Diet Mediated Epigenetic Effects On The Microbiota Gut Brain Axis Essay

The relationship between the human gut microbiome to health and disease is strong. Human physiology, metabolism, nutrition, and immune function are all affected by the composition of the gut. If the composition of the gut microbiome is altered in a way that any of these functions are negatively affected, this can lead to disease. The developments of the microbiome, its complexity, and its functionality in health and disease have been extensively studied. In addition, the way in which it is altered has many implications in the cause of diseases, such as bowel disease, obesity, diabetes and cancer.

Epigenetics is a study that entails the heritage changes in gene expressions, which includes both the active and the inactive genes; the changes do not involve changes to the underlying DNA sequence. Meaning, it is a change in phenotypes without the differences in genotypes and consequently, affect how the cells read the genes. The epigenetic modification is a natural occurrence but apparently can be influenced by other several factors, including diseases, the environment, and age. Epigenetic changes can result in adverse damages and can end up causing infections such as cancer (Barton et al, 2016). This paper looks at what epigenetics entails, the hidden life of our genes, how food affects genes and how one can elongate life by improving health status.

The first group that was dropped into the water was the group of mice that did not have lactobacillus, when dropped into water they began to swim for a couple minutes but gave up after. The group with the lactobacillus was also dropped into the water and had the same start swimming but that group half of mice never gave up they just kept on swimming. The scientists figured out that items we eat do affect how our brain acts most of the time. The link between the intestinal microbes and he brain at that these could send signals to the brain and affect how the brain itself reacts to certain situations. Based on the studies discussed on the podcast the intestines also have roles in our psychological wellbeing, like in the studies the French did with the lactobacillus as well but on human being. Persons that had ingested the lactobacillus felt less stressed while the group that did not take the lactobacillus felt stressed. The podcast also talked about how this might be implemented in the future to treat patients with mental illness. This could me in a form of a “medicinal yogurt” or even medication. I thought this part of the podcast was interesting because most people including me don’t think that the “gut” can have any impact on a human beings mental health but this section

The human microbiome has received more attention in the last few years as scientists have begun to link health and mental wellbeing with these internal synergists. Murray and Manary (2015) define a microbiome as an “ecological community of commensal, symbiotic, and pathogenic microorganisms living inside the body…100 trillion organisms, including anaerobic bacteria, archaea, yeast and parasites.” Humans are born and immediately exposed to these microbes, creating their own microbiome within hours. The natural birth baby inherits microbes of the mother and caesarian section babies receive microbiota of those who handle them first (Ley, 2006). Genes, and the environment from which they are born into, shape their future microbiome (Ley, Peterson,

The study intended to look at the gut microbiome that is naturally present within the gut. The research team of the Louisiana State University designed an experiment with lab rats to predict how the manipulation of the gut microbiome with a high fat diet would affect their brain

First, it is suggested that one reason for personalized medicine is because current medicine isn’t able to accurately predict which patients will benefit from which treatments beforehand. Instead, many patients are given drugs that will harm them rather than hurt them. This is because the genomic and metabolic landscapes, which are different from patient to patient, are ultimately responsible for a patient’s response to a drug. It is this landscape that can ultimately be connected to disease and analyzed. Studying patients’ genomes, proteomes, metabolomes and microbiomes and

The hindgut is not only a fermentation vat, but it also stimulates immune responses, protects against pathogens, production and neutralization of toxins, and gene expression in host epithelial tissues (Milinovich et al., 2010). The cecal microbiome is extremely sensitive and can be affected by factors like gastrointestinal disease and dietary changes, which can lead to systemic consequences and even death (Costa et al., 2012). Therefore, healthy and balanced microbiota is vital for the overall wellbeing of the animal. By understanding external factors and how they affect the gut microbiota, this could help in diagnosing medical conditions and provide better treatment and prognosis of gastrointestinal diseases resulting in

The study greatly helped in understanding the mechanism of nutrition and epigenetic inheritance to the child while in the womb. It has been shown through animal studies that a methyl rich diet of the mother gives a progeny with a highly methylated DNA. Specifically, studies in mice have shown that diet affects the Agouti gene (present in all mammals) when the gene is not methylated the mice shows a yellow coat, a fatter complexion and is likely to develop diabetes and cancer. Unlike the healthy mice

