The Normal state of affairs
The human gut has evolved to have a near-sterile upper gut and a bacteria-rich lower gut. This arrangement supports diverse dietary habits, from carnivorous to vegan. However, carbohydrates in the diet were only available for a limited amount of time for our ancestors. Around the months of Autumn there would be an abundance of fruits, nuts and berries which would also be eaten in abundance and fat stored would suffice our ancestors for the winter, this windfall of sugar rich foods would come to an end.
Nowadays carbohydrates and sugars are in abundance being the easiest, cheapest form of food for people to eat and not to mention they are addictive resulting in overwhelm of the lower gut with carbs and sugars leading to movement of these substances in to the upper gut where they ferment. Clinical pictures such as (CFS) and many others arise due to fermentation in the upper gut introducing bacteria and fungus in this area which should be sterile for the business of digesting fats and proteins, the side effects of this are causing misery for many people.
Bacteria and yeast in the upper gut
This can ferment food instead of it being digested properly. This fermentation produces toxic by-products such as alcohols, noxious gases, and sugars which the liver then has to detoxify adding to the bodies chemical load overwhelming the bodies detox defences and energy mechanisms.
Problems Caused by the Upper Fermenting Gut
Malabsorption of nutrients: fermentation hampers the absorption of nutrients.
Allergy to microbes: overgrowth of gut flora in this area can cause the immune sensitisation leading to conditions like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). The microbes in the upper gut also have the capacity to translocate to distal areas of the body causing conditions like arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, brain fog, headaches, fibromyalgia even getting stuck in the skin and causing skin conditions such as psoriasis.
Wind, gas and bloating: these are symptoms of physical manifestations of gut fermentation.
Foggy brain: fermentation by products like alcohols and aldehydes can affect brain function.
Susceptibility to infections and heavy metal poisoning: Fermentation by-products can enhance heavy metal absorption and compromise immune function.
Clinical and laboratory tests can give a better picture of your status with various aspects of this clinical picture, observing symptoms is key and is overlooked by doctors due to reliance by the most part on conventional blood results often showing that you are within range, leaving people with unbearable symptoms and no answers. Observation and taking a thorough history of the individual is key especially when suffering with (CFS).
Causes of upper fermenting gut:
Diet: High sugar and refined carbohydrate intake and low vegetable and fibre consumption
Poor digestion: insufficient stomach acid or pancreatic enzymes.
Medications: Antibiotics, hormonal treatments, and acid blockers can disrupt gut flora balance
Consequences of the Upper Fermenting Gut - mitochondrial dysfunction
A fermenting upper gut can lead to a wide range of health issues including poor energy delivery systems.
The mitochondria are the engines of every cell in every living thing we have thousands of them in every area of our body. Impaired function of this energy supply will result in cells functioning much slower than necessary resulting in slow bodily functions this means all bodily functions can be affected, the body will simply stop doing what it needs to do due to lack of energy be it to the brain, the muscles and so on telling you to slow down with some very uncomfortable symptoms from depression to weakness of the body and fatigue.
The reasons for this impaired function of the mitochondria can be investigated and is related to various issues such as poor control mechanisms from other body systems, lack of raw materials for the mitochondria to work optimally, or from products of the upper fermenting gut and other toxins blocking mitochondrial function.
(CFS) I have found particularly interesting as many people including myself before my training are left bewildered as to what to do about this set of symptoms, I have heard so many times that they are made to feel like they just need to pull themselves together as if their symptoms are not really real causing their symptoms to worsen due to stress. Just because there is not one drug that can be offered it seems to be ignored with sufferers being put on pain medication or anti-depressants. I now know this does not have to be way; it is possible to alleviate the symptoms associated with (CFS) and other conditions.
Would you like to learn more about the mechanisms, root cause and disease connections to the upper fermenting gut and how certain diets can starve out the fermenters, and how to regain sterility to the upper gut using natural remedies, restoring optimum vitamin and mineral status and relieving many of the common health conditions of today.
Please book a free 15-minute discovery call if you would like to explore this further, I would love to chat.
Sara x
References:
Cordain, L., Eaton, S. B., Sebastian, A., Mann, N., Lindeberg, S., Watkins, B. A., ... & Brand-Miller, J. (2005). Origins and evolution of the Western diet: health implications for the 21st century. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 81(2), 341-354.
Lustig, R. H., Schmidt, L. A., & Brindis, C. D. (2012). Public health: The toxic truth about sugar. Nature, 482(7383), 27-29.
Reddymasu, S. C., Sheth, A., & Dumpala, S. (2007). Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth in irritable bowel syndrome: Are there any predictors? Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology, 41(2), 244-246.
de Punder, K., & Pruimboom, L. (2015). The dietary intake of wheat and other cereal grains and their role in inflammation. Nutrients, 5(3), 771-787.
Lee, H., & Kang, R. (2015). Mitochondria and metabolism. Cell Metabolism, 22(4), 543-556.