Microbiome - Butyrate - Inflammation

[LINE]

@Angel Bryan We used a multi layered approach that may be a bit much to post here but I am willing to detail it out if you like, just let me know. That person is also very open to discussion (he is a good person

 

[Violeta]

Supplementation with a cranberry extract favors the establishment of butyrogenic guilds in the human fermentation SHIME system​

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11480733/

Although there were variations in microbiota modulation among the six donors, the butyrogenic effect induced by the supplementation remained consistent across all individuals.

 

[Wishful]

There seems to be potential conflict of interest, as it was funded by the company producing the supplement, and one of the authors holds a chair in that company. If true, the findings are interesting. Anyone here had noticeable benefits from cranberries?

 

[Angel Bryan]

@Angel Bryan We used a multi layered approach that may be a bit much to post here but I am willing to detail it out if you like, just let me know. That person is also very open to discussion (he is a good person

Yes, I would like to know please.

 

[LINE]

There seems to be potential conflict of interest, as it was funded by the company producing the supplement, and one of the authors holds a chair in that company. If true, the findings are interesting. Anyone here had noticeable benefits from cranberries?

Cranberries have a rich polyphenol content, so I would not be surprised it can modulate something. After reading the article, they are rich in proanthocyanins which are interesting molecules, they are attributing the effect due to proanthocyanins and oligosaccharides.

There are numerous published studies on the benefits of proanthocyanins in the microbiota. This article discusses the role of proanthocyanins as food for certain bacterial species including bifidobacteria which recent studies have indicated that it is vital for immune and gut health.

Other foods rich in proanthocyanins are usually found in red and purples such as pomegranate, red grapes, hibiscus, etc. There are published studies on their benefits.

I do know that cranberries provide a sort of antibiotic effect, that is, they have anti-adhesion effects. Anti-adhesion in that the polyphenols responsible for that keep the bacteria from attaching to cell walls. Cranberries and UTIs have been established.

 

[LINE]

Yes, I would like to know please.

Likely easier to do through private messaging or chat. Let me know.

 

[Wayne]

Other foods rich in proanthocyanins are usually found in red and purples such as pomegranate, red grapes, hibiscus, etc. There are published studies on their benefits.

Hi @LINE - I thought I remembered blueberries in that grouping, and so asked Perplexity, an AI website. Here's part of its reply...

Health Benefits​

Blueberries are indeed rich in proanthocyanidins, which are a type of polyphenol compound found in many plant-based foods. Proanthocyanidins, along with other polyphenols in blueberries, contribute to various health benefits:

• They may play a role in improving metabolic health and alleviating weight gain in obesogenic diets3
• Proanthocyanidins have shown strong prebiotic effects and beneficial impacts on insulin sensitivity3
• These compounds contribute to the overall antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of blueberries4

In conclusion, blueberries are indeed rich in proanthocyanidins, which form an important part of their polyphenol profile.

 

[Wishful]

Cranberries and UTIs have been established.

Has cranberry juice intake been confirmed as reducing UTIs? Last I checked, there wasn't any actual clinical evidence that drinking cranberry juice was effective in treating UTIs ... other than the benefit from ingesting lots of water. Maybe the effect was "established" only in cells in dishes, or direct injection into mouse bladders, or some such thing. Not saying that cranberries are proven to not help, just not accepting false health advice from glowing articles in health magazines that just want to sell ads ... or studies funded by companies that sell the "proven treatment".

A reliable way to shift SCFA production certainly would be helpful, so I hope the study does get validated.

 

[LINE]

@Wishful I did not read through the article, but found this https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2873556/

Based on the low cost and low possibility of side effects, I ordered some and will do a focused treatment and see what happens. I will also add some other plants with high proanthocyanins. So far, in my studies, I have seen that a multi layered approach seems the best.

 

[Violeta]

@Wishful I did not read through the article, but found this https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2873556/

Based on the low cost and low possibility of side effects, I ordered some and will do a focused treatment and see what happens. I will also add some other plants with high proanthocyanins. So far, in my studies, I have seen that a multi layered approach seems the best.

That's a good find, @LINE.

I started drinking Lakewood cranberry juice a couple of days ago. The first think I'm noticing is less of something in my left eye that messes up my vision, especially when reading on devices.

I am going to make some cranberry sauce as soon as I can get to the grocery store, too.

This site has studies about the other benefit of cranberries, if anyone is interested.

https://www.cranberryinstitute.org/cranberry-health-research/library

 

[datadragon]

started drinking Lakewood cranberry juice a couple of days ago. The first think I'm noticing is less of something in my left eye that messes up my vision, especially when reading on devices.

