Page 46 - Retail Pharmacy March 2021

44 HEALTH NUTRITION CAN FOOD REALLY BE THY medicine? By Margaret Mielczarek. bacteria,” advanced accredited here is from a favourable change in the W hen thinking about nutrition and chronic disease, it’s becoming increasingly important to consider the gut – the microbiome – as research is beginning to show it plays a significant role in our overall health. Retail Pharmacy looks at the role of the microbiome in chronic disease prevention and management, and asks: can food really be our medicine? Possibly two of the most widely used quotes within healthcare today are: “All disease begins in the gut” and “Let food be thy medicine” (Hippocrates, 460-371 BC). While it’s hard to say if, in fact, all disease begins in the gut, many experts agree that many chronic metabolic diseases do, with gut health being implicated in type 2 diabetes and obesity.1 A review article in the journal Nutrients suggests the gut “plays an important role in human health and influences the development of chronic diseases ranging from metabolic disease to gastrointestinal disorders and colorectal cancer”.2 It’s known that diet plays an important role in gut health, but how exactly can nutrition influence the gut to prevent and manage chronic disease? The microbiome and its role in health and immunity “Our gastrointestinal tract is inhabited by more than 100 trillion microorganisms, including viruses, fungi, protozoa and more than 8000 species of known practising dietitian Dr Tim Crowe said. He adds that while the terms microbiome and microbiota are used interchangeably, the difference between them is: “The microorganisms plus the genes inside them make up the microbiome; the microbiota refers to the actual microorganisms.” While research into the gut and its implications in health and the development of chronic disease is relatively young, Dr Crowe says “a growing research field is revealing how a person’s health reflects the relative stability, disturbance and resilience of the microbiome”. “Our gut microbiome can interact with our immune system through a process called ‘crosstalk’,” he said. “This microbiome-immune system crosstalk has unravelled a tight connection between microbial communities and the development of immune-related diseases such as allergic diseases and asthma. “The microbiome field is still in its infancy in linking the health of our gut microbiome to our overall health in conditions like diabetes, cardiovascular disease and depression. Yet from the research so far, the link seems plausible and opens up modulating the gut microbiome as being one therapy option in preventing and even treating many health conditions. For example, dietary interventions are now shown to be effective in treating depression, and one of the mechanisms proposed gut microbiome.” Pharmacist, naturopath and clinical nutritionist Vanita Dahia says the “microbiome plays a major role in all diseases”, as supported by “numerous studies”. “One study that’s worth noting is one on the use of Lactobacillus rhamnosus, which is a particular strain of probiotic,” she said, referring to research at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute.” She adds that the team found 80 per cent of children with peanut allergy who received the probiotic strain were able to tolerate peanut after the trial period, compared with four per cent in a placebo group. Peanut allergy is the commonest cause of anaphylaxis, a life-threatening allergic reaction, and one of the commonest causes of death from food allergy. “Now four years on, they’ve done another study that followed up on these kids and it’s been published in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health,” Ms Dahia said. “They found that there’s still a good reserve against anaphylaxis against peanuts. “In other words, can you change an allergic response in the gut to a particular food using probiotics? Yes, you can. So, it \[the microbiome\] supports the innate immune system.” Ms Dahia adds that other strains of probiotics, “such as Lactobacillus helveticus and Bifidobacterium longum”, have been shown to “be very, very effective for mental health, brain health RETAIL PHARMACY • MAR 2021