Nutrients in Food and their bodily purpose XX (Methylation VI and the Microbiota II)

By on March 23rd, 2022 in Articles, Nutrients


Introduction

Microbiota health is absolutely essential for nutrient absorption which is crucial for methylation, and without effective  intestinal absorption the appropriate intake of crucial nutrients such as folate, methionine and Vitamin B12 would be compromised, which in turn will cause methylation interference.  In this article we will discuss the microbial kingdom and how they can affect us when the gut becomes unhealthy and the pathogenic flora take control.

The Microbial kingdom

You know the old axiom ‘Just because you can’t see the wind, it does not mean its not there’, which is applicable to our microbial symbionts made of bacteria, fungi, viruses, parasites, nanobacteria  ( tiny organisms a tenth the size of the smallest bacteria), extremophiles (organisms that live in extreme climatic conditions) that live everywhere within our bodies and everything we come into contact with, are resident microorganism neighborhoods. They are alive, adaptable and intelligent. We live amongst, and within us, huge ‘territorial communities’ of microbes amounting to thousands of different species all around, but only around 25 species live within the human body for at least 75% of the population. However, for some,150 species make up the gut flora in many people, most of which, are residents that live, attached to the intestinal walls and some are 2 week transients.

Bacterial phylum

We have discussed beneficial, commensal and pathogenic(opportunistic) microorganism populations which are also referred to as Probiotic, eubotic and pathobiotic respectively. The main bacterial kingdom phylums that reside within us, are as follows.   Bacteroidetes (Gram negative), Firmicutes (Gram Positive), and Actinobacteria (Gram Positive), and Proteobacteria (Gram negative).   Bacteroidetes ( bacteroidia –858 species, Flavobacteria – 3583 species, Sphingobacteria – 787 species, Cytophagia – 765 species + 996 unclassified species) tend to be commensal. Firmicutes ( Bacillus,Listeria, Lactobacillus, Clostridia, Erysipelotrichia) can be either commensal or beneficial, Actinobacteria (Bifidobacteria, Streptomyces), tend to be beneficial, but some species are pathogenic such as Mycobacterium, and Proteobacteria (Escherichia, Salmonella, Vibrio, Helicobacter, Yersinia, Legionellales) tend to be pathogenic. Bacteroidetes constitute around 30% of all the bacteria in the gut, which makes it a substantial species in the efficient functioning of the host, but don’t forget they are commensal so they can thrive whomever is in control of the gut, beneficial or pathogenic. Species such as Bacteroides fragilis and B.melaninogenicus are always hanging around infected tissue of the digestive tract, abscesses, ulcers, UTIs, lung infections, peritonitis, infected heart valves, blood infections and mouth infections.

Other species found in the body

Fungi

Fungal species reside in the gut, and are normally harmless, but as you are all probably aware, the trouble that an overgrowth of Candida albicans can cause if the gut is unbalanced. Candida albicans which means white as they appear as white marshmallows in a petri dish, is a commensal yeast that resides in the GI Tract and mouth in approx 40-60% of the population.  This fungi can cause thrush (Oropharyngeal or vulvovaginal candidiasis) in the oral and vaginal cavity. Other species include  Saccharomyces meaning Sugar Fungus and is also known as brewer’s yeast. It is also used as a culture for Kombucha and Kefir.  Aspergillus fungi typically grow on carbon rich substrates like monosaccharides such as glucose and as a contaminant growth on starchy foods like potatoes and bread, and it also grows on damp walls and is a major component of Mildew. This fungi can also infect the host on the ear, or cause skin lesions and ulcers.  Penicillium fungi produce penicillin, which of course is an antibiotic. Capable of killing surrounding bacteria. It is also used in Camembert,Gorgonzola, Roquefort and Danish blue cheese making.  Rhodotorula where 3 out of the 80 known species mucilaginosa, glutinis and minuta are known to cause disease in humans, generally blood infections in immunosuppressed individuals.  Trametes, Pleospora, Scierotinia, Bullera and Galactomyces which is a byproduct of fermented Sake, and is also used as a natural skin moisturizer.

