Veggies: Cooked or Raw?

Following the theme of Vegetable Pharm, which is best for us: cooked or raw veggies?

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Gut bacteria may impact body weight, fat and good cholesterol levels

Sorry, no new content from me, just a link to a Medical Express article that says:

"Our study provides new evidence that microbes in the gut are strongly linked to the blood level of HDL (good cholesterol) and triglycerides and may be added as a new risk factor for abnormal blood lipids, in addition to age, gender, BMI and genetics," said Jingyuan Fu, Ph.D., study lead author and associate professor of genetics at University Medical Center Groningen in the Netherlands.
Using state-of-the-art deep sequencing technology, researchers studied the association between gut microbes and blood lipid levels in 893 people in the Netherlands. They identified:

• 34 different types of bacteria contributed to differences in body fat (BMI) and blood lipids such as triglycerides and the good cholesterol known as high-density lipoprotein or HDL. Most were new associations.
• Bacteria in the gut contributed to 4.6 percent of the difference in body fat, 6 percent in triglycerides and 4 percent in HDL.
• Surprisingly, gut bacteria had little relationship with bad cholesterol (low-density lipoproteins or LDL ) or total cholesterol levels.

I think that's pretty cool.  Sort of exactly as we have been saying around here lately. What can we do to tip the odds in our favor that we can capitalize on these helpful little beasts?

- Eat lots of fiber
- Eat lots of fermented foods
- Eat less processed and more whole foods
- Exercise
- Reduce stress
- Sleep well
- Give up bad habits
- Wean yourself off of medications where possible
- Don't live an overly sterile life

Later,
Tim

Who Eats Wheat?

The times they are a-changing.

Weekend Book Club

Compliments of Wilbur, a great resource for anyone wanting to know a bit more about the human gut:

Gut Health in Early Life: Significance of the Gut Microbiota and Nutrition for Development and Future Health.

I will be out of town (and off-line!) until Tuesday.  There will be a 20 question test when I return. 

Takes about 15 minutes to read, if you are a fast reader.  Really good explanations about how the gut obtains new bacteria from birth on.