It may be common knowledge that toxins have a deleterious effect on us, but do you know why? When we ingest, inhale or touch toxic or biologically foreign substances, they enter our body in a variety of ways, encouraging interaction with upwards of 100 trillion bacteria residing there. These bacteria are present by the trillions, because they have a big job, they comprise of about 80% of our immune system and are responsible for multiple essential functions like metabolizing food, regulating immunity, eliminating toxins and waste, producing neurotransmitters, maintaining the tight junctions of intestinal cells, producing and absorbing nutrients, all while taking on the enormous task of protecting us from pathogenic microbes. Sounds crucial to our existence, doesn’t it? You would be right. Numerous scientists argue that the combined DNA of our probiotic residents are more important to our survival than our own DNA! And considering non-human cells outnumber human cells by 10 to 1 and together they possess 150 times more genes than the human genome, it sounds completely plausible, doesn’t it?

Probiotics live everywhere within us, not just our stomach. The largest number of probiotics live in the colon, but billions also live in the mouth, oral cavity, nasal cavity, the esophagus, around the gums, in the pockets of our pleural cavity (surrounding our lungs). They dwell within our stomach, our intestines, within the vagina, around the rectum, within joints, under the armpits, under the toenails, between the toes, inside our urinary tract and many other places! It has been recently discovered that even the brain has it’s very own microbiota, unique to it’s particular needs. As you can see, harming these incredibly important organisms essentially harms us. 90% of who and what we are as humans comes from bacteria! It would make sense that we should preserve these bacteria as much as possible. And if we don’t? What happens and more importantly, what can we do about it?

It goes without saying that the balance of our collective microbiome is dependent on a healthy terrain, so when there is an increase in toxins in our bodies, the microbiome is altered. Bacteria can affect our health, and we can modulate their existence by our actions and the things we are exposed to.[4] Environmental toxins disrupt their important metabolic activities. This can result in immune system depression and ultimately, illness, both acute and chronic. Traces of 232 synthetic chemicals have been found in the umbilical cord blood of infants at birth. [8] Consider the implications this has for the developing fetus, as well as the baby’s microbiome condition at birth. The more toxic the person’s blood, the more toxic the gut.

Since our microbiome is intimately involved in the detoxification process, an overwhelming amount of toxins can have a two-fold outcome, creating a seemingly vicious cycle. Toxins reduce our beneficial bacteria, thereby suppressing our immune system and reducing our ability to detoxify the very toxins responsible for the cascade in the first place, making it harder to bounce back from the insult.

Of course, our body is beautifully designed to address occasional toxic hazards thanks to our impressively tuned immune system, but when the exposures are chronic, it becomes much harder for our body to keep up with. Growing research indicates that chemicals used in industry, agriculture, consumer goods and medications harm our native microbiome and have adverse downstream effects on our health, but that isn’t all, many additives in our food system are also capable of creating the perfect storm in this undeniable gut-brain connection.

So what are our biggest offenders? Some of the daily exposures that are known to harm beneficial bacteria (in no particular order) are:

• Plasticizers such as BPA and phthalates - plasticizers are synthetic estrogens, in fact, BPA was first made in 1891 and was used as a synthetic estrogen drug for woman and animals, until it’s cancer-causing risks were revealed. Although some studies have suggested that

certain gut bacteria can degrade BPA, the concern is that BPA may cause the proliferation of

those bacteria, resulting in an imbalanced community.

• Heavy metals - Exposures to metal compounds have been shown to alter the diversity and

  composition of the gut microbiota. In multiple studies, metal exposure proved to alter gut microbiota compositions, but the specific taxa affected are not consistent. There are many potential sources of variability that could explain these discrepancies, including variation in the starting microbiota, exposure regimen (drinking water, oral gavage, etc.), time-frame of exposure, dose effects, food composition, and technical differences in the processing and analysis of samples. [15].