Parasites

Typically, in the human gut, alongside bacteria and fungi there exists parasites such as Helminths which are multicellular worms such as  Nematodes ( roundworms), Cestodes (tapeworms) and Trematodes ( flatworms) but are unable to multiply within the human body. However, in areas where there is insufficient water sanitation, in some tropical and subtropical regions, there are 4 intestinal helminthic parasite species that can infect the body which are Ascaris lumbricoides  (roundworm), Trichuris trichiura ( whipworm), Ancylostoma duodenale and Necator americanus (hookworms).  The other parasites that can multiply in the body are Protozoan, and the most common are Giardia intestinalis, Entamoeba histolytica. Cyclospora cayetanensis and Cryptosporidium spp.  Some of which cause diarrhea (Giardia intestinalis for example), Amoebiasis (Entamoeba histolytica) is the third leading cause of death worldwide ( 50 million infected, 40-100 thousand deaths/ann).

Discovering the existence of bacteria

From the initial discovery of the existence of our microbial neighbours by Dutch scientist Antonie van Leeuwen Brock in 1673, and the work of Louis pasteur/Antoine Bechamp, Edward Jenner up to the present day has led us down the road to producing ignorant processes like Pasteurisation, and poisonous products such as antibacterial soaps and disinfectants, poisonous quackzenes and every other bacterial killing mechanisms, declaring an infinite war with our symbiont neighbours. This declaration of war that has persisted for nearly 400 years, maintaining the belief that all microorganisms including our beneficial microbes that preserve life itself, must be eliminated if we are to avoid infection and death.  It was people like Fleming in 1928 that recognised the existence of both communities, bringing into the world, a means to end the untold misery of infection from Pneumococcal parasites (Pneumonia) and tuberculosis, but also advocating the use of probiotics to reseed the gut with life preserving beneficial bacteria that would then take control of the pathogenic killers. A practice that was continued in conventional medicine for 20 years, after the introduction of penicillin, but was then tragically dispensed with and forgotten, which is one reason, from the overuse of antibiotics, why we have epidemic levels of autoimmune disease such as Celiac disease, hyper/hypo thyroidism, Multiple sclerosis and cognitive problems such as autism, ADHD etc. Then in 2008 a statement was made in the conventional medical journal JAMA :

“Allopathic medicine is a Categorical misclassification with etiologic imprecision.”  

Arch enemy ‘Staphylococcus Aureus’

Probably, the most deadly of the pathogenic bacterial strains is Staphylococcus Aureus, that even Alexander Fleming recognised as a formidable pathogen, which was highly adaptable to penicillin becoming resistant very quickly, and the more antibacterial weapons used on this lethal strain only made it stronger.  Its virulence includes the secretion of 3 cell destroying toxins, Alpha/Beta Toxin and Leukocidin that bind to cell membranes dissolving them, causing the contents of the cell to leak out, and ultimate cell death. It is even a formidable foe toward our own immune system, secreting enzymes that neutralize the various attack strategies. Most hospitals are infected with this strain; a 2007 study showed that amongst a survey of 1200 hospitals, 46 of every 1000 outpatients were infected with Staphylococcus Aureus, and in the general population the increase rose from 24 cases/100,000 people to 164 cases in 2005.  Bearing in mind most people carry this strain around in their nasal passage hibernating as it were until the host becomes immunocompromised.  

SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth) interferes with Methylation

So a small intestinal bacterial overgrowth can cause an overload of Histamine as well as an impact on the Methylation cycle by increasing folate levels, interfering with MTHFR pathways and a decrease in B12 absorption, not to mention the negative influence on our genes. For example, the gene COMT which relates to methylation, provides instructions to make an enzyme catechol-O-methyltransferase which is used to control the production and degradation of hormones, so excess histamine production can interfere with this process. An imbalanced gut flora allow commensals to produce too many toxins that disturb our methylation cycle causing anxiety, tension, insomnia, pain, fatigue and brain fog.

