October 2021 Newsletter

NUTRITION IN THE NEWS

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Tracey on Channel 4Tracey was featured in Channel 4's Food Unwrapped. the See Tracey in action here

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Dr Dawn Harper presented Channel 4's "Embarrassing Bodies", and is the presenter of this one-off documentary on Channel 5, examining causes, issues and approaches to irritable bowel syndrome. The Show is currently available on My5 here. My5 may only show it for a limited time, so worth watching soon.

"How to stop your IBS" - Channel 5 TV Show

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A healthy gut can help you keep chronic diseases (including diabetes, heart disease, and cancer) at bay. Plus, it can also keep your brain healthy, reduce inflammation, and help you maintain a healthy weight. So, to say that keeping your gut healthy is important would be a massive understatement. Although… How does one go about improving gut health, specifically?

Why we like the Genova stool test

IN THIS NEWSLETTER.Gut Health is being talked about more and more in our national newspapers and on TV, which is great. In this newsletter we highlight some prominent coverage in the media.

We also continue to focus on the role of nutrition in addressing the Covid-19 pandemic, which remains an all too common issue for many people in the UK.

In the first of a series of features, we also look at a leading gut health test.

HOW IS YOUR GUT HEALTH?If you want to quickly check it out .

CONTACT US

Get the insights you need to improve your health

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The importance of nutrition in treating and overcoming coronavirus continues to make the headlines. In the is edition of the newsletter we highlight a recent European conference and look at World Health Organisation guidelines

Covid-19 & Nutrition

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Stress and dietStress is covered in the Ch 5 Show above but was also featured in the Daily Express in August. The article looked in detail at the negative health effects of stress, with gut health being a prominent consideration.

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Tracey on Channel 4 continued from page 1...Tracey recently featured in an episode of Channel 4’s Food Unwrapped. The episode called "Healthy Hacks" focused on histamines in foods and included a segment in which Tracey explained the principles behind histamine intolerance. The show also included a discussion with a woman that Tracey had helped to address her histamine intolerance. This is something of an area of expertise for IBS Clinics, and in this online video Tracey explains the causes, symptoms and issues with histamine intolerance in more detail than the Channel 4 show was able to cover.

Stress and dietcontinued from page 1...

We were interested to see an article in the Daily Express in August about the health effects of stress. The article highlights food intolerances and digestive discomfort as well as immunity and blood sugar related issues Indeed stress is a well-known trigger for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO). It is also common amongst causes of several other gut health issues. Stress and diet are linked. Stress triggers biological issues including the release of some hormones. Eating a healthy, balanced diet will help deal with these biological issues, whereas a poor diet can add to physical and emotional strain. Caffeine, alcohol and fatty, sugary foods all contribute to stress. However a carefully developed diet plan will help to systematically address the biological issues related to stress. In addition some supplements have beneficial effects. This is a 2-way street. An unhealthy diet over a long period of time can well be a cause of stress. Lowered energy levels affect productivity and stress. What’s more a poor diet can cause health problems affecting quality of life and so inducing stress. The good news is that with experienced help changes to diet will become habit, and the improvement in how you feel, including stress levels, will be very noticeable. For a good overview of stress in general Mind - the mental health charity - provide useful information and guidance here. If you would like to talk more about reducing stress through nutrition then please get in touch with us, we are here to help.

"How to stop your IBS" continued from page 1...

Gut health is certainly receiving more attention on broadcast TV these days, and that is to be welcomed in our view. “How to Stop Your IBS” with Dr Dawn Harper aired on Thursday September 16, at 7pm on Channel 5. The show is currently available on My5. The programme highlights the prevalence of IBS, asserting that it affects more that 1 in 5 people, making it more common that diabetes or heart disease. It is particularly pleasing to hear a GP, as Dawn Harper is, acknowledge that medicine has generally been inadequate in understanding and treating IBS. In discussion with a gastroenterologist the differing underlying causes for IBS are explored. Busting a few myths about the disease and diets along the way, the programme basically focuses on 3 IBS sufferers and highlights three diverse approaches to addressing IBS:

1. Hypnotherapy2. FODMAPS diet 3. Yoga – for stress related IBS

Possible developments in testing and medication are also considered, albeit speculatively. The sufferers feedback on the 3 approaches are broadly positive, with FODMAPS receiving very strong endorsement from the individual following the diet. All-in-all this is an informative show, but of course it leaves a number of questions open. If you would like to talk about any issue related to IBS then please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Why we like the Genova Stool test continued from page 1...

Covid-19 and Nutritioncontinued from page 1....

Research by IPSOS in the UK, France, Germany, Spain and Italy has shown that 65% of hospitalised Covid-19 patients experienced significant weight loss. At the European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism, Dr Patrick Kamphius of Nutricia stated that “nutritional therapy can positively contribute to outcomes and quality of life for patients”. A detailed commentary appears in several journals and here. The World Health Organisation recommends a daily intake of 1.5–2 g protein per kilogram bodyweight for adults aged 19 years and above; this amount should increase over several weeks if there is no improvement in appetite and energy levels. Of course, an outstanding quality diet is always a good idea, during a pandemic or otherwise. Fruit, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and nuts, some fish, dairy foods, and poultry are positive. Cutting down on red and processed meat, refined carbohydrates, and sugar is recommended. If someone catches the Covid-19 virus, then eating enough of these healthy foods to prevent unintended weight loss is important. Adequate amounts of minerals and vitamins provided by a healthy diet helps to ensure sufficient numbers of immune cells and antibodies, which are important as the body mounts a response to infections. The WHO also recommends adequate hydration with water and salt free fluids. In particular, people who have lost over 5 percent of their normal body weight may need additional fluid replacement. In addition, malnutrition increases susceptibility to infection because of an impaired immune function.

There was a time when your doctor would ask you to do a stool test to check for serious illnesses like inflammatory bowel disease, or if you had come back from holiday with a dodgy stomach. Now with developments in micro-biology, stool tests can be used to address many areas of gut health, as well as still being central to diagnosing serious illness. With improved home testing, and the development of secure courier and postal packaging and services, collecting the sample at home and sending it to a laboratory has never been easier. We prefer the Genova GI Effects® Stool Profile Test. This is effectively a group of tests that give us fast, detailed information about gastrointestinal health. Specifically the test prioritises: 1. Maldigestion2. Inflammation3. Dysbiosis4. Metabolite Imbalance5. Infection Results are presented in such a way as to help us identify differing needs for digestive support, inflammation modulation, microbiome support, and for prebiotic and antimicrobial support. What this means is that it shows us important information about the root cause of many common gastrointestinal symptoms such as gas, bloating, indigestion, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, and constipation. The stool analysis uses biomarkers to differentiate between Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) and Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). Plus this test can be used to evaluate clinical histories that suggest a gastrointestinal infection or dysbiosis. Whilst IBS Clinics have been offering this test for a number of years, we are now preparing to be able to take orders for it via our website. In the meantime if you would like to talk to us about the Genova test then please book a 15-minute session by following this link.