Cranberries contain Vitamin A so its possible that is contributing toward your improvement in vision. If so you could consider some other sources of retinol Vitamin A.
https://www.webmd.com/diet/health-benefits-cranberries

Remember that beta carotene is not the same as Retinol Vitamin A. Vitamin A palmitate is a form of vitamin A. It’s found in animal products, such as liver, eggs, and cheese. It’s also called preformed vitamin A and retinyl palmitate. Vitamin A retinyl palmitate is available as a manufactured supplement and vitamin A palmitate is a retinoid (retinol). There’s a common misunderstanding that beta-carotene found in fruits and vegetables is the same thing as vitamin A. Beta Carotene can be converted to retinol by the enzyme β-carotene 15,15′-monooxygenase (BCMO1 gene) and is then used by the body in the same way as preformed vitamin A from animal products is used or stored, but almost half of everyone have variants (two common mutations) on the BCMO1 gene which cause a 30% to 70% decrease in the amount of vitamin A that we can convert from beta-carotene. This means that contrary to popular wisdom, vegetables like carrots and red peppers may not be adequate food sources of vitamin A for many.

 

[Violeta]

Cranberries contain Vitamin A so its possible that is contributing toward your improvement in vision. If so you could consider some other sources of retinol Vitamin A.
https://www.webmd.com/diet/health-benefits-cranberries

Remember that beta carotene is not the same as Retinol Vitamin A. Vitamin A palmitate is a form of vitamin A. It’s found in animal products, such as liver, eggs, and cheese. It’s also called preformed vitamin A and retinyl palmitate. Vitamin A retinyl palmitate is available as a manufactured supplement and vitamin A palmitate is a retinoid (retinol). There’s a common misunderstanding that beta-carotene found in fruits and vegetables is the same thing as vitamin A. Beta Carotene can be converted to retinol by the enzyme β-carotene 15,15′-monooxygenase (BCMO1 gene) and is then used by the body in the same way as preformed vitamin A from animal products is used or stored, but almost half of everyone have variants (two common mutations) on the BCMO1 gene which cause a 30% to 70% decrease in the amount of vitamin A that we can convert from beta-carotene. This means that contrary to popular wisdom, vegetables like carrots and red peppers may not be adequate food sources of vitamin A for many.

Thanks, and I do have the problem with converting beta-carotene to vitamin a, but I do eat cheese now. I had been vegan for many years, and developed quite a few problems. Now I can handle KerryGold cheese, fortunately.

 

[LINE]

I purchased Akkermansia Muciniphila from UpNourish ($25) to give a try, it seems to be helping after 1 week of trial. Akkermansia has been shown in studies to be a beneficial bacteria. - it is shown to enhance tight junction proteins (intestinal barrier) https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10142179/

The version of Akkermansia is unique in that it is pasteurized - I guess I am confused as I would think that pasteurization would eliminate the active form of the bacteria - maybe someone could educate me on this.

Again, I have never found a single therapy approach to be sufficient in resolving this. I use a multi-layered approach (where I have made the most progress). I will continue to explore the Akkermansia experiment.

BTW, Akkermansia is another lover of the proanthocyanins (cranberry, pomegranate, grapes etc.)

 

[Violeta]

 

[Violeta]

The version of Akkermansia is unique in that it is pasteurized - I guess I am confused as I would think that pasteurization would eliminate the active form of the bacteria - maybe someone could educate me on this.

The heat stability of these proteins explains why A. muciniphila retains most of its effects even after pasteurization.

Source: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10142179/

 

[Violeta]

This kind of worried me:

"Several studies reported an increased abundance of A. muciniphila in the fecal samples of patients with PD (and MS) compared with healthy donors.

But then I found this:

Using strain dropouts of mucolytic bacteria from the community, we show that Akkermansia muciniphila renders the host more vulnerable to the mucosal pathogen during fiber deprivation. However, the presence of A. muciniphila reduces pathogen load on a fiber-sufficient diet, highlighting the context-dependent beneficial effects of this mucin specialist. The enhanced pathogen susceptibility is not owing to altered host immune or pathogen responses, but is driven by a combination of increased mucus penetrability and altered activities of A. muciniphila and other community members. Our study provides novel insights into the mechanisms of how discrete functional responses of the same mucolytic bacterium either resist or enhance enteric pathogen susceptibility.