There are 3 main microbial by-products that impair methylation which are

  1. Phenols, if an imbalance gut is causing more phenols to leak into the body it will slow the clearance of Estrogen and stress hormones, since phenols from the diet (Resveratrol or Tea Catechins) or even worse from poisonous health products and cleaning products compete with estrogen and adrenaline/dopamine for metabolism through the COMT pathway.
  2. If too much or in the case of gut dysbiosis too little of the aromatic amino acids tyrosine, phenylalanine and tryptophan are produced by our beneficial bacteria it can have an impact on the brain and methylation.
  3. Bacteria such as Candida release toxic substances that are similar in shape and function as formaldehyde and ethanol. The aldehyde type substance is metabolised by the same enzymes that metabolise neurotransmitters ( Dopamine, Serotonin, Adrenaline ) so they compete, thus disrupting methylation and slowing down the metabolic process. Ethanol (alcohol ) depletes the body of zinc.magnesium,folate and the B vitamins, and are converted into aldehydes that can cause DNA damage  So in effect gut microbe by-products can increase the level of stress hormones. There is another lurking danger which involves alcoholic effects, Candida love to munch on sugar and its digestion is a fermentation process, converting glucose into ethanol and its by-product is acetaldehyde. Individuals that appear to be under the influence of alcohol after a meal containing carbohydrates, have in fact Candida overgrowth which makes sense, since yeast is used in the fermentation process of making beer. In terms of methylation, pure ethanol in low concentration (less than 5%/vol) such as beer, is a mild stimulant of acid secretion of the stomach, but higher concentrations of ethanol such as in Spirits ( Whiskey, Gin,Cognac) has an anti-stimulatory to a mild inhibitory effect on acid secretion. This means that there is a potential negative effect on stomach acid secretion which can deplete the creation of methyl groups.  In addition the typical poisonous ‘Western diet’ can also upset Methyl group creation.

Synthetic man made antibiotics

The administration of Synthetic man made antibiotics has a disastrous effect on our microbiota populations upsetting the population balance potentially causing opportunistic flora to overgrow and take control of the gut, and should be avoided at all cost. These prescription antibiotics consist of;

  1. Penicillins (10 types Amoxicillin etc to fight Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, Lyme, E.Coli etc)
  2. Macrolides (8 types Azithromycin etc to fight Pneumonia, Streptococcus, Lyme etc)
  3. Aminoglycosides ( 8 types Neomycin etc to fight E.coli. Klebsiella etc)
  4. Glycopeptides ( 2 types Teicoplanin etc to fight Gram negative bacteria)
  5. Polypeptides ( 3 types Bacitracin etc to fight Gram positive bacteria)
  6. Carbapenems ( 3 types Ertapenem to fight broad spectrum species i.e Gram positive and gram negative bacteria )
  7. Quinolones ( 7 types Enoxacin to fight Pneumonia, etc )
  8. Tetracyclines ( 6 types Tetracycline etc  to fight Acne, Lyme, Malaria etc
  9. Sulfonamides ( 8 types Mafenide etc to treat burns, dermatitis, fungi etc)
  10. Cephalosporins ( 11 types Cefadroxil etc for broad spectrum )…….the list goes on… Conventional medicine recommend their use (prophylactic antibiotics such as Cephalosporins) prior to surgery and insist you take them in case of infection at the site of the surgical intervention, as well as non surgical infections in general.  Dentists commonly prescribe antibiotics for dental infections. This practice in using synthetic antibiotics can be replaced with equivalent natural antibiotics that will not cause damage to your microbiota. One natural antibiotic recipe includes Garlic ( 2 oz), raw turmeric (2 oz), fresh raw cayenne pepper (2 oz), fresh raw horseradish (2 oz), fresh raw ginger (2 oz), fresh raw onion (2 oz), black peppercorns (2 oz) and organic apple cider vinegar. Grate and finely chop all the ingredients and add a cup or 2 cups (depending in the preferred thickness of the mixture) to the mix and process in a blender. Leave the blended mixture for a couple of hours allowing the mixture to blend together and take a spoonful every day before a surgery.  You can use this for dental infections or alternatively a teaspoon of wheat grass juice powder in a little water every day.

