How Genetics and the Environment Influence Your Gut By Nick Edgerton, ND
influenced by genetics. This is why no single diet is universally successful. People have unique biochemical individuality, based on their genes, which governs how well they may tolerate differ- ent foods. Indigestion symptoms may vary from upset stomach, abdominal pain, nausea, gas, bloating, heartburn, constipation, and/or diarrhea. This article will discuss how and why environ- ment sets the foundation for proper gut health, and the role of genetics as an influencer.
A
The Environment A person's environment is the external stimuli that surrounds
them. A discussion about gut health will always involve food. Food is an important aspect of environment because this is largely man- ageable. It is an activity that involves choice three to four times a day. For proper gut health, a person should be eating nutrient- dense real food at every meal. Real food is different than the food- like products in the aisles of the grocery store. Food-like products tend to be highly processed and nutrient-devoid. Real food incor- porates plants and high-quality unprocessed meat and fish. These foods are rich in minerals that are important for connective tissue health for optimizing gut wall health, amino acids for precursors to neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin (important for digestion), vitamins for optimal biochemical enzyme activity, and many other important compounds. Making a shift back towards natural, unprocessed foods is integral for proper gut health.
Food Sensitivities Food sensitivities and allergies can play a role in one’s
environment. Food sensitivities are the product of one’s environ- ment, not their genetics. While food allergy symptoms are remark- able (hives, trouble breathing, itching), food sensitivity reactions are subtle, delayed over the course of 6-48 hours after consump- tion. Food sensitivity symptoms are vague: headache, fatigue, bloating, or skin irritation. If someone is eating chicken eggs and they have a food sensitivity, this will cause inflammation in the GI tract. Inflammation here can worsen ‘leaky gut’ (or intestinal hyperpermeability), reduce nutrient absorption, and sway the wrong ratio of bacteria in the gut which can cause various subjective symptoms previously mentioned as indigestion.
28 Natural Nutmeg - March 2019
tremendous amount of research is coming out in regards to genetics and personalized wellness. Gastrointestinal health, although largely impacted by environment, is also
Antibiotics
Antibiotics have a remarkable effect on the digestive tract. Antibiotics trigger large shifts in microbial diversity. Imagine the GI tract as a jungle: a complex biodiversity of plants, trees, animals, and insects all working together to thrive. Now visualize a pesticide coming through and wiping out certain aspects of this ecosystem. After this, it will be a race to see which plants grow back fastest and which animals or insects thrive. Sometimes it will be toxic weeds that grow fastest - depending on the environment’s growing conditions. This is essentially what happens when one uses antibiotics, they kill bad bacteria, but also kill good bacte- ria, leading to a development of the wrong bacteria afterwards. Antibiotics are useful and life-saving, although public health of- ficials agree they are over-prescribed and frequently misused. The human gut contains about 500 different bacteria species, and most probiotic supplements contain less than 10 species. An antibiotic may destroy a species completely, and that species may not be replaceable - forever changing one’s gut microbiome. That being said, for the majority of people reading this, probiotics do a great job in reducing indigestion symptoms, especially when associated with post-antibiotic use indigestion.
Viruses & Bugs Viruses and other stomach bugs can trigger shifts in the
microbial diversity. If a toxic bug enters the gut, the body will purge itself in either direction to clear itself of this foreign invader. With this, goes some of the good bacteria populations too. Patients often report a change in overall digestion, such as increased symp- tom frequency of heartburn, constipation, and diarrhea following one of these acute infections. Their ‘new normal’ can be less comfortable than their original digestive status.
Xenobiotics
Xenobiotics are foreign substances that are not naturally oc- curring in a human. This includes antibiotics (previously men- tioned), pesticides, cleaning chemicals, air pollutants, and heavy metals. These have all demonstrated a transient change in the gut microbiome diversity. A dominant species of healthy bacteria will be outpaced by another bacteria; and this shift in populations can cause indigestion symptoms. Many of these studies do show that once the aggravating factor, or obstacle to cure, is removed from the system, the body rebalances to the original diversity and symp- toms resolve. However in order for this to happen we have to have
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