Latest news with #Cdiff
CBC
5 days ago
- Health
- CBC
How much does your gut health impact your overall health? A lot, doctors say
Social Sharing You may be hearing a lot about the gut microbiome these days — it's been mentioned everywhere from wellness podcasts to the grocery aisle. Doctors are tapping into it to try and treat some diseases differently. The gut microbiome is the community of all the bacteria and viruses in our intestines, including friendlier microbes that promote health as well as some foes that can cause illness. One evolving procedure is the fecal transplant, where a small sample of stool from the colon of a healthy person is given to a recipient for therapeutic purposes. Despite the ick factor, they have been used to treat potentially fatal, recurring bacterial infections for which antibiotics have been less effective. Now, doctors and researchers are looking to see whether fecal transplants can be used for other hard-to-treat illnesses. Avoiding scorched-earth regimen Health Canada approved fecal transplants for recurrent C. difficile infections in 2015. Impacting the colon, these infections lead to diarrhea and, if recurring, dehydration that can wreak havoc on the body. The goal with the transplant is to have the healthy bacteria outcompete the C. difficile and wipe out the stubborn infection. Overall, for recurrent C. difficile, fecal transplants were significantly more effective, greater than 85 per cent, compared with less than 50 per cent for antibiotics. Dr. Nikhil Pai, a pediatric gastroenterologist and associate clinical professor at McMaster University in Hamilton, said antibiotics can create a terrible cycle. "What ends up surviving after this scorched-earth antibiotic regimen are bacteria that cannot only make things worse, but can affect a lot of other things such as just general nutrition and metabolism," Pai said. In adults, a 2023 review of clinical trials published by the respected Cochrane Library concluded fecal transplants may also help control Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, two forms of inflammatory bowel disease that harm the gut when the body's immune system mistakenly attacks itself. WATCH | Debunking myths of fecal transplants: The power of poop: What fecal transplants can and cannot treat 6 years ago Duration 2:39 Bruce Vallance, a pediatrics professor at the University of British Columbia, said inflammatory bowel disease is essentially chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract, possibly triggered by the bacteria living in our intestines. It can happen at any age, he said. "We're trying to figure out whether certain microbes are driving the disease and whether we could target those microbes, deplete them and hopefully remove them from the intestine so there's no longer any trigger for disease." Some researchers are also looking into using fecal transplants for teenage anorexia nervosa, known for its difficulty to treat and high death rate. Research suggests there is a gut-brain connection, and scientists are finding there is an association between anorexia and imbalances in the gut microbiome, which could influence a person's behaviour. Building slimy 'mini guts' Vallance and his team are also studying whether certain microbes that may drive Crohn's and colitis can get through a key mucus layer in the intestines. To that end, he's been working with doctors at BC Children's Hospital to take fecal samples and biopsies that offer a snapshot of what's going on in the human colon. Vallance builds "mini guts" — a 3D model of the intestines in the shape of a ball — to study how the microbes function. He's focusing on growing bacteria in the epithelium, or gut lining, which contains proteins with sugars on them that form a slimy coating. "It doesn't look nice and it doesn't sound nice, but that sticky coating is actually really important in terms of how we interact with our gut microbes," Vallance said. It's what creates the barrier against dangerous bacteria that can cause diseases like Crohn's and colitis. Another trial focuses on short bowel syndrome in children who have had parts of their small intestine surgically removed. It can cause an excessive build-up of bacteria, leading to abdominal pain, bloating and diarrhea that's traditionally treated with antibiotics. There have been other unintentional benefits of the fecal transplant. Pai recalled, while at his other position at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, treating an autistic child who had recurrent C. difficile. "After their treatment, there were comments from the family that this child was also just showing some real improvements and changes in their behaviour as well as noted by their teachers in school," Pai said. "I don't think it's any surprise that other aspects of him also got better." Why we are what we eat Bringing back healthier bacteria also benefits the body as a whole, Pai said, which could be why the boy saw improvements in other areas. "The comment or the idea that we are what we eat is very true," Vallance said. What we eat and digest is also individualized, to that extent that everyone's poo is like a fingerprint — or poo print, he said. "Everybody has their own unique blueprint." When people eat a high-fibre diet full of vegetables, for instance, more fibre reaches the colon, where microbes ferment it and release beneficial factors such as butyrate, a short chain fatty acid. Vallance said butyrate can help signal our immune system what to do and when. But people with inflammatory bowel disease tend to have much less butyrate, a helpful regulator to prevent the immune system from overreacting, he said. Carrie Daniel MacDougall, an associate professor at MD Anderson Cancer Center's epidemiology department in Houston, specializes in nutrition and the microbiome, including the role of dietary fibre. Daniel MacDougall and her team showed that adding dietary fibre in the form of canned beans changed the gut microbiome of cancer patients within eight weeks and is thought to encourage beneficial gut bacteria to do their thing. Cancer prevention guidelines already emphasize increasing fibre with whole foods like beans, as well as fruits and vegetables. "A lot of what we're learning about the scientific mechanisms and the gut microbiome also has a huge impact on public health," Daniel MacDougall said. Gut health "has a lot of crossover with other diseases like heart disease, inflammatory bowel disease. "We're all learning from each other's research."