Gram negative versus Gram positive Bacteria

The distinction between Gram negative versus Gram positive is based on the structural differences of the bacterial cell walls and they can be distinguished by the use of a crystal violet dye that remains, after application, identifying Gram Positive that have a thicker peptidoglycan  (a polymer that consists of sugars and amino acids that is a multi layered mesh like structure) cell wall, which is thicker ( 20-80 nanometres) than gram negative cell walls ( 7-8 nanometres single layered peptidoglycan material ). Gram negative bacteria also have a Lipopolysaccharide/protein outer membrane.   Gram positive bacteria secrete exotoxins ( highly potent and can cause major damage to the host), while Gram negative species contain endotoxins which is part of their outer membrane. In summary therefore Gram positive excrete toxic exotoxins into the surrounding environment, while Gram negative maintain their toxic endotoxins within their membrane only to be released upon destruction of the cell wall.  Both gram positive and negative bacteria can be pathogenic, commensal and beneficial bacteria type, however, gram negative species with their outer membrane can resist synthetic antibiotics better than their gram positive brothers and sisters. Six gram positive Pathogenic bacteria cause disease in humans which are Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, Corynebacterium, Listeria, Bacillus and Clostridium. Gram negative pathogens include Acinetobacter, Pseudomonas, E.Coli which also can rapidly adapt to synthetic antibiotic resistance, Bordetella Pertussis ( whooping cough, Pertussis ), Campylobacter (Jejuni) foodborne infection, E.Coli ( Urinary tract infection. inflammation), Helicobacter Pylori ( ulcer formations ), Salmonella.  Note : E.coli can have beneficial bacterial strains as well which produce Vitamin K for the host. New antibiotics introduced in 2015 are also useless toward these pathogens.  Antibiotic resistance is achieved by pathogenic bacteria working throughout its colony by passing their own genetic antibiotic resistance via a plasmid ( or replicon) which is a small circular DNA strand that can replicate independently of chromosome intervention, while in the cytoplasm of the bacterial cell.  Another example of bacterial intelligence like gene swapping, is passing the plasmid (defensive sword) among its population, making every one of its ‘colonists’ resistant.

We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds,we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.

Winston Churchill spoke these words during WWII, and is very applicable to pathogenic bacteria which are still wreaking havoc and will always do so, plaguing humankind and unleashing a barrage of infections that include lyme disease  (Borrelia burgdorferi), pneumonia (Streptococcus pneumoniae. Haemophilus influenzae, Chlamydia pneumoniae, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, and Legionella pneumophila), staphylococcus, streptococcus, salmonella, escherichia coli, Listeria (L. monocytogenes) Cholera(Vibrio cholerae) Shigella, Dengue fever, yellow fever (A.Aegypti) tuberculosis (Mycobacterium) cryptosporidiosis (Parasite), hepatitis, smallpox ( Variola virus ). There are many more that can cause host diseases such as Coxsackie virus that inflicts Polio. Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus pyogenes, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Tannerella forsythensis, and Prevotella are common pathogens that reside in the mouth, and other pathogens such as Streptococci, Staphylococci and Borrelia burgdorferi can infect root canals.  Weston Price in his book ‘Dental infections and the degenerative diseases’ showed from case studies that heart and kidney disease were caused by diplococci  (Streptococcus pneumoniae ), infection of the mouth.  Another case (# 1346) a male patient 49 suffering from Myocarditis ( a potential fatal infection of the heart), showed infection of putrescent (decaying)  pulp ( the purpose of tooth pulp which resides in the middle of teeth, is to produce dentin that supports the enamel above it) in both second and third upper molar ( front upper teeth). Price took a culture and then inoculated a rabbit that died within 12 hours with hundreds of small hemorrhages throughout its body, including the heart, rupturing the connective tissue. Even cervical necrotizing fasciitis (flesh eating disease) has its origins from the mouth cavity by a mix of bacteria led by Streptococcus.

When the Pathogenic kingdom reign

By poisoning the gut with the wrong food, prescription drugs, including antibiotics, quackzene adjuvants and stress, you will starve and kill beneficial flora, reducing their numbers and encouraging the overgrowth of pathogenic bacteria.  Since they are microbial living creatures in nature, in order to survive and flourish they need to feed, metabolise and eliminate as in every living organism. Some pathogens are particular in what host they infect given specific conditions. Shigella Flexneri cause bloody diarrhea in areas of the world that lack sanitary water supplies infecting humans and primates alike, whereas Salmonella enterica will infect any food anywhere. Pseudomonas aeruginosa infect plants and animals anywhere. Some pathogens go out of their way to produce virulent proteins from virulent genes clustered together on their own chromosomes called pathogenicity islands. They can also transport these virulence genes on bacteriophages ( bacterial viruses ) and they, and their cargo of infection, invade their prey, as if something out of a DC Comic.  An example of this viral mechanism is cholera infection caused by Vibrio cholerae that have been infected themselves by this mobile virus, a 2 stage infection involving 2 subunits of cholera toxin, one that binds to the plasma membrane of the epithelial cells in the gut, and the second gets transferred from the first subunit into the cellular cytoplasm causing an ion imbalance.  Anthrax carried by Bacillus anthracis produce spores that lay dormant in soil which are resistant to almost anything, and once inhaled or ingested, the spores germinate and the bacteria begins to replicate.  This 2 stage mechanism is the same process that occurs in cholera infection.

