March 2010" in The Japanese Journal of Antibiotics (2011)
"We should carefully follow up B. wadsworthia which was resistant to various antibiotics...."

"Diversity and distribution of sulphate-reducing bacteria in human faeces from healthy subjects and patients with inflammatory bowel disease" in FEMS Immunology and Medical Microbiology (2012)
"The relative abundance of different groups of sulphate-reducing bacteria (SRB) in faecal DNA collected before and after therapy from patients suffering from Crohn's disease (CD), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or ulcerative colitis (UC) has been compared with that from healthy controls. Growth tests revealed that SRB were not more abundant in samples from patients with CD before treatment than in the healthy control group. ... However, some samples from patients with CD before treatment contained a growth inhibitor that was absent from IBS or UC samples. In-depth sequencing of PCR-generated dsrB fragments revealed that the diversity detected was surprisingly low, with only eight strains of SRB and the sulphite-reducing bacterium, Bilophila wadsworthia, detected above the 0.1% threshold. The proportion of the two major species detected,B. wadsworthia and Desulfovibrio piger, was as high as 93.5% of the total SRB population in the healthy control group and lower in all patient groups."

Does earthing improve Crohn's symptoms?

Earthing:  the most important health discovery ever? by Ober, Sinatra and Zucker (2010)


Earthing.  Get Connected & Feel Vibrant

Earthing Canada

Earthing Institute

"Perspective: Assume a spherical cow: The role of free or mobile electrons in bodywork, energetic and movement therapies" in Energy Medicine: Review and Hypotheses (2007)

"Biomedical research has led to the hypothesis that inflammation is the culprit behind almost every modern chronic illness. Hence there is interest in techniques that can resolve acute and chronic inflammation. A natural method involves connecting the human body to the earth (earthing). When done during sleep,earthing normalizes the daily cortisol rhythm, improves sleep and reduces pain and inflammation. Direct electrical connection with the earth enables diurnal (daily) electrical rhythms and electrons to flow from the earth to the body. Electrons are thought to act as natural anti-oxidants by neutralizing positively charged inflammatory free radicals. This concept requires a revision of an old idea in physiology: the human body and the cells within it are best described as volume conductors, in which charge is only conducted by dissolved electrolytes. The discussion relates to the term, “ungrounded,” widely used by practitioners of bodywork, energetic and movement therapies."

"Earthing: Health Implications of Reconnecting the Human Body to the Earth’s Surface Electrons", Review Article in  Journal of Environmental and Public Health (2012) [full article]
"Environmental medicine generally addresses environmental factors with a negative impact on human health. However, emerging scientific research has revealed a surprisingly positive and overlooked environmental factor on health: direct physical contact with the vast supply of electrons on the surface of the Earth. Modern lifestyle separates humans from such contact. The research suggests that this disconnect may be a major contributor to physiological dysfunction and unwellness. Reconnection with the Earth’s electrons has been found to promote intriguing physiological changes and subjective reports of well-being. Earthing (or grounding) refers to the discovery of benefits—including better sleep and reduced pain—from walking barefoot outside or sitting, working, or sleeping indoors connected to conductive systems that transfer the Earth’s electrons from the ground into the body. This paper reviews the earthing research and the potential of earthing as a simple and easily accessed global modality of significant clinical importance.
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It is assumed that the influx of free electrons absorbed into the body through direct contact with the
Earth likely neutralize ROS and thereby reduce acute and chronic inflammation.
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Reduction in inflammation as a result of earthing has been documented with infrared medical imaging and with measurements of blood chemistry and white blood cell counts. The logical explanation for the anti-inflammatory effects is that grounding the body allows negatively charged antioxidant electrons from the Earth to enter the body and neutralize positively charged free radicals at sites of inflammation. Flow of electrons from the Earth to the body has been documented."

"Can electrons act as antioxidants? A review and commentary" in The Journal of Alternative and Complimentary Medicine (2012)
"The research summarized here and in subsequent reports provides a basis for a number of earthing technologies that restore and maintain natural electrical contact between the human body and the earth throughout the day and night in situations where going barefoot on the earth is impractical. It is proposed that free or mobile electrons from the earth can resolve chronic inflammation by serving as natural antioxidants."

Does where you live influence Crohn's?

Bill Davenhall: Your health depends on where you live | Video on TED.com