Dry January

[Gerry Seymour]

4) Give you GI tract a break from digestion (time-restricted eating)

I've never been able to do this one. Not eating for an extended period (12 hours if overnight, much shorter during the day) leads me to one sort of gastric distress or another. Some are only uncomfortable, and others are downright distressing. I thought this would go away as I aged (I assumed when I was younger it was simply because of my runaway metabolism). But I still can't skip lunch without consequences.

 

[Gyakuto]

I've never been able to do this one. Not eating for an extended period (12 hours if overnight, much shorter during the day) leads me to one sort of gastric distress or another. Some are only uncomfortable, and others are downright distressing. I thought this would go away as I aged (I assumed when I was younger it was simply because of my runaway metabolism). But I still can't skip lunch without consequences.

Gastric irritation-like symptoms? Does that bright pink liquid stuff you have in the US help at all?

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Gastric irritation-like symptoms? Does that bright pink liquid stuff you have in the US help at all?

Food helps more than anything, but an antacid will help sometimes. In the worse cases, it pretty much has to be food and antacid, plus a couple of hours.

 

[Gyakuto]

Food helps more than anything, but an antacid will help sometimes. In the worse cases, it pretty much has to be food and antacid, plus a couple of hours.

Sounds like your sacral chakra has been possessed by a fox spirit

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Sounds like your sacral chakra has been possessed by a fox spirit

And here I thought it was just my gut being a compete bastard.

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

Sounds like your sacral chakra has been possessed by a fox spirit

 

[Gyakuto]

A new report shows that British women are the top binge drinkers in the developed world. 35% of all genders of Brits report binge drinking at least once a month, but this is significant in women as their capacity to detoxify alcohol is less efficient due to their relatively smaller size. The incidence of alcohol-induced liver cirrhosis is on the rapid increase.

Drinking large amounts of alcohol is normalised in the U.K. especially with phrases such as ‘wine o’ clock’, ‘getting my daily sips in’ and ‘mummy time’ being used as a ubiquitous justification for drinking after a ‘hard day’ typing on a computer.

In the U.K. the body responsible for social responsibility and regulating alcohol labelling, packaging and promotion is called the Portman Group. They are made up of brewing and distillery companies.

What do you think?

 

[MetalBoar]

A new report shows that British women are the top binge drinkers in the developed world. 35% of all genders of Brits report binge drinking at least once a month, but this is significant in women as their capacity to detoxify alcohol is less efficient due to their relatively smaller size. The incidence of alcohol-induced liver cirrhosis is on the rapid increase.

Drinking large amounts of alcohol is normalised in the U.K. especially with phrases such as ‘wine o’ clock’, ‘getting my daily sips in’ and ‘mummy time’ being used as a ubiquitous justification for drinking after a ‘hard day’ typing on a computer.

In the U.K. the body responsible for social responsibility and regulating alcohol labelling, packaging and promotion is called the Portman Group. They are made up of brewing and distillery companies.

What do you think?

I largely think I can't answer your question without violating TOS in regards to politics. I'll limit myself to saying that, while you and I disagree about the health impact of low to moderate alcohol consumption, we're definitely in agreement that binge drinking is detrimental to health, both directly and indirectly. I think a good question to ask (and I can't comment further for the aforementioned reason) is why so many people feel the need to binge drink with regularity.

 

[Gyakuto]

I think a good question to ask is why so many people feel the need to binge drink with regularity.

Probably ‘self medication’. But why feel the need to dull ones senses?

1) Disinhibition in order to feel normal/sociable.

2) Dull the pain of sadness due to poor interpersonal relationships/awful job/poor prospects for a better life/regret.

3) Deal with physiological pain.

I think these categories of drinker are in real danger of progressing into something very serious.

Then there are people who like the feel of drinking. Being slightly out of control, the ‘buzz’, using alcohol to conform with their peers. I think these people are more likely to be moderate drinkers with very few problems associated with their habits.

Then there are those of us who don’t like being out of control, who feel the buzz is overrated, the expense of drinking, taxis and rounds are not worth it. We tend to die.