How Beneficial microbes (Natural probiotic bacteria in the body) control the pathogens

Remember, all living microbes within the gut ecosystem want to survive and flourish so immediately this sets up a competitive environment where all microbial organisms are competing for food, nutrients and territory, so we automatically have beneficial bacteria as our friends to fight the pathogenic foe.  Our beneficial symbionts (probiotic bacteria) produce their own antibiotic substances referred to as Bacteriocins such as Streptomyces ( Actinobacteria) to reduce the pathogenic population, Others secrete antimicrobial substances that include lactic acid ( to acidify the intestines thus controlling pathogenic overgrowth), acetic acid ( produced by gram negative species Acetobacteraceae of the Proteobacteria phylum during fermentation of sugars and ethanol producing vinegar as a byproduct.  These bacteria live comfortably in PH 5 acidic environments that pathogenic species cannot tolerate) , hydrogen peroxide ( a deadly substance against pathogenic species and also used by the host’s immune system killer cells as a weapon), lactoperoxidase (an enzyme found in raw milk which is used to generate reactive products such as Hypothiocyanite for pathogenic inhibition and membrane destruction of gram negative pathogenic species Campylobacter Jejuni, E.Coli, Salmonella and Yersinia enterocolitica). All of these probiotic bacterial offensive systems disappear when the gut becomes dysbiotic.  

Other probiotic benefits

One of the major and most crucial benefits is modulating and regulating the host immune system which you can read about in detail in the article ‘Microbiome and the immune system’:

https://www.extremehealthacademy.com/the-microbiome-and-the-immune-system/

Furthermore, beneficial flora  provide the ideal digestive environment for the host which you can read about in the article ‘Microbiome and digestion’:

https://www.extremehealthacademy.com/the-microbiome-and-digestion/

Opportunistic/Commensal flora and types of gut/colon dysbiosis

Opportunistic/Commensal flora

From his excellent book ‘Probiotics, protection against infection’, Case adams states that many disorders can be traced back to dysbiosis, which I totally agree, and I would even say that most, if not all common disorders originate from an unbalanced gut, since it can adversely affect methylation which involves cognitive dysfunction, gene expression and the body’s requirements to satisfy its self regulating and healing mechanisms.  The pathogenic or opportunistic flora that reside in great numbers in the ilium of the small intestine and the large intestine ( colon) include Bacteroides, Peptococcus, Peptostreptococcus sp, Staphylococci, Streptococci, Bacilli, Clostridium, Yeasts ( Candida etc as described earlier ), Enterobacteriaceae (Proteus, Klebsiella etc), Fusobacterium, Eubacteria, Spirochaetaceae, Spirillaceae, Catena Bacteria that reside in the gut.  Enterobacteriaceae,  Bacteroides, Enterococcus ( faecalis-Commensal), Escherichia Coli, Staphylococcus, Clostridium (perfringens, tetani, septicum), Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella enterica, Peptostreptococcus sp ( Commensal), Faecalibacterium ( prausnitzii– Commensal),  Peptococcus, reside in the colon.  Someone who was bored one day…lol, decided to calculate the number of microorganisms that frequent the stomach and the intestines. They estimated that 1000-10000 live in the stomach, a low count which is not surprising, given the acidic environment.  Within the small intestine ( that consists of the duodenum, jejunum and the ileum) there are estimated to be 10,000-100,000,000, and in the colon and appendix there are estimated to be 10,000,000,000- 10,000,000,000,000. Yes, the appendix, so before somebody tells you that the appendix is an appendage that dates back to when we had tails…lol, it is part of the lymph system that acts as reservoir for beneficial bacteria which can be injected into the colon to reseed it, in the event of say synthetic antibiotic destruction.  In some instances when the gut is dysbiotic, this lymph organ becomes infected itself which is another reason to heal the microbiota ecosystem. Thats a lot of intelligent living organisms all living in tight communities both opportunistic, commensal and beneficial flora. Overall there could be 400 species that exist in the population but only 150 species in any one individual. The particular species differ depending on the dietary and lifestyle choices of the individual.