An offspring’s microbial composition is initially determined through maternal transmission in utero and during birth, however, after delivery, the microbiota is not fixed and may be changed by a multitude of environmental factors. The mode of delivery (vaginal or caesarean section), diet, and many other factors continue to play dynamic roles throughout an individual’s lifetime (Marques et al., 2010). Recent studies have indicated that maternal and neonatal nutrition significantly alter the epigenome of offspring, with the food consumed during pregnancy modulating the gut microbiota as well as the metabolites produced (Turnbaugh et al., 2009). Dietary intervention studies indicate that the diet sensitive nature of the gut persists throughout life, and that the gut microbiota often responds rapidly to changes in diet (Hullar & Fu, 2014). More specifically, dietary alterations modulate the exposure of the host to microbial metabolites (such as butyrate) which could have a multiplicity of epigenetic effects in the offspring (Duncan et al., 2007).

The human gut microbiome has appeared in some recent studies to be a potential reason for why 180 million children worldwide suffer stunting, a case in which the child can become mentally retarded or infected with diseases. Even with malnourishment, the right balance of gut microbiomes can lead to a healthy growth, while their imbalance can lead to stunting. William Petri, Jr. worked on infants in Bangladesh for years with his team, but the team was not successful to utilize the dietary supplements to counteract malnourishment. However, William has found the results about gut microbiomes to be enlightening. He teamed up with Tahmeed Ahmed and Jeffrey Gordon to examine stool samples from different Bangladeshi infants and compared the results

Generally believed that gut microbiota control obesity that is the cause of type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM), which consequently causes AD. Recent studies have also found the role of gut microbiota in the control of brain function directly by tryptophan metabolism, production of microbial metabolites, microbial neurotransmitters and bacterial cell wall sugars and bile acids [47,79,80]. However, high-fat diets and sedentary lifestyles have become major concerns throughout the world. They have led to a growing incidence of obesity, dyslipidemia, high blood pressure, and hyperglycemic conditions, known collectively to be components of metabolic syndrome. Fat accumulation in the liver is the main cause of insulin resistance in obesity. Exercise can reduce the free fatty acid load to liver and thereby reduce hepatic insulin resistance [81]. These health conditions are well known to develop along with, or be precursors of, atherosclerosis, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. Recent studies have found that most of these disorders can also be linked to an increased risk of AD. Of note, accumulating evidence suggests a mechanistic link between the cholesterol metabolism in the brain and the formation of amyloid plaques in AD development

In the abstract, Gut-brain axis: how the microbiome influences anxiety and depression, the abstract says that humans are colonized by commensal intestinal microbiota in the first few days of life. It also says that findings have shown that microbiota’s are important in normal healthy brain functions. Foster, J.A. and McVey Neufeld, K.A. (2013) discussed relations between stress and microbiota, and also how alterations influence stress-related behaviors.

Gut microbiota represents a complex community in human intestines that aids in sustaining a dynamic metabolic ecological equilibrium, thus any changes in those beneficial bacteria (which may be sparked by the infection, illness, drugs and/or stress) have the propensity to substantially affect the health of individuals. It has been shown that these microorganisms are capable of producing and conveying various neuroactive substances such as gamma-aminobutyric acid and serotonin. The gut-brain axis is a quite novel term used to describe the communication between the central and the enteric nervous system, linking emotional and cognitive centres of the brain with peripheral intestinal functions. Recent advances in research have described the importance of gut microbiota in influencing these interactions, and it has been shown that microorganisms can affect the development and function of the central nervous system via the aforementioned gut-brain axis.

In addition, systemic antibiotic treatment was reported to increase the risk of AD (Tsakok, McKeever, Yeo, & Flohr, 2013), which may be linked to microbiota changes in the intestine. These observations suggest that gut microbiota might be involved in AD pathogenesis, potentially through stimulation and education of immune cell

The long-term health consequences of deprived prenatal nutrition are a significant concern on a global scale. Nutrition, as an environmental factor, plays an important role in stimulating alterations in various epigenetic processes such as DNA methylation and histone modifications. Specific dietary stressors can create epigenetic variations to the present lifetime but also to successive generations. Epidemiological and experimental studies highlight the association between adult health and early-life maternal nutritional stressors such as under-nutrition, malnutrition and over-nutrition. Gestational maternal nutrition is a critical intrauterine factor which changes offspring epigenome. Numerous animal and human model studies reveal that