Two main takeaways for me:

1. Your gut biome is very important, and something we haven't really prioritized in the West with our diets. It can help as a supplemental regulatory organ for lots of biological processes. There are also lots of foods that provide good diversity to your gut biome (listed in the book). I think this takeaway has been taken to heart in the mainstream since the publication of this book, since probiotics are found everywhere now.

2. Inflammation is a major factor in lots of diseases/disorders, including many brain conditions (ADHD, depression, etc.) A healthy gut biome can help regulate inflammation, which in turn can help with some of the above. (I think this causal chain is a little muddy here... if anything it makes me want to get things that directly help with inflammation rather than in this roundabout way) I think the message around inflammation has also hit mainstream since this book's publication.
( )

This was interesting. I'm not sure I buy into everything, but I will investigate further to determine how far to go. ( )

A good book, and an informative read. It sounds like it makes sense, but as per usual in cases like this, the next two avenues to take are

1 - To try the stuff out. There's nothing in the diet that would do harm and, at the very least, you'd get away from processed shit food.
2 - Get a second opinion.

Thought-provoking stuff. ( )

Doctors are not my favourite group of people though obviously I greatly appreciate those surgeons who saved my life; and I greatly appreciate Dr Joseph Mercola and Dr David Perlmutter.

In this book, leading neurologist Dr Perlmutter, shows us how gut microbes heal and protect our brain. Much of the information he provides us with is apparently new.

I found this to be an extremely valuable book, particularly for those with brain problems, like MS, autism, ADHD, depression, etc.

Perlmutter explains that the digestive system is “intimately connected” to what goes on in the brain.

19th-century biologist Élie Mechnikov made a direct link between human longevity and a healthy balance of bacteria in the body: the good bacteria must outnumber the bad.

The author himself has seen “dramatic turnarounds” in health by simple dietary modifications.

He mentions a man with multiple sclerosis that required a wheelchair and bladder catheter; after treatment his MS went into total remission. He refers also to Jason, a 12.year-old boy with severe autism who could hardly talk who was transformed after treatment with probiotics.

He lists a large number of ailments that can be helped by the transformation of one’s gut health, including ADHD, asthma, autism, allergies, food sensitivities, chronic fatigue, diabetes and obesity. In fact any degenerative or inflammatory condition can be helped.

The most significant factor related to the health and diversity of the microbiome is the food we eat.

The two key mechanisms leading to brain degeneration are chronic inflammation and the action of free radicals and these are influenced by gut bacteria and one’s overall gut health.

The practical regimen outlined in the book includes six essential keys: prebiotics, probiotics, fermented foods, low-carb foods, gluten-free foods and healthy fat. Results will appear within weeks.

This information will completely revolutionize the treatment of neurological illnesses.

“Your microbiome is the ultimate brain maker.”

Foods such as garlic, Jerusalem artichoke and fermented foods such as sauerkraut, kombucha and kimchi “"open the door for heightened levels of health in general, and brain function and protection in particular”.

The author gives us a simple test whereby we can determine our risk factors.

This includes questions such as; were you born by c-section?, were you breast-fed for less than one month?, do you take antibiotics at least once every two or three years?, have you been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease?

The Greek island of Ikaria has the greatest percentage of ninety-year-olds on the planet; they have 20% fewer cases of cancer, half the rate of heart disease and practically no dementia.

Babies there are born naturally and are breast-fed for two years. They eat vegetables from the garden, local fish and meat, homemade yogurt, nuts and seeds and lots of olive oil. The air is clean and there’s no pollution. When they get ill, they are given a spoonful of locally produced honey. They never get autism, asthma or ADHD. They stay fit and lean, since they are always active.

Many scientists are calling the neurons in the gut ”the second brain”. Your gut’s brain makes more serotonin than the brain in your head.

The two most common groups of organisms in the gut, representing more than 90 percent of the bacterial population in the colon, are Firmicutes (pronounced fir-MIH-cue-tees) and Bacteroidetes (pronounced BAC-teer-OY-deh-tees). Firmicutes are notorious as “fat-loving” bacteria and they are much more efficient at extracting energy (i.e. calories) from food. They were found to increase fat absorption. Obese people have elevated levels of Firmicutes in their gut flora, compared to lean people who are dominated by Bacteroidetes.

