New research has emerged from California’s McMaster University which links gut bacteria populations to symptoms of stress, depression and anxiety. It supports something we have seen time and again at the Finchley Clinic: that a healthy gut contributes not only to better digestion but to an overall higher quality of life.

Now, as studies go, this one is still small-scale, but it does show for the first time that gut bacteria play an active role in causing depressive behaviour and anxiety. The researchers exposed one population of infant mice to normal bacteria; the other group was grown in a sterile environment. They then induced stress in the mice by temporarily separating them from their mothers, and watched to see the results. The mice exposed to ordinary bacteria levels, with normal populations of gut flora, soon began to show signs of depression with increased levels of corticosterone – a stress hormone. But the group who grew up free from harmful bacteria, though they also had elevated levels of corticosterone, showed no signs of altered behavior: they behaved just like the mice in the control group, who were neither stressed nor kept sterile.

Interestingly, when the germ-free mice were exposed to normal levels of bacteria, allowing them to develop a more complex gut microbiome, they began to show signs of depression just as the other stressed mice had done. This was a further indication that it was the mice’s gut bacteria causing them to either succumb to negative stimuli or “stay positive”.

This phenomenon has been studied several times in the past, with a focus on the benefits of probiotics. We don’t know exactly what it is about the gut that links it to the mind, but it’s well known that the two are closely related: stress-induced gut problems are very common. It does make sense that improving the gut environment would have a knock-on effect on psychological health.

Of course, we as human beings can’t replicate the sterile conditions used in the study – but what we can do is look after our bowels and keep them clean. Every day we expose them to bacteria and toxins from the water we swallow and the food we ingest; diets high in sugar can encourage harmful growths of candida; and waste can build up over the years and prevent our intestines from functioning at their peak.

This is why we encourage the use of a good probiotic as well as oxygen cleansing to maintain healthy bowels. Cleansing is intended to loosen any waste buildup and expel it from your system. The oxygen also creates an environment that promotes the growth of the healthy aerobic bacteria that help you digest your food, while making it hard for anaerobic yeast to grow. We’ve already heard from plenty of happy customers who say they’ve seen improvements in their mental state with the use of products like Oxy-Powder, Threelac and Oxygen Elements Max; and of course we have the testimony of our owner Mark Lester to go on.

We hope to see more from the team at McMaster University. It seems they’re on the right track!

Summer is almost here, which means many of us will soon be jetting off to places unknown. Travel comes with its own unique set of health risks, from unfamiliar foods to contaminated water – not to mention fatigue, jet lag, travel sickness and sunburn. You might even find yourself struck down by stress-induced “holiday flu” the minute you start to relax. After forking out for a holiday and waiting for months, we all want to get the most out of our holidays that we can, and that starts with looking after our health.

En route: Travel sickness can be easily dealt with using ginger, a natural nausea remedy beloved by expecting mothers and other sufferers of queasiness for centuries. If your butterflies have more to do with anxiety than motion, consider a calming dose of theanine, an amino acid found in green tea which promotes relaxation by stimulating alpha-type brainwaves. It encourages an alert but calm state of mind – essential for keeping track of everything during a long journey – and it’s safe to use for kids who might be over-excited or anxious. Once you arrive, the jetlag will start to set in. Some choose to power through it, others choose to nap; but to give your brain a helping hand, try a supplement of 5-HTP. This amino acid is produced naturally by your body just before melatonin, the hormone that regulates your sleep cycle. Obviously anyone on holiday looks forward to sleeping in, but getting solid, healthy sleep is essential as your body adjusts to a new environment.

“Holiday belly”: Even if the water at your destination is safe for the locals to drink, you might still find yourself in a spot of tummy trouble. Unfamiliar bacteria can play havoc with your guts, competing with your usual bacteria population and causing nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea accompanied by dehydration. Bolster your gut flora before you leave with probioticslike Saccharomyces boulardii – a key ingredient in Opti-Bac Probiotics for travelling abroad that’s well known for its effectiveness against holiday sickness,. For the best protection, combine it with an antifungal like grapefruit seed extract, to combat candida overgrowth and lessen the impact of foreign bacteria on your digestive system. Bio-Kult Candea contains seven kinds of probiotic as well as grapefruit seed extract; it also contains garlic to boost your immune system. Keep taking probiotics and antifungals all the way up to and during your holiday to keep your system strong – we recommend long or continuous courses of these supplements in any case for best results. If you do end up with a stomach bug, make sure you stick to bottled or boiled water and drink plenty of it to keep your fluids up.

The dreaded flu: We often tend to push ourselves hardest right before taking time off. It makes sense to get everything done so you don’t need to worry about work during your break – but that extra push combined with the build-up of months of fatigue takes a toll on your body. When you finally relax, your weakened immune system is open to all kinds of viruses and infections, resulting in a far less enjoyable vacation. Start building up your immune system long before you leave, with large doses of vitamin C and other essential vitamins. If you’re not already in the habit of taking a daily multivitamin, this is the perfect time to start. You can also load up your diet with vitamin-rich foods like garlic, onions, broccoli and citrus.

