“Our data suggests, for the first time, that Vitamin D deficiency can contribute to Crohn’s disease,” says Dr. White, a professor in McGill’s Department of Physiology, noting that people from northern countries, which receive less sunlight that is necessary for the fabrication of Vitamin D by the human body, are particularly vulnerable to Crohn’s disease.
While the exact causes are unclear, IBD is known to be the result of an overactive immune response that is linked to an imbalance of the normal types of bacteria found in the gut.
Several recent studies have identified butyric acid as a potential therapeutic agent for IBD. Some gut bacteria produce butyric acid naturally in the intestines, but in IBD patients some of these strains are heavily depleted.
Trials in mice have shown that injecting one such strain Faecalibacterium prausnitzii into the digestive tract is effective at restoring normal levels of gut bacteria and treating the symptoms of IBD.
In addition, novel identified butyrate-producing strains, such as Butyricicoccus pullicaecorum, have been shown to exert similar effects.
Butyric acid has well-known anti-inflammatory effects and is able to strengthen intestinal wall cells - making it an ideal therapeutic agent against IBD.
In addition to butyric acid, it is hypothesized that strains such as F. prausnitzii and B.pullicaecorum secrete other anti-inflammatory compounds that may enhance the therapeutic effect.
Prof. Filip Van Immerseel, a medical microbiologist from Ghent University in Belgium said that a new treatment for IBD would be welcomed.
“Conventional drug therapy has limited effectiveness and considerable side effects. Probiotics are live bacterial supplements or food ingredients, which when taken in sufficient numbers confer health benefits to the host,” he said.
One of the most promising treatments in this category is a drug called CM-AT made by a startup called Curemark. Dr. Joan Fallon, the company's founder and CEO, observed that many autistics show a strong preference for foods high in carbohydrates and low in protein. A diagnostic test revealed that some autistic children lack enzymes that digest protein. As a result, these children produce fewer of the essential amino acids that are the building blocks for brain development and neuroreception. Fallon believes this deficiency is linked to the most severe symptoms of autism, and she says an early observational study of CM-AT, an orally ingested powder that delivers protein-digesting protease, showed "significant improvements." Curemark is enrolling patients in phase III clinical trials at 10 to 12 sites—the largest autism trial to date.
Read an article about a particular probiotic called Lactobacillus Plantarum. Here's an excerpt:Lactobacillus plantarum is a resilient and highly adaptive bacterium that can survive at vast temperature ranges (1-60 degrees Celsius) and a wide scale of atmospheric pressures. The name "plantarum" indicates that this bacterium is a "species of the plants." According to several specialists, including Dr. Bengmark, the adhesive properties of L plantarum make it a powerful tool to fight off pathogenic bacteria such as E Coli, while repairing the intestinal lining.
Mannose-specific adhesions are common among gram negative strains, but not gram positive (lactobacillus). Interestingly, according to Dr. Bengmark's research, L-plantarum uses mannose-specific adhesions, which makes it possible that L plantarum can compete with both gram- positive and gram-negative pathogenic strains for receptor sites and valuable nutrients in the mucosal membrane. It also secretes anti-microbial substances that help to inhibit the formation of pathogenic gram-positive & negative colonies.
These characteristics make L plantarum a potent aide for irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn's disease, and Colitis. In fact, several studies have shown that L plantarum is able to survive through harsh environments including rounds of antibiotics. This is especially important for emergency situations when someone may have to take an antibiotic. According to Donna Gates, Body Ecology Diet, the L. plantarum in your intestines will survive the antibiotic onslaught, maintaining long-term health by ensuring that a yeast overgrowth will not occur.
L. Plantarum is found in abundance in many fresh vegetables and fermented foods such as sauerkraut, kimchi, pickles, and brined olives. However, be careful of store-bought processed alternatives which use cheap vinegars to pickle vegetables. The real cultural dishes use natural fermentation or salted foods and/or put them in a brine solution, all methods which allow Lactobacillus plantarum to survive and thereby be ingested. Many of these dishes can easily be made at home on a continual basis.