Health Line
06-05-2025
- Health
- Health Line
Could Fecal Transplants Help with Weight Loss and Other Metabolic Issues?
Fecal transplants have been successfully used to treat gastrointestinal conditions. Researchers are currently studying whether they may also be used for weight loss and other metabolic issues. A fecal microbiota transplant (FMT) is a procedure that transfers healthy donor stools into a person's intestines for therapeutic purposes. FMTs have been used in the United States since the 1980s. The goal of an FMT is to help reset the bacteria in a person's gastrointestinal tract, which may then subsequently treat related conditions, such as ulcerative colitis (UC) and recurring Clostridioides difficile (C. diff) infections. Researchers are discovering possible connections between gut microbiota imbalances and a variety of health conditions, including metabolic diseases and those associated with weight gain. Researchers theorize that FMT could possibly help treat these conditions. While FMT is not considered a weight loss treatment, researchers are continuing to investigate the possible links between metabolic conditions and a disrupted gut microbiota. This article takes a closer look at these potential connections and what current research has uncovered. Can a fecal microbiota transplant from a lean donor reduce body weight? Medical weight loss may be recommended for a number of metabolic diseases, including obesity and diabetes. Some people might consider FMT if other treatments haven't worked, or if they don't want to use conventional medical interventions, such as weight loss medications or surgeries. The idea here is that resetting the microbiota might help improve overall metabolism and weight loss. What the research has found Recent research suggests that FMT may have some benefits for treating obesity. According to one 2022 review, FMT may potentially reduce insulin resistance and high blood lipids that contribute to obesity. However, the authors of the same clinical review also note that many clinical trials of FMT and metabolic disorders often do not succeed because of ineffective donors. This can make it challenging to discern whether FMT can benefit certain candidates for the treatment. Separately, a 2023 meta-analysis reported that FMT could potentially improve both blood glucose and insulin in people with obesity, and possibly assist in weight loss. The authors also found a correlation between a reduced body mass index (BMI) in participants with obesity and related metabolic diseases after undergoing FMT. Nevertheless, the current literature still has mixed results. One 2022 randomized clinical trial on FMT and bariatric surgery found that FMT had no effect on weight loss from lean fecal transplant donors. Can a fecal microbiota transplant be used for other metabolic diseases? Metabolic diseases are conditions that are thought to develop due to metabolic dysfunction. Overweight and obesity are common examples. Other types of metabolic-related conditions include diabetes and multiple sclerosis (MS). What the research has found Several studies are currently being conducted on the role of FMT in MS and diabetes treatments, as well as other metabolic diseases. However, other research has noted the possible long-term risk of developing metabolic issues after FMT, including obesity. What health disorders have fecal microbiota transplants been used for successfully? While the use of FMTs for metabolic disorders is still being investigated, this treatment does have a record of helping certain GI disorders, including C. diff infections and ulcerative colitis (UC). FMT may help treat C. diff infections by restoring healthy bacteria in the gut microbiota. In particular, a doctor may recommend FMT as a second-line treatment when two rounds of antibiotics fail to clear the infection. Some people may also need more than one course of FMT for recurring C. diff infections. Overall, the success rate is 94% after one or two treatments. Fecal transplantation is also sometimes used in the treatment of UC. In these cases, treatment typically involves a total of four rounds of FMT. The exact success rate of FMT for UC is not as clear as it is for C. diff. Possible future uses for FMT It's not just weight loss and metabolic disorders that are being explored as candidates for FMT. In fact, scientists are also looking at FMT as a possible emerging treatment for a broad spectrum of health issues, including liver disease, chronic fatigue syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), mental health conditions, and more. Potential drawbacks of FMT for metabolic disorders While fecal transplants continue to be researched for treating a variety of conditions, there are also some drawbacks to consider. First, while FMT is considered safe overall, the long-term effects are also unknown. The risk of drug resistance and other negative effects appears greater when proper screening of donor samples is not followed. One 2021 review of FMT and its overall safety found that some of the possible short-term side effects included: abdominal pain bloating gas constipation diarrhea bloody stools nausea fever bowel perforations worsening GI disorder symptoms Ironically, the same review found that obesity, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and IBS were all possible long-term adverse effects of FMT. Autoimmune diseases and fatalities were also noted. Also, researchers are unclear whether transferring fecal samples could put recipients at risk of other microbiota-related conditions, such as diabetes. What's more, these FMT treatments are expensive, ranging from $1,600 to $17,000 without insurance. Takeaway FMT is a procedure in which a fecal sample from a healthy donor is given to a person with an unhealthy microbiota. Despite its success in treating C. diff and some cases of UC, scientists still do not fully understand how and why FMT works, and which microbes may be the most beneficial. While early evidence suggests FMT may help people with metabolic issues lose weight and experience better insulin resistance, there isn't enough clinical backing for this to be a mainstream treatment just yet.
