Bowels, Bugs and an unfolding mystery.

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I've written a few blogs on the evolving, largely unexplored, universe that is our very own "Bio-sphere": those Gazillions of bacteria and microscopic organisms that call "yours truly" Home Sweet Home. Just to re-cap on how many there are: if you imagine your body as representing the total number of cells that you call "you", then the area below your left knee represents the number of human cells in your "body" and the rest represents the number of organisms that make up that svelte human being you call you!

But it's in the gloomy recesses of our bowels that mystery unfolds upon mystery. Now it appears that there could be links between what sorts of bacteria are in our bowels and perhaps a gut based immune imbalance that can lead to Diabetes. Then there are theories that certain types of gut bacteria may be linked to why people develop Obesity. Now there are suggestions that bugs in our bowels may feast on the red meat we consume and increase the risks of having a heart attack!

The red meat bit has been around for a long time as vegetarians and vegens have a lower heart attack risk than red meat eaters, and for a long time we have linked the fat in red meat with the increased risk - hence the push for less red meat, make sure it's lean and try to replace it with fish and chicken. But now scientists are saying that there is a chemical in red meat called Carnitine - also found in energy drinks by the way - that might be another link in the Cholesterol/red meat chain. Carnitine is found naturally in red meat and the more you eat then the more Carnitine gets in to your guts. Certain bacteria love the stuff too and create a metabolite (a cute word for chemical) that enhances our body's ability to make cholesterol in the blood stream more likely to stick to the wrong spots!

Yet again, it's early days but my take is that we all eat too much red meat (and urban legend has it that "they" pump our cattle full of antibiotics and chemicals anyway) and that we can get most of our protein and iron needs from other sources. So cut back the red meat to once a week, eat more fish, chicken and all those amazing fresh veggies that are in the supermarkets and stores ( and growing your own is even more fun!) and let those bugs in your bowel get on with the job the good Lord intended for them: and that's to make our lives healthier and happier!

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A not so fishy story!

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Firstly, a technical term that I had to look up: it's the term "Broiled"! For the ignorant, like myself, it's a form of cooking where you use the Grill in your oven, as opposed to using the barbeque, where the heat comes from the other side. Both barbequing and broiling would produce the same end results with the meat nicely cooked on the outside and the inner part remaining moist and tasty!

This relevant fact became apparent to me when reading why baked or "broiled" fish could help reduce the risks of Alzheimer's disease by preserving critical areas of grey matter within the brain. Dr Rajii, from the Pittsberg Medical Centre Mercy Hospital, reported his findings after following a group of people 65 years and older, over a 20 year period and measuring the size of their brains using imaging techniques. He found that in certain critical areas of the brain - the Hippocampus and the Frontal Lobes - the grey matter was better preserved in those who consumed between 1 to 4 servings of fish per week. These areas are considered important in Alzheimers disease as they are vital pathways for memory and cognition.

Why this happens is uncertain, but the theory goes that fish oils contain omega-3 fatty acids which are thought to reduce inflammation within the brain, and in Alzheimers, the inflammatory process plays a significan role. Last year Dr Rajii reported a similar finding when following up on the effects of regular exercise, but reported the opposite effect in obese people - where the relevant grey matter volume decreased.

Eating fish has been shown to help with cardiovascular disease, and now it's been shown to lessen the risks for Alzheimers disease: sounds like good news to me!

PS: for those of you who think it works with fried fish - sorry, but no. There were no measurable benefits from eating fried fish. Take it from an expert, broiling is the way to go!
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