Dr. Dean Ornish is a famous physician-researcher in California who proved over 30 years ago that our biggest killer — heart disease — can be reversed by a total plant-based, unprocessed food diet with stress reduction and regular exercise. Subsequently, he proved that the same lifestyle changes can reverse early prostate cancer, and last year he completed a study showing that these changes can reverse early Alzheimer’s.
Dr. Ornish summarizes his recommended lifestyle changes as “eat well, move more, stress less, love more (by which he means that intimate relationships are important for optimal health). He has published several books, the most recent being “Undo It.” This book makes the case that we don’t have to be a victim of our genes–that our health is determined not so much by the genes we’re born with, but by whether these genes are turned on or off. And to a large extent, that process is determined by lifestyle.
Our microbiomes — particularly our gut microbiome — is a key player in our health, and should be thought of as another organ system, similar to our brain, liver, and kidneys. Humans have over 100 trillion organisms (bacteria, viruses, and fungi) residing in our mouth, nose, gut, and on our skin (there is also a vaginal microbiome). The genes in the organisms that make up our microbiomes outnumber all the genes in our own cells by at least a hundred to one. Depending on our lifestyle, our microbiomes can keep us healthy or make us sick. Following are some examples:
- Diet: A health-promoting gut microbiome has many different species of organisms (i.e. lots of diversity). Diets high in fat, sugar, or refined carbohydrates adversely affect the type of microbes in our gut microbiome, as well as their diversity.
- Obesity: A high-fat diet causes gut microbes to modulate our genes that affect fat storage, making us more efficient at storing calories as fat—not good if you are overweight or don’t want to be.
- Inflammation: A diet based on animal products increases the microbes that cause chronic inflammation—and inflammation contributes to cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer.
- Depression: The Ornish lifestyle encourages certain gut bacteria that manufacture neurotransmitters such as serotonin and norepinephrine, “which can help keep you from feeling anxious, depressed, and tired.”
- Dementia: There is evidence that inflammation plays a role in Alzheimer’s disease. According to Dr. Ornish, Alzheimer’s disease patients have a lower number of gut bacteria that have anti-inflammatory activity, and a higher number of bacteria that cause inflammation.
- Cardiovascular disease: A healthy mouth microbiome helps prevent dental plaque buildup, cavities, and gum disease—all of which cause chronic inflammation leading to many diseases including heart attacks and strokes.
- Cancer: A prevalence of certain species of gut bacteria increase risk of colon cancer.
- How can you develop a health-promoting gut microbiome?
- Eat well: The bacteria in our gut microbiome feed on fiber, which is found only in plants. Animal products, salt, sugar, added oil, and processed food encourage disease-causing gut bacteria. Fruit, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds encourage health-promoting gut microbes.
- Move more: Studies show that exercise increases microbes that produce short-chain fatty acids, which reduce disease-causing inflammation.
- Stress less, love more: Dr. Ornish has shown that avoiding negative emotions such as stress and loneliness (even a pet helps) cuts down on the number of interleukin-producing gut bacteria—interleukins cause inflammation, harmful activation of your immune system, and depression.
- Avoid antibiotics unless absolutely necessary. One weeklong course of antibiotics “can change your gut microbiome for up to a year.”
For a healthy mouth microbiome, avoid antibacterial mouthwashes and toothpaste.
In summary, be kind to the trillions of organisms that make up your microbiome — they can be your friends, or your enemies.
Dr. Greg Feinsinger is a retired family physician who started the non-profit Center For Prevention and Treatment of Disease Through Nutrition. For questions or to schedule a free consultation about nutrition or heart attack prevention contact him at gfmd41@gmail.com or 970-379-5718.