Probiotics and the Heart? What the Research Suggests If you’ve never given much thought to the microbes living in your gut, recent research may change that. Scientists have long known that the intestinal microbiome influences digestion and immune function. Increasingly, research suggests it may also affect systems far beyond the gut including the cardiovascular system. What the Study Found In a study published in the FASEB Journal, researchers examined how differences in gut bacteria influenced heart injury outcomes in laboratory rats. They found: Variations in intestinal microbiota were associated with differences in heart injury severity. Supplementation with a specific probiotic strain (Lactobacillus plantarum 299v in some reports) was associated with improved recovery markers in animal models. Important context: This was an animal study. Human cardiovascular outcomes were not directly tested. Translating findings from rodents to humans requires further research.…

How much thought do you give to dietary fiber? If you’re like most of us, it’s not a priority—but it should be! Dietary fiber is one of the most important determinants of your health! Almost everyone today does not get enough fiber in their diet. Our lack of fiber awareness has created a health crisis. Lack of fiber is a major contributor to our epidemic of chronic disease and can be a significant factor in causing diabetes, cancer, heart disease, obesity, depression and other mental illness, allergies, autoimmune syndromes, and infections.   Why is fiber so important? Dietary fiber, plant material that can’t be digested, is essential to our health because it nourishes the healthy flora in our guts known as the microbiome and helps to maintain the health of our gut tissue. Your health is completely dependent on the health of your gut flora. Healthy flora helps to digest our food and enhance the absorption of nutrients. They produce certain essential vitam…

Health begins in the gut - the intestines; and, thanks to antibiotics, chlorinated water, bad diet, food allergens, and vaccinations, almost everyone has a major problem in their gut. Chronic gut inflammation, raging like an out-of-control forest fire, causes digestion issues, skin eruptions, weak immunity, allergies, autoimmune illness and a host of other health issues. The Vitamin C Flush is the fire hose needed to subdue the flames so the gut can begin to heal itself.There are many factors today that irritate the lining of the gut, which by the way, is where 70% of our immune system resides. Antibiotics kill beneficial bacteria, allowing pathogenic bacteria to proliferate and produce toxins that damage the gut wall. Chlorine in our water is an irritant. A diet of processed and fast foods is an inflammation-producing diet; the Big Four are major inflammation inciters - sugar, wheat and refined flour, processed oils and dairy/excessive animal protein. Food allergens prompt the immune…