Jennifer Depew, R. D.

Jennifer Depew, R. D.Jennifer Depew, R. D.Jennifer Depew, R. D.

Jennifer Depew, R. D.

Jennifer Depew, R. D.Jennifer Depew, R. D.Jennifer Depew, R. D.
  • Home
  • Contact Jen
  • COVID19
  • Nutrients
  • Cofactors
  • Prenatal/Child
  • Membranes & Inflam.
  • Membranes
  • Blog
  • DHA & Forest Bathing
  • Magnesium
  • Zinc
  • Phytonutrients
  • Citrus peel
  • Microbiome
  • Resistant Starch/Butyrate
  • RS/Butyrate-How much?
  • MCAS/Histamine
  • Eat Mussels; save shells!
  • Wetland Superheroes
  • Education Resources
  • UN & Other Resources
  • More
    • Home
    • Contact Jen
    • COVID19
    • Nutrients
    • Cofactors
    • Prenatal/Child
    • Membranes & Inflam.
    • Membranes
    • Blog
    • DHA & Forest Bathing
    • Magnesium
    • Zinc
    • Phytonutrients
    • Citrus peel
    • Microbiome
    • Resistant Starch/Butyrate
    • RS/Butyrate-How much?
    • MCAS/Histamine
    • Eat Mussels; save shells!
    • Wetland Superheroes
    • Education Resources
    • UN & Other Resources
  • Home
  • Contact Jen
  • COVID19
  • Nutrients
  • Cofactors
  • Prenatal/Child
  • Membranes & Inflam.
  • Membranes
  • Blog
  • DHA & Forest Bathing
  • Magnesium
  • Zinc
  • Phytonutrients
  • Citrus peel
  • Microbiome
  • Resistant Starch/Butyrate
  • RS/Butyrate-How much?
  • MCAS/Histamine
  • Eat Mussels; save shells!
  • Wetland Superheroes
  • Education Resources
  • UN & Other Resources

Our Microbiome - our symbiont

"From Symbiosis to Pathogenesis"

We survive together with the environment.

The Microbiome refers to the bacteria & other microbes that live within us.

When we are healthy our microbiome is also a healthy balance of species that help keep each other from taking over. Our beneficial bacteria species can activate our vitamin D receptors for us, in order to direct our cells to make the needed type of antibiotic chemicals to help keep an undesirable microbial species in check.


Biodiversity is healthy within larger or smaller ecosystems. Within our body there are different types and balances of microbial species in different areas. The microbes within our gastrointestinal tract would be different than those on our skin. Excessive amounts of soap and antibacterial products can be damaging to the skin and its protective healthy microbiome species. Some research scientists in the area of microbiome health suggest not showering as often as every day or other day, let the skin microbiome alone for a few days and just wash the necessary parts daily.


Fiber and zinc can help our microbiome's health, and our own!


Dietary choices can help or harm the intestinal microbiome also. Beneficial species need fiber rich foods from the plant kingdom and zinc, as much as 30% of the zinc we eat may be used by our zinc loving species of our microbiome [ref quote needed for the %]. And if we don't eat much zinc then other less beneficial species will grow instead that don't need zinc in their diet. (2) Think of your own diet as also being like a restaurant - what you feed your intestinal tract will also effect which microbes are growing. 


The microbiome species tolerant of zinc deficiency were also seen with "deficiency of the trace mineral selenium [33], as well as in various pathological states such as Crohn’s disease [34], inflammatory bowel disease [35], opportunistic infections [36], diabetes [37], obesity [38] and others [39]." (2) 


The low zinc tolerant species were more likely with bowel disease, diabetes, obesity, and opportunistic infection risk - suggesting those people might benefit from more zinc (22) and selenium in their diet. We may benefit from more zinc when we are older anyway. Studies on microbiota and aging found a difference in the oldest cohort, the ones living into early 80s - maybe they had healthier microbiota because they ate more zinc, and that also helped protect their health in addition to any benefit a healthier microbiome provided. (20, 21)


  • Meats, shellfish, pumpkin seeds, other nuts, seeds and beans are dietary sources of zinc. Brazil nuts are a source of selenium, and supplements, and raw sushi, it is a trace mineral found in ocean water and air near an ocean.


"From symbiosis to pathogenesis" (1)  - when the body is less healthy, when the food available is less nutritious, then the balance of microbes within us can shift to species associated with obesity, or anxiety, colitis or bowel problems, or other disease conditions. (1) Even respiratory health - lung conditions, seem to be helped (17), or harmed by our microbiome. COVID19 risk seems associated with poor microbiome health in addition to obesity and low vitamin D. The balance of species was different between severe CoV patients and not. The research team wondered if lingering changes of gut dysbiosis may be involved for some of the chronic symptoms some patients have been experiencing for months after having been sick with SARS-CoV-2. (18) 


The patient and the microbiota might also need more zinc in their diet. 


