š¤ Have you heard that gut microbes can cross the gut barrier, activate immune cells,Ā and drive inflammation in the body?
Research suggests thatās true, but hereās the thingā¦
Weāve had no easy way to know which gut microbes tend to breach the gut barrier orĀ which are most likely to contribute to inflammatory disease.
āUntil now ā
Because now, scientists at Cedars-Sinai and the National Institute of Allergy andĀ Infectious Disease have come up with a way to measure specific antibodies to gutĀ microbesāin human blood serum (without even needing a stool sample!)
Hereās what these researchers recently published in the journal Science TranslationalĀ Medicine:
š©ø Blood samples were taken from people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) andĀ compared with samples from healthy individuals.
š§Ŗ Researchers used a new technique that can measure IgG antibodies against gutĀ microbes in human blood serum.
š¦ They found that specific gut bacteria were targeted by the immune system in peopleĀ with IBD, including Collinsella, Bifidobacterium, Lachnospiraceae and Ruminococcaceae.
What does this mean?
It means we now have solid evidence that gut microbes DO cross the gut barrier and DOĀ trigger an immune response.
Plus, we know which specific microbes tend to do this in IBD.
While this information may not change the way we practice medicine right now (at leastĀ in our practice, we already address gut permeability and inflammation with mostĀ patients)…
š©ŗ It does confirm that our current approach is valid and that in the future we may haveĀ ways to be even more specific with our treatments.
If you or somebody you love is struggling with a chronic inflammatory condition, pleaseĀ know that this is where functional medicine shines.
We are here to help and invite you to take the first step by booking a complementary Digestive Blueprint session with Dr. Ryan.Ā
Reference
Vujkovic-Cvijin I, Welles HC, Ha CWY et al. The systemic anti-microbiota IgG repertoireĀ can identify gut bacteria that translocate across gut barrier surfaces. Sci Transl Med.Ā [link]