NPR is reporting on a small study at Mayo Clinic that suggests the right mix of microbes in the gut can help people lose weight, while the wrong combination can hinder weight loss efforts.
Dr Kenny Davin Fine is a board-certified gastroenterologist who has specialized in the research of gut health and is a pioneer in his field addressing nutrition, food sensitivities, and inflammatory intestinal disorders. I had a chance to interview him about the importance of healthy gut microbes to optimal health and fitness.
What role to microbes play in digestion?
Microbes play a very small/minimal role in digesting food stuffs because the majority of digestion must occur in the upper small intestine so that the metabolite of food can be absorbed into the body throughout the small intestine (where bacteria under normal circumstances are relatively few). The majority of the intestinal bacteria are present in the colon where metabolism of the digestive remnant occurs. This latter process is however important in determining the health or unhealth of the colonic flora.
How does the health of the digestive tract affect other areas of health?
The health of the digestive tract is obviously determined by the health of the diet and therefore it does come back to the adage "we are what we eat". However more specifically, immunologic reactions that occur within the gut, primarily to antigenic foods such as gluten/grains, dairy, legumes, dietary yeast, etc. do send immune and autoimmune signals and hence reactions throughout the body.
What are some ways that people can maintain digestive health?
The primary way of maintaining digestive health is to eat a healthful diet, avoiding the most antigenic foods; supplementing with a good live probiotic; getting adequate sleep; and avoiding excessive stress and electromagnetic field (EMF) exposure.
Kenny Davin Fine MD, creator of Oro-Intestinal Fitness Products (www.finerhealth.com), is a gastroenterologist who has held staff positions at both Baylor University Medical Center and the University of Texas-Southwestern Medical School. His medical research has appeared in prestigious medical journals including The New England Journal of Medicine, Gastroenterology, The Journal of Clinical Investigation, and The American Journal of Gastroenterology. He has been professionally involved in patient care, medical research, teaching, directing clinical laboratories, nutritional pioneering and original health product and unique organic health food product development for almost 30 years. Fine is also a highly regarded singer-songwriter, guitar and harmonica player, and recording artist with 11 album releases to date. He has worked in the recording studio with Grammy and Oscar-winning producers, including Michael Lloyd, Niko Bolas, and John Hampton. He proclaims he is the world’s only Physician-Musician on a Mission!
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