Microbiota refer to the individual species that make up the microbiome. 


"The microbiota describes the consortium of different microbes, including bacteria, archaea, fungi, viruses, and parasites that live on our skin, in our lungs, and in the urogenital and GI tracts."  (11) 

Learn More about Zinc

Zinc is a trace mineral involved in many enzyme reactions and it is critical for gene transcription for proteins including odor and taste receptors - our sense of smell and taste. 


Taste receptors are also found throughout the body in various areas, even on immune cells. Bitter taste receptors in particular tend to do important functions when they are on a cell somewhere other than on the tongue..

Zinc

Welcome! to your holobiont!

Holobiont & Social Behavior

We are many - a greater whole, a team of many.

 “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. 

It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.” - Charles Darwin 


Microbes are very adaptable.


"Wisdom tells me I am nothing. 

Love tells me I am everything. 

Between the two my life flows."  

- Sri Nisgardatta Maharaj 


Microbes help us in many ways, we are a team. We are an everything, not just one. Symbionts help each other so each is greater together than on their own. We are helped by our beneficial microbes - virus, bacteria, yeast, all live in balance in health. Lack of health leads to imbalance and negative species taking predominance. Food choices can make a difference and so can lifestyle. Exercise (12) and sunshine (8) and social interaction (9) all help health and the microbiome. 


Host & microbiota interact - forming a holobiont.

Our microbiome species can affect behavior, even guiding mate choice.

"Interactions between hosts and their microbiota, that together form the “holobiont” [1,2,3], influence various aspects of an animal’s biology, including nutrition [4] and behavior [5]. Growing evidence indicates that the microbiota can also have important consequences on the ways hosts interact with each other, for instance by triggering aggregations [6,7], guiding mate choice [8,9] or allowing kin discrimination [10]. How these complex host-microbe interactions are mediated is an open question." (9) 

Microbiome species in our gut make serotonin which can have a positive mood effect.

Gut bacteria make a variety of brain neurotransmitters in addition to serotonin, which is also necessary for the muscle movement of the gastrointestinal tract. 


"Gut bacteria also produce hundreds of neurochemicals that the brain uses to regulate basic physiological processes as well as mental processes such as learning, memory and mood. For example, gut bacteria manufacture about 95 percent of the body's supply of serotonin, which influences both mood and GI activity." (10)


The vagal nerve acts as a channel between the brain and the intestinal system. Small molecules can be transported from the intestines to the brain or from the brain to the gut in addition to nerve signals. (11) 


Signaling the brain by way of the vagal nerve may be how microbiome species can affect our mood.

Caution for people with Leaky Gut, SIBO, overactive Mast cells, or Gut Dysbiosis.

Some people may need to avoid foods that contain bacterial species or that promote their growth. Problems with the intestinal lining can leave more porous openings between cells and larger undigested food particles and microbes may be more able to enter the body. Overgrowth of bacteria can lead to gassy bloating and may be called SIBO, Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth. Gut dysbiosis is a descriptive phrase suggesting dysfunction of the biome -the lifeforms found in the gut.


Tips for healing a leaky gut, or gut dysbiosis problem would include avoiding fiber rich foods or raw fruits and vegetables. They help support growth of the microbes in the intestines until after the symptoms improve. Avoiding live culture product like yogurt and Kim chee or having only a small amount might also help. The probiotic rich foods have been listed in a plan known as the Low FODMAP diet. The letters refer to different types of fibers.


Oregano essential oil has been found healing for the intestinal lining (13) and citrus peel also has been found to have digestive health benefits. (14) Citrus peel is a Traditional Chinese Medicinal for digestive and respiratory health. People with mast cell overactivity or histamine problems might be made worse with citrus. See: MCAS/Histamine page, Citrus peel benefits page.


MCAS & Histamine

Hydrolysable tannins can help gut & microbiome health - in moderation.

Hydrolysable tannins can be soothing in a Creole style gumbo soup. Gumbo file is powdered sassafras leaves which was used as a thickener and emulsifier by indigenous Americans. It also has healing benefits and was a main export of colonial America in the 1700s. It was called Choctaw spice then. Research into their use in medications is underway, (16), I just eat some Gumbo file everyday in baked goods as an egg replacer, and in soup or sauces.      