This might explain why some people do well on a high fat/low carb/low fiber diet and some people don't.
(High fat diet not good for akkermansia)

Very easy to mix some inulin into cranberry juice.

 

[Violeta]

I purchased Akkermansia Muciniphila from UpNourish ($25) to give a try, it seems to be helping after 1 week of trial.

Thanks, that one gets good reviews and isn't too expensive. I just ordered it, too.

 

[Violeta]

Amazing Akkermansia!

A. muciniphila is one of the most abundant single species in the human gut microbiota (up to 5% of the total bacteria in basal conditions),[6] well described for its properties on the intestinal barrier: presence of A. muciniphila has been shown to decrease intestinal permeability,[4, 7, 8] to reduce microbial translocation[9] by inducing tight junction formation,[10-13] to increase the number of mucin-producing goblet cells, thereby modulating the composition and thickness of mucus.[14]

A. muciniphila (live, pasteurized, or the outer-membrane protein Amuc_1100) was shown to regulate intestinal immune responses. Firstly, it may induce expression of aryl hydrocarbon receptor-targeted genes such as cytochrome P-450 1A1, and interleukins (IL) like IL-10 and IL-22, suggesting that it could activate aryl hydrocarbon receptor signaling.[24] All these genes are known to exert essential functions in xenobiotic detoxication and maintain tissue homeostasis during infection and inflammation.

. Activation of the TLR2 at the intestinal level also consolidated the barrier function of the intestine, by modulating tight junction proteins,[28] probably decreasing the translocation of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from the intestine to the blood.

In parallel, A. muciniphila, has been shown to modulate the inflammation elicited by some pathogens such as P. gingivalis; the expression of IL-10, an anti-inflammatory cytokine, at both mRNA and protein levels, was significantly increased in gingival tissues of mice and in macrophages exposed to A. muciniphila or to its outer membrane protein Amuc_1100.[32]

Then, an oral administration of pasteurized A. muciniphila can significantly reduce weight loss and mortality caused by influenza H7N9 virus infection in mice and decrease lung viral titers and levels of IL-1β and IL-6; it also enhance levels of interferon (IFN)-β, IFN-γ, and IL-10 in H7N9-infected mice, suggesting anti-inflammatory and immunoregulatory properties.[35]

And much more!

Akkermansia muciniphila and Alcohol-Related Liver Diseases. A Systematic Review​

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/mnfr.202300510

 

[Violeta]

I am seeing people talking about Akkermansia having a glp-1 effect. I don't yet know if the "effect" is for the same reason. I will have to see what I can find.

Oh yeah, look at this:

An important gut microbiota in T2DM is Akkermansia muciniphila (A. muciniphila), a butyrate-producing microbiota which stimulates the secretion of incretin hormones, glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1), glucagon-like peptide 2 (GLP-2) and peptide YY (PYY). Incretins stimulate insulin secretion from pancreatic beta cells.

Glp-1 and celiac.

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) is a hormone that may have a role in treating celiac disease (CD) and other intestinal diseases:

• Possible benefits
  GLP-1 may help with intestinal diseases by reducing inflammation, improving nutrient absorption, and regulating gastric emptying.
  
  
  

 

[LINE]

@Violeta From the posted article you made:

the distinguishing features of A. muciniphila is its ability to degrade intestinal mucin glycoproteins via enzymes, such as glycosyl hydrolases, proteases, sulphatases, and sialidase, and to use them as a sole source of carbon and nitrogen; this process leads to the production of the short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) acetate, propionate, and 1,2-propanediol, as well as succinate and sulfate. Due to this process of degradation, A. muciniphila promotes mucin turnover and thickening, thereby reinforcing the intestinal barrier and reducing gut permeability to microbial products. A further barrier-reinforcing mechanism is the A. muciniphila-induced production of antimicrobial peptides from Paneth cells. SCFAs derived from gut mucin glycoproteins are absorbed in the colon and serve as an energy source for colonocytes, inducing regulatory T cells and exerting anti-inflammatory effects [4,5,6,7,8].

SCFAs are subsequently used by other bacteria in the gut microbial community, such as Anaerostipes caccae, Anaerobutyricum hallii, and Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, to further produce butyrate and propionate [1,6,9,10,11].

I wonder if Akkermansia is the beginning of the stream?

The article mentions antimicrobial peptides or (AMPs) which are vital proteins that are part of the immune response. These AMPs control overpopulation of offending bacteria and are studied in the context of antibiotics. The intestinal environment is quite complex and interdependent on each factor.