Go Unprocessed – Take a Stand for Your Health

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Wellness Post
Vol 1, Issue 2, Jan 2016
Go unprocessed - take a stand for your
health Processed foods have been found to be more
dangerous for health than we earlier
thought. Frequent consumption of processed foods
promotes obesity, metabolic syndrome, and
cardiovascular diseases. Recently, processed
foods have also been implicated as promoter of
autoimmune diseases. The incidence of autoimmune
diseases is increasing world-wide. In parallel,
industrial food processing and food additive
consumption is also on rise. Researchers have
put forward an idea that upsurge in incidence of
autoimmune diseases is linked to the increasing
use of additives used in processed foods. Let's
have an understanding of how these food additives
do the damage. The surface of human intestine is
made of epithelial cells. It is this single-cell
lining that forms a barrier that separates the
intestinal lumen from the host's internal
milieu. Epithelial cells are held together
through tight junctions which control the passage
of macromolecules. These tight junctions also
protect intestinal tract against invasion and
colonization by bacteria, and thus prevent onset
of the immune response. When there is a problem
with the tight junctions, the intestinal
permeability increases which compromises the
protective function of intestinal epithelia. The
intestinal barrier becomes permeable to
allergens, bacteria, and toxins this activates
the immune system of the body causing
destruction of the body tissue and abnormal organ
growth and function. There is a defect in the
functioning of the tight junctions in many
autoimmune disorders including ulcerative
colitis, Crohn's disease, celiac disease,
inflammatory joint disease, ankylosing
spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, type 1
diabetes mellitus, etc. Researchers are of the
opinion that common additives in processed foods
including sugars, salt, emulsifiers, organic
solvents, gluten, microbial transglutaminase,
and nanoparticles disrupt the permeability of the
intestinal membrane by bringing about
transformation in tight junctions. This results
in entry of foreign immunogenic antigens and
activation of autoimmune cascade. We guess, this
gives us all a reason good enough to limit intake
of processed foods in our diets and thrive on
natural whole food diets. Refer following
scientific articles to know more on this
topic Autoimmun Rev 2015 14479-89. Curr
Allergy Asthma Rep 2014 14(1)404.
Gut bacteria as a possible treatment for obesity
research underway Microbes in the human gut carry
out a number of body functions including
digestion and breakdown of complex carbohydrates,
maintaining immunity, etc. Prior studies have
linked imbalance in the gut microbiota with a
number of diseases. More recently, it has been
found that changes in the composition of gut
microbiota are associated with obesity. Research
has suggested that gut bacteria impact fat
storage, glucose balance, and appetite
regulating hormones in our body. Early evidence
that gut microbes might play a role in obesity
came from animal experiments wherein intestinal
microbiota of slim and obese twins was induced
in mice. Mice fed with microbiota from an obese
twin developed obese, while those fed with
microbiota from a lean individual had normal
body weight. Microbiota of slim twin even
prevented the development of obesity in mice with
the microbiota from the obese twin. It has been
found that the bacterial diversity in the gut was
less and the proportion of different gut microbes
was altered in obese mice as well as in obese
humans. For example, there was a decreased
abundance of Bacteriodetes with a proportional
increase in Firmicutes strain. Based on the above
evidence, it is now being believed that
transplantation of bacteria from lean donor
excrement to an obese person may become a viable
treatment option for weight loss in the future.
In a distant part of the world, researchers are
contemplating a clinical study wherein poop
samples from lean and healthy donors will be
freeze-dried and then given to 21 obese
individuals. Researchers believe that this study
will give much more information about the
potential of the poop pill. To those of us who
want to lose weight, a healthy diet or regular
exercise would now sound a whole lot better idea
than consuming someone else's poop in pill
form! Refer the following to know more on this
topic http//arstechnica.com/science/2016/01/free
ze-dried-poop-pills-being-tested-for-obesity-treat
ment/ World J Gastrointest Pathophysiol 2015
6(4)110-9. Polish J Microbiol 2015
64(2)93-100. What we eat affects our sleep
study suggests In a study conducted at Columbia
University Medical Center in New York,
researchers found that eating less fiber, more
saturated fat, and more sugar led to lighter and
less restorative sleep with more arousals. This
study involved 26 normal weight adults (13 men
and 13 women). Participants spent 5 days in sleep
lab where they slept for an average 7 hours and
35 minutes per night. When on controlled diet
which was lower in saturated fat and higher in
protein content, participants fell asleep faster
compared to when they ate foods of their
choice. It took the participants an average of 17
minutes to fall asleep after eating the
controlled meals while it took them 29 minutes
to fall asleep after eating foods of their
choice. Asingle day of greater fat intake and
lower fiber intake influenced the sleep
parameters. Greater percentage of saturated fat
in diet was associated with less slow wave sleep
(deep sleep) and a greater percentage of sugar
was associated with arousals. Researchers are of
the opinion that the finding - 'diet influences
sleep' can have tremendous health implications,
given the increasing recognition of role of sleep
in the development of chronic disorders such as
hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular
disorders. Those of you who have difficulty
sleeping and who do not have sound sleep, our
advise is add plenty of fresh fruits and green
leafy vegetables in your diet, and avoid eating
oily foods and sweets. Refer the following to
know more on this topic http//www.sciencedaily.c
om/releases/2016/01/160114213443.htm J Clin
Sleep Med 2016 12(1)19-24. Horm Mol Biol Clin
Invest 2014 17(1)29-37. Forget the BMI -
waist size alone can indicate the risk of large
bowel cancer in men Obesity has long been
associated with increased risk of colorectal
cancer. It has been reported that risk of
colorectal cancer in obese people was twice
compared to normal-weight people. With every 5
kg/m2 increase in body mass index, risk for the
colorectal cancer increased by 18. Research has
now shown an increased risk of colorectal cancer
in people with abdominal obesity. Results of a
10-year long follow-up study published in
International Journal of Epidemiology provided
evidence for increased risk of colorectal cancer
with increase in waist circumference. Colorectal
cancer risk was increased by 59 in men who
gained waist circumference by 10 cm or more.
This increased risk of colorectal cancer was
regardless of weight change. Researchers are of
the opinion that improved lifestyle, particularly
better dietary choices and being more physically
active, can help prevent obesity and hence,
lower colon cancer risk. We are of the opinion
that more studies and evidence based data is
required specially for Asian populations before
any categorical guidelines are formed on this,
but for now it is very much in our interest to
keep our weight in control and our waistlines
from bulging. Refer the following to know more
on this topic Int J Epidemiol Sep 2015. J Clin
Oncol 2015 33(31)3591-7. http//www.sciencedaily
.com/releases/2015/10/151027074816.htm
NEWSLETTER Vol 1, Issue 2, Jan 2016
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