     Pomegranate peel and walnuts are also a source of hydrolysable tannins. Healthy microbiome species can help health by turning some indigestible chemicals or ones that are not bioavailable - not absorbable in an active form - into a chemical form that is absorbable. Urolithins made from pomegranate peel nutrients are able to cross the blood brain barrier and reduce inflammation within the brain.(16) 


  • See the second half of the post ACE2, Diarrhea, & COVID19, it gets complicated, for a list of foods that contain hydrolysable tannins, and a list of foods with fiber that has soothing mucilaginous fiber which is also healing for the intestinal lining and microbiome.


In excess tannins are an irritant, whether hydrolysable - water attracting - or condensed, and can cause kidney injury and bowel pain. They are diuretics and can cause a significant increase in urine output.

Looking at typical food choices & avoiding any gut irritants may also be necessary for healing

Some emulsifiers can disrupt the intestinal lining and increase the leaky bowel type problems of autoimmune or allergy type intolerances developing. (18)


Adequate vitamin D helps the body to not over-react to proteins that seem like our own. 


  • "Autoimmune diseases tend to share a predisposition for vitamin D deficiency, which alters the microbiome and integrity of the gut epithelial barrier." (19)
  • "Microbiome studies in systemic autoimmune diseases demonstrate unique microbial patterns in Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus to a lesser extent, whereas there is no single bug or pattern that characterizes Multiple Sclerosis." (19)


Lectins in plant foods can be a digestive problem that varies based on blood type chemistry. (15) Certain beans or other vegetables or fruits might be more of a food intolerance problem while others are beneficial depending on your own blood chemistry. Lectins can cause clumping of proteins that are reactive, like allergens and antigens in the immune system, and not cause problems for proteins that do not react/recognize them. This information is not used in standard health care treatment yet, something to look into for yourself. Always use caution when products are being offered, other sources might be available at a less expensive price.


Alcohol is not beneficial for gut health in quantities above a serving or two. If drinking alcohol, it can be protective to also have water to rehydrate and replace sodium, magnesium and potassium, which are lost in increased urine output. Alcohol is a diuretic like coffee or strong tea. B vitamins are also depleted by the detoxification of alcohol. Citrus peel was found to help repair leaky gut problems, caused by alcohol, in an animal based study. (14)

Citrus Peel

Disclaimer

Disclaimer: Opinions are my own and the information is provided for educational purposes within the guidelines of fair use. While I am a Registered Dietitian this information is not intended to provide individual health guidance. Please see a health professional for individual health care purposes. 

Resources & Reference List

International IECN 2020

The 1st International Electronic Conference on Nutrients - Nutritional and Microbiota Effects on Chronic Disease, 2020, (IECN2020), was a virtual event with Keynote speaker presentations and Abstracts for current research in the area of nutrition and the microbiome. Document with links to all the sessions: (3)

Other Websites

  • Tools for Teaching the Microbiome - educational resources. (4)
  • Recipes for a healthy microbiome, gluten free, gutbliss.com, (5)
  • Dr Chutkin's All Purpose Household Cleaner (less toxic to ourselves, and beneficial biodiversity in our environment), (6)
  • Gut Bacteria, PCRM, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, - offers a quick start with seven diet & lifestyle tips for a healthier microbiome, and helpful articles & videos. (7)

Disclaimer

Disclaimer: Opinions are my own and the information is provided for educational purposes within the guidelines of fair use. While I am a Registered Dietitian this information is not intended to provide individual health guidance. Please see a health professional for individual health care purposes.