 

[Gyakuto]

I was chatting to my gastroenterologist/hepatologist friend over our Christmas nut roast last night. You might remember he was applying for a grant to study the effects of faecal transplants on liver health and alcohol dependence. He’s (team’s) received a £2.6million grant to perform a large study on this! Here are a couple of the interesting points from his preliminary data:

1) The best faeces to use for these transplants came from vegan donors which have the most diverse and populace, ‘healthy’ microbial content.

2) It only requires 3-4 transplants to significantly reduce the cravings for alcohol in ‘dependant’ drinkers.

Incidently, I might’ve joked about the horror of imbibing the faeces transplant orally, thinking it was administered as an enema transrectally. However, it seems it is administered orally, albeit vis a nasogastric tube directly into the stomach and onwards One subject did actually vomit the transplant up….can you imagine? Thankfully, they are now found a way of freeze drying the faeces transplant, preserving the microbes and placing it in a capsule for ingestion. <phew>.

He’s also going to be looking at the efficacy of incretin mimetics (semaglutide et al.) in reducing alcohol cravings (it does reduce food cravings).

He was also talking at length about he benefits of ingesting fermented foods (kombucha, sauerkraut etc) and hydroxymethylbutyrate (a common supplement, formed by the breakdown of the amino acid, leucine, and taken by weight trainers) for people with conditions such as irritable bowl syndrome. It seems they (amongst other things) reduce the ‘leakiness’ of the gut wall reducing/preventing the symptoms of these common conditions.

I’ll certainly be adding them to my diet in the coming year.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

I was chatting to my gastroenterologist/hepatologist friend over our Christmas nut roast last night. You might remember he was applying for a grant to study the effects of faecal transplants on liver health and alcohol dependence. He’s (team’s) received a £2.6million grant to perform a large study on this! Here are a couple of the interesting points from his preliminary data:

1) The best faeces to use for these transplants came from vegan donors which have the most diverse and populace, ‘healthy’ microbial content.

2) It only requires 3-4 transplants to significantly reduce the cravings for alcohol in ‘dependant’ drinkers.

Incidently, I might’ve joked about the horror of imbibing the faeces transplant orally, thinking it was administered as an enema transrectally. However, it seems it is administered orally, albeit vis a nasogastric tube directly into the stomach and onwards One subject did actually vomit the transplant up….can you imagine? Thankfully, they are now found a way of freeze drying the faeces transplant, preserving the microbes and placing it in a capsule for ingestion. <phew>.

He’s also going to be looking at the efficacy of incretin mimetics (semaglutide et al.) in reducing alcohol cravings (it does reduce food cravings).

He was also talking at length about he benefits of ingesting fermented foods (kombucha, sauerkraut etc) and hydroxymethylbutyrate (a common supplement, formed by the breakdown of the amino acid, leucine, and taken by weight trainers) for people with conditions such as irritable bowl syndrome. It seems they (amongst other things) reduce the ‘leakiness’ of the gut wall reducing/preventing the symptoms of these common conditions.

I’ll certainly be adding them to my diet in the coming year.

Is the pathway for this effect (the reduced desire for alcohol) understood? I'm really curious what's going on there.

 

[Gyakuto]

Is the pathway for this effect (the reduced desire for alcohol) understood? I'm really curious what's going on there.

They don’t. There’s a lot said about the ‘Gut-Brain’ axis but the full mechanisms aren’t currently known. Clinical research tends to focus on therapeutics rather than mechanisms of operation but biomedical scientists will be working on this especially if it proves to have clinical value.

One anecdote I’ve heard is that an old Turkish remedy for dysentery (where the gut is extremely leaky). They are advised to eat camel poop and this might’ve repopulated the gut with ‘good’ microbes and hastened recovery from the condition!

 

[bluepanther]

The best faeces to use for these transplants came from vegan donors which have the most diverse and populace, ‘healthy’ microbial content.

Wouldn't it be more desirable to just eat the same things the vegan ate rather than their feces? Or is it an issue of the alcoholic having improper absorption of nutrients?

 

[Gyakuto]

Wouldn't it be more desirable to just eat the same things the vegan ate rather than their feces? Or is it an issue of the alcoholic having improper absorption of nutrients?

Ha ha, yes, anything but eat eating another persons sh*t!