Higher levels of Firmicutes turn on genes that increase the risk of obesity, diabetes and even cardiovascular disease,

Infants born vaginally obtain bacterial colonies resembling their own mothers’ vaginal microbiome, dominated by beneficial Lactobacillus, whereas babies born via c-section acquire colonies similar to those found on the skin’s surface, dominated by potentially harmful Staphylococcus.

Babies born by cesarean section may not receive an abundant supply of Lactobacillus, instead they are exposed to what is on the doctors’ and nurses’ hands. Also every single woman in the US receives antibiotics when giving birth by c-section.

A third of infants born in the U.S. today are born by c-section.

Babies born by c-section have

A five-fold increased risk of allergies

Twice the risk of ADHD

Twice the risk of autism

An 80 percent increased risk of celiac disease

A 50 percent increased risk of becoming obese as an adult

A 70 percent increased risk of type 1-diabetes.

A loss of microbial species and obesity in the West is due to diet, use of antibiotics and overly sanitized conditions.

Our Western diet which is low in plant fibres that serve as fuel for gut bacteria results in fewer types of microbes and beneficial byproducts; we are starving our beneficial microbes. These byproducts of our gut bacteria help control inflammation and “our immune system’s response”. The Western microbiome predisposes us to a variety of diseases.

It lacks diversity and has more bacteria from the group Firmicutes (the inferior, fat-loving bacteria) than Bacteroides (those that “lean” people have).

In countries with the least sanitization the prevalence of Alzheimer’s was found to be dramatically reduced.

In countries with a high degree of sanitization and thus lower levels of parasites, and less diversity of ”intestinal organisms”” Alzheimer’s prevalence skyrocketed. In other words, hygiene is positively associated with risk of Alzheimer’s.

A study showed that elderly peoply who added more fat, in the form of olive oil or mixed nuts, to their diets maintained their cognitive function much better than those who ate a low-fat diet. (This is the opposite of what Medical Medium Anthony William recommends; he says we should eat much less fat.

There’s a valuable chapter(though all the chapters are valuable) about inflammation including in regard to Alzheimer’s. Particularly the relationship between poor blood sugar control and Alzheimer’s is so strong that it is being called type-3 diabetes.

What the author terms “a disrupted gut community” leads to diabetes and brain disease.

Various herbs and supplements with known anti-diabetic properties work to control blood sugar through the microbiome. For example, berberine and ginseng, together with compounds found in tea, coffee, wine, and chocolate have anti-diabetic qualities through their effects on gut bacteria.

Good gut bacteria produce important brain chemicals like brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA) and glutamate.

BDNF is involved in the creation of new neurons (neurogenesis) and forming synapses between neurons. This synapse formation is essential for “thinking, learning and higher levels of brain formation”. Decreased levels of BDNF are found in Alzheimer’s, epilepsy, anorexia nervosa, depression, schizophrenia and OCD.thor

In this chapter the author also deals with leaky gut and LPS (lipopolysaccharide) which he calls a “biological villain”.

The health and variety of your gut’s bugs depend on the foods that you eat!

Foods that are high in fibre keep blood sugar in check and reduce inflammation. Omega-6 fats dominate in the Western diet; these are the pro-inflammatory fats that have been linked to brain disorders and heart trouble, Omega-3 fats, on the other hand, such as those found in olive oil, fish, flaxseed, boost brain function, help stamp out inflammation, and can counterbalance the detrimental effects of the omega-6 fats.

While Anthony William states that we should completely cut out coffee, Dr Perlmutter tells us that there is an impressive risk reduction for the development of Alzheimer’s in people who drink coffee.

It also reduces the risks of type2-diabetes, strokes, Parkinson’s disease, and even cancer and cardiovascular disease.