Reference List

  1. Eloe-Fadrosh EA, Rasko DA. The human microbiome: from symbiosis to pathogenesis. Annu Rev Med. 2013;64:145-163. doi:10.1146/annurev-med-010312-133513  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3731629/
  2. Elad Tako, Omry Koren, Chronic Dietary Zinc Deficiency Alters Gut Microbiota Composition and Function, MDPI, The 1st International Electronic Conference on Nutrients - Nutritional and Microbiota Effects on Chronic Disease; Session: Interrelationships among microbiota, poor nutrition choices, and chronic disease, 30 October 2020, sciforum-037834, 10.3390/IECN2020-06993  https://sciforum.net/paper/view/6993
  3. The 1st International Electronic Conference on Nutrients - Nutritional and Microbiota Effects on Chronic Disease. 2020 document with the presentations and articles.  https://docs.google.com/document/d/15rwfM1UdC2jbigEcdezaImcolWdTjJ1K_spUwVsZGTE/edit?usp=sharing
  4. Tools for Teaching the Microbiome, genome.gov,  https://www.genome.gov/about-genomics/teaching-tools/Teaching-Microbiome
  5. Recipes, gutbliss.com, https://gutbliss.com/category/recipes/
  6. Dr Chutkin's All-Purpose Household Cleaner, July 23, 2019, gutbliss.com, https://gutbliss.com/dr-chutkans-all-purpose-household-cleaner/
  7. Gut Bacteria,  Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, pcrm.org,  https://www.pcrm.org/health-topics/gut-bacteria
  8. Bosman ES, Albert AY, Lui H, Dutz JP, Vallance BA. Skin exposure to narrow band ultraviolet (UVB) light modulates the human intestinal microbiome. Front Microbiol. 2019;10:2410. doi:10.3389/fmicb.2019.02410. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6821880/ 
  9. Pasquaretta C, Gómez-Moracho T, Heeb P, Lihoreau M. Exploring Interactions between the Gut Microbiota and Social Behavior through Nutrition. Genes (Basel). 2018;9(11):534. Published 2018 Nov 6. doi:10.3390/genes9110534 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6266758/
  10. Dr. Siri Carpenter, That Gut Feeling, Sept 2012, Monitor on Psychology, Vol 43, No. 8, apa.org https://www.apa.org/monitor/2012/09/gut-feeling
  11. Christine Fülling, Timothy G. Dinan, John F. Cryan, Gut Microbe to Brain Signaling: What Happens in Vagus…, Neuron, Vol 101, Issue 6, 2019, pp 998-1002, ISSN 0896-6273, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2019.02.008.https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0896627319301175
  12. Shakuntla Gondalia, Stephen Keenan, Regina Belski, Mathew Cooke. Gut microbiota is linked to caloric restricted diet and exercise-induced physical health improvements: A randomised clinical trial in healthy adults, sciforum-037742, https://sciforum.net/paper/view/6992
  13. Zou Y, Xiang Q, Wang J, Peng J, Wei H. Oregano Essential Oil Improves Intestinal Morphology and Expression of Tight Junction Proteins Associated with Modulation of Selected Intestinal Bacteria and Immune Status in a Pig Model. Biomed Res Int. 2016;2016:5436738. doi: 10.1155/2016/5436738. Epub 2016 May 29. PMID: 27314026; PMCID: PMC4903144. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27314026/
  14. Xiu-Min Chen, David D. Kitts, Flavonoid composition of orange peel extract ameliorates alcohol-induced tight junction dysfunction in Caco-2 monolayer, Food and Chem Tox. Vol 105, 2017, pp 398-406, ISSN 0278-6915, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fct.2017.04.009. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0278691517301783?via%3Dihub
  15. The Lectin Connection. dadamo.com, https://www.dadamo.com/txt/index.pl?1007
  16.  Sallam, I.E.; Abdelwareth, A.; Attia, H.; Aziz, R.K.; Homsi, M.N.; von Bergen, M.; Farag, M.A. Effect of Gut Microbiota Biotransformation on Dietary Tannins and Human Health Implications. Microorganisms 2021, 9, 965. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms9050965 https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/9/5/965/htm
  17. Probiotics associated with fewer respiratory symptoms in overweight and older people. May 14, 2021, eurekalert.org, https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-05/ddw-paw051221.php
  18. n https://microbiomejournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40168-020-00996-6
  19.  Yamamoto EA, Jørgensen TN. Relationships Between Vitamin D, Gut Microbiome, and Systemic Autoimmunity. Front Immunol. 2020;10:3141. Published 2020 Jan 21. doi:10.3389/fimmu.2019.03141 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6985452/
  20. Presentation by Dr. Miguel Gueimonde, Microbiota and Aging  sciforum https://youtu.be/CTNM1bDmgRw
  21.  Miguel Gueimonde, Microbiota-Diet Interaction Along Ageing, (doi:10.3390/IECN2020-06980)  https://sciforum.net/paper/view/6980
  22.  Foligné, B, George, F, Standaert, A, et al. High-dose dietary supplementation with zinc prevents gut inflammation: investigation of the role of metallothioneins and beyond by transcriptomic and metagenomic studies. The FASEB Journal. 2020; 34: 12615– 12633. https://doi.org/10.1096/fj.202000562RR  https://faseb.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1096/fj.202000562RR

  • Home
  • COVID19
  • Nutrients
  • Cofactors
  • Prenatal/Child
  • Membranes & Inflam.
  • Blog
  • DHA & Forest Bathing
  • Magnesium
  • Zinc
  • Phytonutrients
  • Citrus peel
  • Microbiome
  • Resistant Starch/Butyrate
  • RS/Butyrate-How much?
  • MCAS/Histamine
  • Eat Mussels; save shells!
  • Wetland Superheroes
  • Education Resources
  • UN & Other Resources

Jennifer Depew, R.D.

Copyright © 2020 Jennifer Depew, R - All Rights Reserved.

Powered by GoDaddy Website Builder