The beneficial microbes are killed by the alcohol consumed by heavy drinkers and so ‘repopulation’ is required from another source. And yes, your right, the gut is so damaged by booze that it isn’t able to function normally. The stuff herbivores eat, simply favours, by feeding, these beneficial microbes and allows them to proliferate and thrive.

Also, if you’ve ever known a heavy drinker/full-blown alcoholic, you’ll soon realise they don’t eat any food, preferring to alcohol instead, let alone eating ‘healthier’ food, with it’s tougher, fibrous texture and complex tastes. You might get lime jello down them……or a creme caramel if they have a sophisticated palate!

 

[Bill Mattocks]

I drank a rather prodigious quantity of booze whilst serving in the military. My consumption dropped considerably after I got out, something to do with not having the funds.

Since that time, I've been primarily a social drinker, minus a bit of a binge after my divorce.

In the last several decades, my consumption has been down to holidays and special occasions, and even then it would be one drink, never more. A six pack of beer in my fridge lasted years.

After my diagnosis of heart disease and subsequent blood thinning medication, I'm forbidden alcohol and haven't touched it.

The only thing that irritates me is my cardiologist refuses to believe I don't drink. Ticks me off; I hate being called a liar.

"How many drinks would you say you have in a typical week?"

"None. I don't drink."

"Oh come now."

 

[Gyakuto]

I drank a rather prodigious quantity of booze whilst serving in the military. My consumption dropped considerably after I got out, something to do with not having the funds.

Since that time, I've been primarily a social drinker, minus a bit of a binge after my divorce.

In the last several decades, my consumption has been down to holidays and special occasions, and even then it would be one drink, never more. A six pack of beer in my fridge lasted years.

After my diagnosis of heart disease and subsequent blood thinning medication, I'm forbidden alcohol and haven't touched it.

The only thing that irritates me is my cardiologist refuses to believe I don't drink. Ticks me off; I hate being called a liar.

"How many drinks would you say you have in a typical week?"

"None. I don't drink."

"Oh come now."

That must be annoying! Maybe your gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) is raised so he suspects something Fatty liver disease (non-alcohol liver disease) can do that too… Suggest a lie detector test, to put your cardiologist in their place!

 

[Bill Mattocks]

That must be annoying! Maybe your gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) is raised so he suspects something Fatty liver disease (non-alcohol liver disease) can do that too… Suggest a lie detector test, to put your cardiologist in their place!

I'm also diabetic type 2 for 15 years, so I have a quarterly blood draw. Aside from my a1c (7.8) and my bmi (32), my numbers are all in normal range. I tend towards the low side of normal for magnesium and potassium. My GP says no sign of liver or kidney impairment.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Ha ha, yes, anything but eat eating another persons sh*t!

The beneficial microbes are killed by the alcohol consumed by heavy drinkers and so ‘repopulation’ is required from another source. And yes, your right, the gut is so damaged by booze that it isn’t able to function normally. The stuff herbivores eat, simply favours, by feeding, these beneficial microbes and allows them to proliferate and thrive.

Also, if you’ve ever known a heavy drinker/full-blown alcoholic, you’ll soon realise they don’t eat any food, preferring to alcohol instead, let alone eating ‘healthier’ food, with it’s tougher, fibrous texture and complex tastes. You might get lime jello down them……or a creme caramel if they have a sophisticated palate!

One thing I'll be interesting in learning more about as this research progresses is which parts of the gut biome are most affected (both by the alcohol and by the treatment). Meat digestion is highly affected by gut biome (part of the reason, I suspect, the vegetarian gut has more of the microbes desired in this therapy), so it may be that a combination of vegetarian/omnivore repopulation will prove most beneficial in the long run, as it would facilitate full nutrient absorption by those who aren't eating vegetarian diets.

 

[Oily Dragon]

What's wrong with the usual stuff like yogurt or cheese?

Is poop better?

 

[Gerry Seymour]

What's wrong with the usual stuff like yogurt or cheese?

Is poop better?

Those would contain just a few (at best) of the bacteria the gut biome needs. The idea (as I understand it) of a transfusion is to get a full complement of bacteria from a healthy gut to the recipient. That gut biome is responsible for enough of our function that it has been argued whether a human is a complete organism separate from the gut biome, or if that biome is part of our organism.