Visit the Microscopic Colitis Foundation Website
A Gluten Free Page
http://www.gicare.com/diets/gluten-free.aspx
Prebiotics
http://prebiotin.com/index.php?option=c ... d=50&id=26
I posted the gluten page because we have so many new members.
Tex, when you get time - no hurry, perhaps you could critique the prebiotics page.
Or anyone else........... They are trying to sell something but perhaps it's worthwhile. I don't know.
Love, Shirley
A couple of web addresses
Moderators: Rosie, Stanz, Jean, CAMary, moremuscle, JFR, Dee, xet, Peggy, Matthew, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh
A couple of web addresses
When the eagles are silent, the parrots begin to jabber"
-- Winston Churchill
-- Winston Churchill
Shirley,
Sorry to take so long to post a response. I analyzed this last night, but then I got sidetracked, and forgot to post it.
There are a lot of misconceptions on the web about the absorption of "nutrients" in the intestines. In fact, most nutrients are absorbed in the jejunum, which is the middle third of the small intestine. Most of the rest of nutrients are absorbed in the other two segments of the small intestine, the duodenum, (below the stomach), and the ileum, (connected to the colon, by way of the cecum). Only water and alcohol is absorbed in the stomach, and only water and electrolytes are absorbed in the colon.
In general, most of what is written on that site seems to be correct, but like many authors, they make generalizations that are not quite correct. For example, in the following quote from that article, they infer that bacteria in the colon, "help reduce triglycerides for better heart health". I don't see how that logically follows, since "triglycerides" that are absorbed into the bloodstream, (actually, the components of triglycerides, since triglycerides cannot be absorbed intact), never get as far as the colon. The components that are used to construct triglycerides that travel as far as the colon, are excreted with the other waste, but that has nothing to do with bacteria in the colon. Bacteria in the small intestine may influence "triglyceride" handling, but once lipids reach the colon, the game is over for them.
The red emphasis is mine, of course, but the point is, this occurs in the small intestine, not in the colon.
The general claims made by the article, about their product enhancing the absorption of the electrolytes calcium and magnesium, by the colon, are probably true. In the following research article, it was demonstrated that compared with controls, rats fed fructooligosaccharides, showed approximately 28% greater calcium absorption, and approximately 41% more magnesium absorption. That's a significant increase, obviously. Whether or not research translates directly to humans, is debatable, but presumably that is probably a valid assumption, with certain limitations.
http://jn.nutrition.org/cgi/reprint/125/9/2417.pdf
Unfortunately, despite the fact that the concept of "prebiotics" appears on the surface to be very beneficial, past experience with members of this board, have consistently shown that the prebiotics known as fructooligosaccharides, (FOS), apparently benefit bad bacteria as much or more than good bacteria, because FOS added to the diet almost always causes adverse results, for people with MC.
The article makes this arguement:
If anyone decides to try this product, we would definitely appreciate a progress report on the project. After all, it's not impossible that it might work for someone, but so far, our record with FOS additives to the diet, has left a lot to be desired.
Thanks for the link.
Love,
Tex
Sorry to take so long to post a response. I analyzed this last night, but then I got sidetracked, and forgot to post it.
There are a lot of misconceptions on the web about the absorption of "nutrients" in the intestines. In fact, most nutrients are absorbed in the jejunum, which is the middle third of the small intestine. Most of the rest of nutrients are absorbed in the other two segments of the small intestine, the duodenum, (below the stomach), and the ileum, (connected to the colon, by way of the cecum). Only water and alcohol is absorbed in the stomach, and only water and electrolytes are absorbed in the colon.
In general, most of what is written on that site seems to be correct, but like many authors, they make generalizations that are not quite correct. For example, in the following quote from that article, they infer that bacteria in the colon, "help reduce triglycerides for better heart health". I don't see how that logically follows, since "triglycerides" that are absorbed into the bloodstream, (actually, the components of triglycerides, since triglycerides cannot be absorbed intact), never get as far as the colon. The components that are used to construct triglycerides that travel as far as the colon, are excreted with the other waste, but that has nothing to do with bacteria in the colon. Bacteria in the small intestine may influence "triglyceride" handling, but once lipids reach the colon, the game is over for them.
Here is a concise description of how triglycerides are absorbed into the bloodstream. First they are broken down into the primary elements, and then they are absorbed as elements, and reassembled in the enterocytes that line the small intestine, before being released into the bloodstream.But now we know that the colon is populated by legions of bacteria - trillions of them: more than all the other cells in your body! The good bacteria bring manifold health benefits - they assist with absorption of nutrients, emit short-chain-fatty-acids that help build the colon wall and drive out bad bacteria. They help prevent allergies and asthma. They help reduce triglycerides for better heart health.