The author discusses MS and informs us that MS patients were either born by C-section, not breast-fed or treated with antibiotics early in life. (I myself have MS and was not breast-fed at all.)

Dr Perlmutter had a patient, Carlos, badly affected by MS, and began to give him a new treatment. First he was given probiotic enemas, after which he walked much better.

Then Carlos was given FMT (fecal microbial transplantations), which to most people sounds somewhat distasteful, in that one is given fecal transplants from other, healthy, people. After 10 fecal transplants, he began to walk so well no-one could see he had a problem.

Dr Perlmutter has been practising neurology for three decades but had never witnessed such a remarkable improvement in his MS patients as in Carlos’s case.

(I will not be asking my doctors for FMT but will be following the author’s other advice.)

In a chapter about depression we learn how hopeless the various anti-depressants are, that only treat symptoms and hardly work.

Depression is an inflammatory disease, and we have known of the connection between depression and the gut for more than eighty years.

The higher the level of inflammation, the higher the risk of depression.

High blood sugar is also one of the biggest risk factors for depression, as it is for Alzheimer’s. Women with diabetes have been shown to be 30 percent more likely to develop depression; and women who took insulin for their diabetes were 53 percent more likely to develop depression. Obesity is also associated with increased inflammatory markers; and is correlated with a 55 percent increased risk of depression.

LPS (see above) increases the production of inflammatory markers, which correlate with depression.

Low-grade inflammation is “a primary driver of cognitive decline”.

People who eat a Mediterranean diet rich in healthy, anti-inflammatory fats and proteins, have significantly lower rates of depression.

The author indicates that there is a connection between autoimmune disease and risk of depression.

Chronic stress increases gut permeability and inflammation; gut bacteria control to a large etent the body’s stress response. The problem can be reversed by taking the probiotic Bifidobacterium infantis.

Not only depression but also disorders such as panic disorder, obsessive.compulsive disorder, social phobias and generalized anxiety disorders are caused by factors that include the ”state and formation of the gut and its inhabitants”.

The chapter includes an important section on ADHD, sufferers from which often have digestive complaints. Probiotics and other supplements provide the same outcome as Ritalin.

There are important chapters on “how your intestinal flora can make you fat and brainsick”, ”Autism and the gut”, “Punched in the gut – the truth about fructose and gluten”; and more.

He tells us that we should choose foods rich in probiotics, for example, fermented foods such as kefir, kombucha, tempeh, kimchi, sauerkraut and pickles. We should go low-carb and embrace high-quality fat.

As regards cholesterol, those with the highest cholesterol levels perform better on cognitive tests than those with lower levels. Cholesterol is a critical brain nutrient essential to the function of neurons. The brain needs high amounts of cholesterol as a source of food. LDL is a vehicle for transporting life-sustaining cholesterol from the blood to the brain’s neurons and is not only not “bad cholesterol” but not a cholesterol molecule at all.

When cholesterol levels are low, the brain simply doesn’t function optimally, and people with low cholesterol are at great risk for neurological problems from depression to dementia.

The best diet is a low carb high-fat diet, a diet that keeps blood sugar balanced and will keep gut bacteria balanced. The diet should be high in fibre, which you’ll get in whole fruits and vegetables. The diet should be devoid of gluten.

Dr P provides us with a list of what he terms brain maker foods: 1) vegetables, including leafy greens and lettuces, spinach, broccoli, kale, onions, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, asparagus, garlic, etc, etc. 2) low-sugar fruit – avocado, bell peppers, cucumber, tomato, squash, lemons limes etc etc

3) fermented foods (see above)

5) healthy fat – extra virgin olive oil, sesame oil, coconut oil, almond milk, avocados, coconuts, olives, nuts and seeds (flaxseed, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, chia seeds

5) protein – wild fish, herring, sardines etc

6) herbs, seasonings and condiments.

Dr P gives us a valuable list of the best probiotics – Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus brevis, Bifidobacterium lactis, Bifidobacterium longum.

I repeat that I found this to be an absolutely essential book, particularly for those with brain problems and those who want to avoid them (all of us, I presume). I highly recommend it. ( )

2015