Types of gut/colon dysbiosis

Gut dysbiosis can manifest itself in various forms according to Mr Adams and in his book he distinguishes them into Putrefaction, Fermentation, Deficiency and sensitization dysbiosis.  The first category, Putrefaction tends to show itself symptomatically by slow bowel movements, depression, watery diarrheas, fatigue, memory loss, peripheral neuropathy (hands and feet are numb), sleep dysfunction, joint pain and muscle weakness.  Since the opportunistic flora have been allowed to overgrow and take charge of the bacterial ecosystem in both the intestine and the colon, the toxins they are secreting are invading the bloodstream weaving their way infecting other parts of the body.  Fermentation dysbiosis symptomatically display bloating, constipation, diarrhea, fatigue and excess flatulence due to the compromised digestion of foods consumed.  Not only are the opportunistic flora involved but commensal yeasts have joined the infection party as well.  Deficiency (as in low numbers of beneficial flora) dysbiosis is a consequence of low beneficial bacteria, that are no longer protecting the intestinal mucosa, exposing the epithelium tight junction barrier to a potential breach, and once this occurs, large particles that should not enter the bloodstream, does, triggering an immune response to attack the ‘foreign’ invaders, which then creates Sensitivity dysbiosis.  These interlinked dysbiotic circumstances cause potentially, a myriad of adverse conditions that include autoimmune diseases, food and chemical allergies, and intolerances, cognitive dysfunction such as Autism, Schizophrenia, Dyspraxia, Dyslexia, ADHD, ADD, Depression. Common conditions such as high cholesterol, Nutrient deficiency and  gluten and lactose intolerance, ( because the absorptive enterocytes that constitute the tight junction epithelial barrier become compromised), bladder and urinary tract infections, rhinovirus and rotavirus infections, asthma, skin rash, acne etc. If you want to learn more about autoimmune conditions there are a series of articles on Dr B’s website and here is the link to the first part:

https://www.extremehealthacademy.com/autoimmune-disease-part-1/

SSS ( Spiralling Stupidity Syndrome )

These dysbiotic conditions as outlined above begin to alter the normal function of the body, within the inner sanctum….the cells, causing them to adapt to the toxic environment, interfering with epigenetic gene expression, ‘shape shifting’ cellular function, causing the collection of disease conditions as described above.  Conventional medicine refuse to believe that all these different conditions ( physiological adaptations) are interlinked, so they treat each disease separately, by either drugging the problem or removing infected body parts ( as in Crohn’s disease that inflames the ileum section of the intestine, where they remove it, only for the inflammation to return) instead of realizing that all it takes is to heal the gut and redress the balance using non invasive, non toxic food…SSS.. The paranoia into ‘bug elimination’ that Pasteur began in the 1860’s, by introducing pasteurization, which may have provided some assistance, to many of the populations of his time, who were immunocompromised by unbalanced gut flora.   Today, everything is pasteurized, including all commercial packaged food, even some fresh vegetables, nuts, fruit, juices. Milk etc, it is this really necessary ?. Modern human society has mentally decoupled their attachment to nature and all natural things..yes I know that most appreciate nature aesthetically..plants, trees, flowers, and many have passionate relationships with the animal kingdom, and millions are pet owners. However, how many appreciate our biological attachment to these natural organisms, where all living organisms must live in symbiosis with our microbial neighbors, including us. There is only one species that arrogantly believe we are above, and indeed, better than all other natural organisms..US, and as a consequence we have an army of so called health practitioners constantly fighting disease with worthless weapons that are designed to manipulate our natural bodily processes causing more harm, driving us closer to death, and raging a war that they will never win, toward bacterial colonies. I quoted Francis Bacon ‘Nature to be commanded, must be obeyed’, even Albert Einstein said ‘ Look deeper into nature, and then you will understand everything better’.  Can humankind afford to be arrogant toward nature, and not wake up to the fact that their systems are not working, and the only way is to change direction and work with nature, not against it, and realise that our own beneficial bacterial flora are the only species that can defeat and control pathogens; “Fight fire with fire”. Beneficial bacteria Lactobacillus Acidophilus, Lactobacillus Bulgaricus, and Bifidobacterium bifidum are all capable of controlling pathogenic species such as Escherichia coli, Clostridium botulinum, Clostridium perfringens, Proteus mirabilis, Salmonella, Shigella, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, etc within a healthy, balance microbiota.