Hydrolysis of triglyceride into monoglyceride and free fatty acids is accomplished predominantly by pancreatic lipase. The activity of this enzyme is to clip the fatty acids at positions 1 and 3 of the triglyceride, leaving two free fatty acids and a 2-monoglyceride.
http://www.vivo.colostate.edu/hbooks/pa ... ipids.htmlAbsorption and Transport into Blood
The major products of lipid digestion - fatty acids and 2-monoglycerides - enter the enterocyte by simple diffusion across the plasma membrane. A considerable fraction of the fatty acids also enter the enterocyte via a specific fatty acid transporter protein in the membrane.
Lipids are transported from the enterocyte into blood by a mechanism distinctly different from what we've seen for monosaccharides and amino acids.
Once inside the enterocyte, fatty acids and monoglyceride are transported into the endoplasmic reticulum, where they are used to synthesize triglyeride. Beginning in the endoplasmic reticulum and continuing in the Golgi, triglyceride is packaged with cholesterol, lipoproteins and other lipids into particles called chylomicrons. Remember where this is occurring - in the absorptive enterocyte of the small intestine.
The red emphasis is mine, of course, but the point is, this occurs in the small intestine, not in the colon.
The general claims made by the article, about their product enhancing the absorption of the electrolytes calcium and magnesium, by the colon, are probably true. In the following research article, it was demonstrated that compared with controls, rats fed fructooligosaccharides, showed approximately 28% greater calcium absorption, and approximately 41% more magnesium absorption. That's a significant increase, obviously. Whether or not research translates directly to humans, is debatable, but presumably that is probably a valid assumption, with certain limitations.
http://jn.nutrition.org/cgi/reprint/125/9/2417.pdf
Unfortunately, despite the fact that the concept of "prebiotics" appears on the surface to be very beneficial, past experience with members of this board, have consistently shown that the prebiotics known as fructooligosaccharides, (FOS), apparently benefit bad bacteria as much or more than good bacteria, because FOS added to the diet almost always causes adverse results, for people with MC.
The article makes this arguement:
Call me a doubting Thomas, but I simply don't buy that argument. True, different bacteria populations almost surely inhabit the right and left colons, but so what? There's no logical reason why enhancing bacteria populations in all or part of the colon, is significant. What is significant, is which types of bacteria are empowered, and as long as the product promotes the propagation of all types of bacteria, (rather than just helping the "good" bacteria), then the "bad" bacteria will emerge victorious, most of the time, (Murphy's Law applies here).Here's the critical part: There is a special compound of these two fibers called oligofructose enriched inulin or "OEI". Because this "complete prebiotic" contains both shorter- and longer-chain prebiotic molucules, it tends to nourish bacteria throughout the colon. Inulin or Oligofructose alone only tend to nourish one half of the colon (Left and Right, respectively). So this OEI seems to provide a synergy whereby research has shown it to be more effective in producing beneficial results than either one by itself. The laboratory, animal and human studies reported in the medical literature are impressive. Our oligofructose enriched inulin product, Prebiotin™, uses 100% pure and natural oligofructose enriched inulin.
If anyone decides to try this product, we would definitely appreciate a progress report on the project. After all, it's not impossible that it might work for someone, but so far, our record with FOS additives to the diet, has left a lot to be desired.
Thanks for the link.
Love,
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Tex, thank you so much for taking the time to go through all that, especially since it's apparently been explored before and I was apparently asleep or something.
I kinda doubted that bad and good bacteria would feed on different things but I wasn't sure.
I wish I were as good as you at researching (and retaining information). I appreciate your willingness to spend time on questions which probably seem pretty basic to you.
Anyway, you may have saved me some money here......
Love, Shirley
I kinda doubted that bad and good bacteria would feed on different things but I wasn't sure.
I wish I were as good as you at researching (and retaining information). I appreciate your willingness to spend time on questions which probably seem pretty basic to you.
Anyway, you may have saved me some money here......
Love, Shirley
When the eagles are silent, the parrots begin to jabber"
-- Winston Churchill
-- Winston Churchill
Shirley,
I'm always interested in finding new information on this topic, because theoretically, it's a good idea. For some reason or other, though, it doesn't seem to work for those of us with MC. I can't help but wonder if it works for anyone else.
The problem with this sort of research, is that if the rats wound up with chronic diarrhea, the researchers probably wouldn't bother to report it, because it wasn't a part of the goals of the study. With human subjects, of course, they would have been obligated to report any significant side effects.
As always, you're most welcome.
Love,
Tex
I'm always interested in finding new information on this topic, because theoretically, it's a good idea. For some reason or other, though, it doesn't seem to work for those of us with MC. I can't help but wonder if it works for anyone else.
The problem with this sort of research, is that if the rats wound up with chronic diarrhea, the researchers probably wouldn't bother to report it, because it wasn't a part of the goals of the study. With human subjects, of course, they would have been obligated to report any significant side effects.
As always, you're most welcome.
Love,
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.