💊 Gut Chaos: Antibiotics and Keto a recipe for discomfort

Sugar free gums can make you bloated and uncomfortable.

This is down to Sorbitol, a sugar alcohol in sugar-free gum but also found naturally in apricots, apples, pears, avocadoes and other foods.

A new study with mice found that taking antibiotics, combined with a high-fat diet, reduced the number of Clostridia gut microbes, which can break down sorbitol.

Without enough Clostridia, sorbitol remains undigested in the gut. This means that antibiotic use, coupled with a high-fat diet, can trigger sorbitol intolerance due to the altered gut bacteria.

This is important given the widespread use of sorbitol and similar sugar alcohols in keto-friendly diets, which are often high in fat.

🥊 Punchline

Changes in gut bacteria caused by antibiotics can predispose individuals to intolerance of certain sugar alcohols, which would otherwise be beneficial for gut health.

🍽️ Fasting: the longer the fast, the greater the benefits

Fasting offers many advantages beyond weight loss, as evidenced by a seven-day water-only fast conducted on healthy volunteers. The study revealed:

• A shift in the body's energy source: From readily available sugar to stored body fat.

• Significant weight loss: 5.7 kg within the first 3 days, primarily from fat mass.

• Increased levels of brain-supporting proteins: However, this benefit only manifested after the 4th day.

These findings provide scientific backing to the long-held belief that fasting can be beneficial in certain situations.

🥊 Punchline

While fasting offers health benefits beyond weight loss, these benefits become evident only after three days of complete calorie restriction, which is later than previously thought.

🫀 Living near pubs & fast-food shops is a big risk to your heart health

Ready-to-eat food is usually unhealthy.

The density of fast food shops around secondary school has been correlated with teenage obesity rate.

This study found that a closer proximity and a greater density of ready-to-eat shops were associated with an elevated risk of heart failure.

Those living in areas with the highest concentration of ready-to-eat shops (11 or more per kilometer) had a 16% greater risk of heart failure, compared to those with no exposure to such environments.

Also, the greater risk was among adults living in the lower income neighborhoods and without access to physical activity facilities.

🥊 Punchline

These findings highlight the potential impact of food environments and access to healthy choices on overall health. Addressing food insecurity and promoting healthy food options are crucial steps in mitigating the risk of heart failure and other related health problems.