• Triclosan is an antimicrobial that can be found on a wide variety of treated products. It’s used to create “anti-microbial” surfaces, as well as being found in products like: hand sanitizers, soaps, deodorants, toothpastes, mouthwashes, cleaning supplies, carpets, paints, toys and pesticides. Not only does it promote antibacterial resistance, but it is toxic to our bodies and the microbiome. The problem with brand spectrum antibiotic products like this is that they also kill off the beneficial bacteria on our skin, which are actually designed to be our first defense against non-beneficial microbes. Killing everything is counterproductive to the science of nature. Triclosan also interacts with free chlorine to create other harmful chemicals, which is an interesting fact when you consider most of these products are used with water, which is chlorinated. As a prevalent wastewater contaminant, there is a growing concern about it’s effects on beneficial bacteria found in soil, as well. [16]

• GMO foods treated with Glyphosate - Many of the studies showing GMOs to be safe have been conducted by the same corporations that created and now profit from them. In more than 60 countries around the world, significant restrictions or outright bans have been placed on the production and sale of GMOs. Glyphosate (RoundUp) was patented as an antimicrobial (aka - antibiotic). According to a study in “Neurotoxicology and Teratology”Sub-chronic and chronic exposure to Glyphosate-based herbicides induced an increase of anxiety and depression-like behaviors. In addition, Glyphosate-based herbicides significantly altered the gut microbiota composition in terms of relative abundance and phylogenic diversity of the key microbes. Indeed, it decreased more specifically, Corynebacterium, Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes and Lactobacillus in treated mice. [9] RoundUp’s active ingredient Glyphosate attacks an enzyme found in the beneficial intestinal bacteria of humans and some animals.[2]

• Pesticides on our foods and lawns - Simply put, pesticides are designed to kill bugs and are extremely toxic to the mitochondria.

• Chlorinated water - Chlorine is a bactericidal, it effectively kills a large variety of microbes. Filtration of drinking and bathing water is a simple solution to chlorine in treated water systems.

• Food additives, emulsifiers, colors and chemicals that are eaten in pre-packed and processed foods enter our digestive system silently, where they are free to alter the microbiota. Emulsifiers, like polysorbate-80 for example, are chemically similar to detergents and have been shown to alter the mucus barrier and the microbes associated with it, resulting in inflammation and metabolic changes. [17] Know your ingredients and if you can’t pronounce it, a good rule of thumb would be to avoid it.

• Artificial sweeteners disrupt liver metabolism as well as gut bacteria. High fructose can cause bacteria to exit the intestines, go into the bloodstream, and damage the liver. [10]

• High-sugar and high-carb foods which ultimately turn to sugar, fuel unwanted bacteria and increase the chances of intestinal permeability, mitochondrial damage, immune-system compromise and widespread inflammation that reaches the brain. And it’s a vicious cycle; all of these effects further assault that microbial balance.

• Gluten - According to Harvard’s Dr. Alessio Fasano, exposure to the gliadin protein in particular increases gut permeability in all of us! Dr. Fasano’s research reveals that the same mechanism by which gluten increases inflammation and gut permeability also leads to a

breakdown of the blood-brain barrier itself, paving the way for the production of yet more

brain-crushing inflammatory chemicals. [11,12]

• Trans-fats and hydrogenated oils will reduce bile flow which helps regulate gut PH and

  food transit time needed to support the growth of good bacteria.

• Microwaving foods

• Irradiation of foods

• EMF exposure

• Alcohol

• Cosmetics

• Oral contraception - Although virtually all medication has some impact on the microbiome,

  drugs like birth control, that are taken daily and often long-term are the most insidious. Scientists have recently discovered a link between oral contraception and inflammatory bowel disease, in particular, an increased risk of Crohn’s disease, which is typified by inflammation of the lining and wall of the large or small intestines, or both. A large-scale study by Dr. Hamed Khalili of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston looked at data taken from 233,000 women who were followed from 1976 to 2008 and it was found that there was a nearly three times greater risk of Crohn’s disease in the group of women using birth control.