Conclusions

This article is the conclusive part on methylation, but one can appreciate that an imbalanced gut can be major obstacle in efficient methylation of the body, which is why I have explained gut dysbiosis in great detail.

 “The farther backward you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see.”

Winston Churchill

Check out other Articles in this series:

Nutrients in Food and their bodily purpose I (Phenols)

Nutrients in Food and their bodily purpose II (Lignans, Triterpenes, Phytosterols, Carotenoids & Fats)

Nutrients in Food and their bodily purpose III (Phenolic acids, sulphur, sulphides,sulphoxides )

Nutrients in Food and their bodily purpose IV (Glucosinolates, Sulforaphane, Indole-3-Carbinol)

Nutrients in Food and their bodily purpose V (Lipid distribution, absorbed fats, Criciferous Veg)

Nutrients in Food and their bodily purpose VI (Nutrients required for Liver Detox)

Nutrients in Food and their bodily purpose VII (Seeds & the Omega Fatty Acids)

Nutrients in Food and their bodily purpose VIII (Nutrients required for cellular energy production)

Nutrients in Food and their bodily purpose IX (Water I Properties and Body fluids)

Nutrients in Food and their bodily purpose X (Water II Cellular Hydration)

Nutrients in Food and their bodily purpose XI (Water III Fluid filtration, reabsorption, excretion)

Nutrients in Food and their bodily purpose XII (Water IV Blood pressure, Blood volume regulation)

Nutrients in Food and their bodily purpose XIII (Water V Body Fluid Dysfunction

Nutrients in Food and their bodily purpose XIV (Dental Nutrients)

Nutrients in Food and their bodily purpose XV (Nutrients involved in Methylation I)

Nutrients in Food and their bodily purpose XVI (Nutrients involved in Methylation II)

Nutrients in Food and their bodily purpose XVII (Nutrients involved in Methylation III)

Nutrients in Food and their bodily purpose XVIII (Nutrients involved in Methylation IV)

Nutrients in Food and their bodily purpose XIX (Methylation V and the Microbiota I)

Nutrients in Food and their bodily purpose XXI (Superfoods: Wheatgrass)

Nutrients in Food and their bodily purpose XXII (Superfoods: Adaptogens)

Nutrients in Food and their bodily purpose XXIII (A look into our nutritional past Sir Robert McCarrison)

Nutrients in Food and their bodily purpose XXIV (Pregnancy: Nature vs Nurture vs Nutrition)

References/Acknowledgments :

  1. Lipopolysaccharide, Exotoxin, Dental anatomy, Aedes Aegypti, Pathogenic bacteria, plasmid, Peptidoglycan, acetic acid bacteria, Proteobacteria. Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, actinobacteria, Gut flora  Wikipedia
  2. Gram Positive vs Gram negative Bacteria  Diffen
  3. Probiotics 2016 Case Adams
  4. Dental Infections and the degenerative disease 1925 Weston A Price
  5. Gut and Psychology Syndrome Dr Natasha Campbell Mcbride book 2015
  6. Top 24 Winston Churchill quotes Goalcast
  7. Article Series ‘The Microbiome’ 2017 Eric Malouin extremehealthacademy.com
  8. Lactoperoxidase 2015 P.M Davidson (Handbook of natural antimicrobials for food safety and quality)  ScienceDirect
  9. Human Intestinal parasites 2007 Rashidul Haque NCBI (Pubmed)
  10. 50 Winston Churchill quotes Anglophenia BBC America

Author: Eric Malouin