Short-chain fatty acids — Blog

Personalized diets may be the future of nutrition, but the science isn't all there yet - Science News

A recent article in Science News, Personalized diets may be the future of nutrition. but the science isn't all there yet, got me thinking about obesity and diabetes. These diseases are often, but not always, linked.

Obesity is a worldwide epidemic affecting about one-quarter of the world's population. Obesity is associated with a wide range of chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes. Diabetes is the leading cause of death worldwide, affecting 422 million people. In the US, in 2012, the total estimated cost of diabetes in the United States was $245 billion.

What are Short-Chain Fatty Acids and how do they impact my health?

A healthy microbiome is a diverse microbiome. One of the substances up-regulated in those with the healthiest microbiomes is short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). SCFAs influence gut health directly by acting as food for the cells lining the gastrointestinal tract and by tightening the junctions between cells, but SCFAs are also are increasingly associated with a wide range of systemic health benefits. These benefits include improved immunologic function, lower systemic inflammation, and anti-cancer effects. Individuals with the highest level of SCFAs tend to have the healthiest and most diverse gut flora.

What is an Anti-Inflammatory Diet and How Does It Work?

If I had to pick one recommendation to improve most people's health, that recommendation would be to decrease inflammation. Inflammation is your body's way of protecting itself from injury, illness, and infection. However, runaway inflammation has profound effects on your health. Uncontrolled inflammation is implicated in a wide range of chronic diseases, including obesity, anxiety/depression, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, Alzheimer's Disease, inflammatory bowel disease, cancer, and many others.

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