Gut Check

Doctors have known since the 1920s that a ketogenic diet is effective in treating epilepsy.  What they still don’t know is how.  

Ketogenic diet therapy is really pretty simple. You cut carbs, forcing your body to burn fat for fuel; your body turns that fat into ketones, which run through the bloodstream; and when there are more ketones in your blood, your brain works more efficiently.  This might explain why the diet is being explored for many other neurological problems, like autism, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, MS, and more. 

That the diet is effective for many (though not all) people is well-known.  But again, the mechanisms by which it works are still a mystery.  Like the Totally Awesome Roller Racer, everyone wants to know, "How's it go?"  But two new studies have come out suggesting that the path leading from bacon in the belly to benefits in the brain might run straight through the gut.

The gut microbiome is the wild and wonderful world of trillions of bacteria (up to 4 pounds’ worth) that kick around your intestine. Gross, right? But before you run out for a Clorox cleanse, realize this: those little buggers are the key to digestion, disease prevention, and pretty much staying alive in general.   

It’s known that what you eat can change the makeup of your gut bacteria.  So researchers started to wonder — could it be that this change is the missing link between diet and seizure prevention?

In the first study, a team of researchers from UCLA gathered a group of epileptic mice (yes, there is such a thing), and placed some on a Ketogenic Diet (KD), and others in a control group.  The mice on the KD saw improvements in seizure activity, as expected.  The researchers also found that the mice’s gut microbiome changed within 4 days: some types of bacteria died, and others flourished.

Okay, could be coincidence.  But here’s where it gets interesting.  The scientists then transplanted those bacteria into mice that were not on the KD, and those mice then had fewer seizures.  This would suggest causation, not just correlation.  That is: having the right gut bacteria will influence the neurotransmitters in the brain, meaning fewer seizures. 

Exciting stuff, but hold own: this is just one study, so it's too early to say for sure.  And after all, it’s a scientific fact that mice are not humans.  Well, it happens that another team of researchers did a study on gut bacteria in children with epilepsy.  

This time, twenty pediatric patients were treated with a Ketogenic Diet. After six months, half of them showed a reduction or elimination of seizures (this is consistent with other studies of the KD in children).  The researchers analyzed the gut microbiome of all twenty participants, both before and after.  What they found: in the kids for whom the KD worked, there were again significant changes in their gut bacteria.  In those kids who weren't helped by the diet, there was no such change.

All of this research is interesting stuff, and it leads to more questions.  In the words of the researchers, “1) How does gut bacteria affect epileptogenesis? 2) Can monitoring gut bacterial composition be used as a marker for treatment efficacy and, as is seen in mouse models, 3) Can altering bacterial composition be used as a therapeutic strategy?”

In other words, we may someday see fecal transplant (which, again, is just as gross as it sounds) as a treatment for epilepsy.  More than that, it could just be that the bugs in your belly are the key to a healthy brain overall. Wild stuff!  It seems like we’re just at the beginning of understanding the role that gut bacteria play in our health. Who knows what’s next?

Note: The ramblings published on this blog are the opinions of the author alone and shared for entertainment purposes only.  The author is an English major with no medical or scientific background; thus, his words should never be taken as medical advice.  Consult with your doctor or medical professional before undertaking any diet or exercise program.