Pharmaceuticals, especially antibiotics wipe out certain strains, leaving others to flourish, and have the ability to disrupt the gut long after the drugs are stopped. Add an additional course of antibiotics before the body has had a chance to recuperate and the effects are compounded. It must also be considered that what we eat may be contaminated with antibiotics. Livestock is often treated with antibiotics to treat infection as well as to make them grow larger and mature earlier. According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, these infections can usually be treated without antibiotics:

• Common cold
• Influenza (flu)
• Most coughs and bronchitis• Many ear infections
• Many skin rashes

According a study by Mi Young Yoon and San Sun Yoon, “Disruption of the Gut Ecosystem by Antibiotics”, published in the Yonsei Medical Journal of Korea [3]:

“Studies of the effects of clarithromycin, metronidazole, and omeprazole on the composition of the pharyngeal and fecal bacterial taxa show that these antibiotics may affect 30% or more of the microbiota composition, and although the microbiota may partially recover, the effects can persist for at least 4 years after exposure. In addition, analysis of the changes in microbiota between before and after treatment of patients with fluoroquinolone and β-lactam antibiotics for 1 week showed that the 16S rRNA copy number did not change or increased, while changes in the composition of microbiota and a reduction in the diversity were observed. In particular, an increase in the ratio of Bacteroidetes to Firmicutetes was observed, and the distribution of the bacterial taxa tended to be simplified. Even ciprofloxacin, which exhibits relatively low activity against anaerobic bacteria, can have a profound effect on the composition of intestinal microbiota. Ciprofloxacin was prescribed for 5 days to patients who had not taken the antibiotic previously and changes in the intestinal microbiota between 60 days before dosing and after dosing and between after dosing and 6 months after discontinuation of dosing were analyzed. The results showed that the diversity of bacterial taxa decreased by approximately one-third, and the taxonomic abundance, diversity, and uniformity of the intestinal microbiota decreased. The results of another study indicated that the diversity of the bacterial taxa had already begun to decrease in the early stages of exposure to the antibiotic, and when differences in responses among individuals and the degree and time of recovery of the microbiota were measured, universal decreases in Ruminococcaceae were observed, in addition to the rapid destruction of bacterial diversity. Although some compositional changes persisted, even after 6 months had passed, most of the compositions showed a tendency to recover almost completely by 1 month after dosing. These differences were shown to be attributable to the diversity of intestinal microbiota in the early stage, indicating that the diversity of the bacterial taxa of intestinal microbiota plays an important role in the subsequent recovery of diversity to the redundancy state. In addition, re-exposure to the same amount of ciprofloxacin 6 months later showed similar effects on the structure of intestinal microbiota, although there was a tendency for less efficient recovery.”

Another very important reason we want to preserve this precious cargo, is that the disruption of the microbiome in the gut can result in intestinal permeability, which also has a direct impact on the brain. Microbes influence gut barrier function and microbial dysbiosis leads to increased permeability. This increased permeability allows the passage of food, toxins and bacteria, along with their endotoxins, into the blood stream where they are free to bind with tissue and organs, including the brain, potentially causing inflammation. Bacterial metabolites and virulence factors might pass through the blood-brain-barrier. This transference due to a “leaky gut” may play a crucial role in many gut-microbiome-brain comorbidity disorders. [14] Studies in animal models have documented the association between bacteria and depression. One research group showed that mice treated with antibiotics showed alterations in the diversity of the gut microbiome and performed worse on memory tests. In another quite remarkable study, fecal samples from human patients suffering from depression were transplanted into rats who developed depression-like symptoms. [18,19]

The connection between the gut and the brain is a two way street and is referred to as the gut- brain axis. Did you know that for every one message going from the brain to the gut, there are NINE going from the gut to the brain? Over 90% of the body’s serotonin is produced in the gut, not the brain! If you’ve ever felt butterflies in your stomach when you are nervous, that’s the gut-brain axis in action. And have you ever had to run to the bathroom because of an intense fear? That is because your digestive system and your nervous system have a huge impact on one another. The gut microbiota influences brain function through the neuroendocrine, neuroimmune and autonomic nervous systems.[13] The vagus nerve, the longest of the twelve cranial nerves, is the primary channel of information between the hundreds of millions of nerve cells in our intestinal nervous system and our central nervous system. It extends from the brain stem to the abdomen, directing many bodily processes that we don't consciously control. These include such important tasks as maintaining the heart rate and controlling digestion.

And it turns out that the population of bacteria in the gut directly affects the stimulation and function of the cells along the vagus nerve. Some of the gut's microbes can actually release chemical messengers, just as the neurons do, that speak to the brain in their own language through the vagus nerve. [7]

A review of clinical studies printed for Cellular and Molecular Gastroenterology and Hepatology, referred to only as “The Brian-Gut-Microbiome Axis”, sheds light on the bidirectional interactions within the gut-brain axis and the implication this has on our health. The Summary of this review states:

“The past decade has seen a paradigm shift in our understanding of the brain-gut axis. The exponential growth of evidence detailing the bidirectional interactions between the gut microbiome and the brain supports a comprehensive model that integrates the central nervous,gastrointestinal, and immune systems with this newly discovered organ. Data from preclinical and clinical studies have shown remarkable potential for novel treatment targets not only in functional gastrointestinal disorders but in a wide range of psychiatric and neurologic disorders, including Parkinson's disease, autism spectrum disorders, anxiety, and depression, among many others.”[5]

About one in four adults in the US - more than 26 percent of the population - suffers from a diagnosable mental disorder. Remember that over 90% of neurotransmitters that regulate mood, like dopamine, serotonin and melatonin, are made in the gut, according to Dr. Perlmutter, neurologist and author of “Brain Maker”. He explains that it’s the bacteria themselves that play an important role in manufacturing these neurotransmitters. If your gut has the wrong bacteria, they won’t be able to make the same feel-good chemicals.
Conversely, our microbiome can be improved by the things we surround ourselves with and put into and onto our body. In a study done by scientists from China’s Qilu Hospital and Shandong University, it was discovered that just four weeks of probiotic supplementation reduced small bowel intestinal permeability.[6] The strains used in this study were, L. bulgaris, B. longum, L. acidophilus and S. thermopiles, which coincidentally are all also found in flourish!

Many cultures around the world indulge in a fermented food with every meal, a practice that was likely adopted to prevent spoilage at a time when refrigeration wasn’t an option, however, it’s proven to be a part of our heritage that should not be forgotten and quite honestly, should be practiced by every human on this planet. In “The Prolongation of Life: Optimistic Studies” by Elie Mechnikov (who also coined the term “probiotic”) documented in detail, the unusually lengthy life spans of several populations that regularly ate fermented foods and kefir.

For many who are already chronically ill though, fermented foods procure too much histamine for their tolerance levels. Sadly, this elevation in histamine can create negative side effects that make it almost unbearable for these people to rely on fermented foods for their probiotic diversity. Third-party testing has confirmed that flourish has virtually no detectable histamine in the finished product, making this a brilliant old-world, live fermentation option for histamine- sensitive individuals. See more about probiotics here.

Resources

-“Probiotics - Protection Against Infection - Using Nature’s Tiny Warriors To Stem Infection and Fight Disease” by Case Adams, PhD

-“Brain Maker” by David Perlmutter, MD

Footnotes

1. http://oxfordmedicine.com/view/10.1093/med/9780190490911.001.0001/

   med-9780190490911-chapter-6

2. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-02-13/roundup-attacks-gut-bacteria-in-

   people-and-pets-lawsuit-alleges?fbclid=IwAR2gCud2P57DYZBjrBXltKwqbC1-

   A9NE5OzkyODv5IUlNLj_dl2Fnyowg2k

3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5725362/

4. http://oxfordmedicine.com/view/10.1093/med/9780190490911.001.0001/

   med-9780190490911-chapter-6

5. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6047317/

6. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1365-2036.2008.03818.x

7. David Perlmutter, MD, “Brain Maker”, April 2015

8. The Environmental Working Group, “Toxic Chemicals Found in Minority Cord Blood,” news

   release, December 2, 2009

9. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0892036218300254

10. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3712547/

11. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2886850/

12. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17475890

13. Kim, N., Yun, M., Oh, Y. J., and Choi, H. J. (2018). Mind-altering with the gut: modulation of

    the gut-brain axis with probiotics. J. Microbiol. 56, 172–182. doi: 10.1007/

    s12275-018-8032-4

14. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5596107/

15. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-24931-w

16. https://dl.sciencesocieties.org/publications/jeq/abstracts/45/3/1029

17. https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/food-additives-alter-gut-microbes-

    cause-diseases-mice

18. https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(13)01473-6?

    _returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS00928674

    13014736%3Fshowall%3Dtrue

19. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022395616301571?via%3Dihub