For extra protection, try beta glucans or propolis – they can help your immune system develop antibodies to fight off both fungal and microbial infections, while black elderberry extract attacks the viruses themselves to slow their replication rate. It’s also a source of powerful antioxidants, making it a great year-round supplement.

Beach-ready: We’ve come a long way from the days when a natural tan was considered healthy. Nowadays, we know skin cancer is a real danger and daily sun protection is our first line of defence. If you’re heading for the sun, a high-SPF sunscreen is absolutely essential – but sunscreen wears off, especially if you’re exercising or swimming, and it’s good to have some backup in case you forget to re-apply. Astaxanthin is a carotenoid, like beta carotene, which is extracted from the micro-algaeHaematoccus pluvialis. A daily dose of just 4mg can help to protect your skin from UV damage as well as fight the effects of free radicals as you age – you might see less sagging or wrinkling in your skin as a result. The effects of astaxanthin are usually best after ten weeks of use. Sunscreen, a hat and shade are still your best weapons against sun damage, but every little helps.

Finally, remember to stay hydrated. Long plane flights, beach days, alcohol and hotter climates can all contribute to dehydration and knock the fun out of your holiday. There’s no reason you can’t let loose on holiday – just keep in mind that your body is with you for life, not just those two weeks in Spain.

Vegan and vegetarian diets are experiencing something of a heyday at the moment. And with good reason: for the most part, humans don’t actually need to eat meat. We can easily absorb most of the protein and vitamins we need from plant-based sources, and a lot of us nowadays ingest far more fat and protein than we need to be healthy. That’s not to mention the huge toll that the meat, dairy and egg industries take on the environment or the accompanying animal rights issues.

But most of us have been brought up on diets that use animal products as the primary source of fat, protein, Vitamin B12 and calcium. Vegans and vegetarians must find replacements or risk developing serious health issues. Going vegan without learning how to eat properly is a recipe for vitamin deficiency, digestive problems, heart troubles and other nasty illnesses.

Protein is the main thing that tends to worry new vegans. Adult males need 56g of protein a day, while women need about 48g, according to the World Health Organisation. But as a vegan, not only have you lost meat as a protein source, but also dairy and eggs – what to do? It’s an easy fix if you think about it: cows and sheep get their protein from the nitrogen in their all-plant diet, and you can do the same. Most vegetables contain some protein already but for an easy fix, nuts and legumes are packed with it. If you have a nut allergy or just need that extra hit, hemp seeds are a fantastic source of protein, healthy fats and amino acids.

So that’s protein – how about calcium? We need it for healthy bones, teeth, heart function and muscles, and from the time we’re toddlers we learn that cow’s milk is the best way to get it – but that’s not exactly true. After all, not every human culture drinks milk, and in fact many of us are lactose intolerant: evidence that dairy consumption is completely unnecessary for a healthy diet. You can easily replace it in your diet with dark green vegetables, like broccoli, bok choy and collard greens – which are also rich in iron for a one-two nutritional punch.

One nutrient that often goes missing in vegan diets is vitamin B12. It hasn’t benefited from the PR that protein and calcium have, but it’s essential for brain function, red blood cell formation, cardiovascular health and DNA synthesis. Humans can’t produce their own and our usual dietary sources are meat, cheese and eggs, so as a vegan your options are fortified processed foodsor a good supplement. B12 fortified foods usually use synthetic cyanocobalamin, which is less well absorbed, so we recommend a vitamin B12 supplement from methylcobalamin. It’s the most absorbable form of vitamin B12, ensuring you don’t miss out on vital nutrients.

Lastly, probiotics – another dietary component you won’t notice until it’s gone. A good population of beneficial gut bacteria is essential for digestion as well as overall good health – as you’ll know if you’ve been reading this blog for any length of time. When you can no longer use yoghurt as a source of probiotics, there are plenty of alternatives. Unsurprisingly, many of them originated in Asia where dairy has historically not been a major part of the diet. Fermented foods are often high in friendly bacteria, from pickled vegetables like kimchi to fermented teas like kombucha and some fermented soy products. However, realistically, you won’t always get a good dose of probiotics through your everyday diet, and that’s fine – switching it up keeps life exciting.This is why we recommend a daily probiotic supplement to everyone, no matter what they eat.

Are you a vegan? How do you make sure you get everything you need from your diet? Let us know in the comments!

Some exciting research came to light recently that highlights the power of multivitamins. We’re firm believers in preventative dosages of vitamins and minerals here at the Finchley Clinic, and always have been. Many of us live on diets that don’t reach anywhere near the official recommendations for vitamin or mineral levels, and most people will consider a multivitamin only if they’re pregnant or feeling under the weather. But we believe that even the nationally recommended guidelines for vitamin dosage fall far short of the levels we truly need for optimal health.

A study published in The Journal of Nutrition in March 2015 followed almost 9,000 participants for close on twenty years to find out whether multivitamin usage contributed to a healthy heart. They found some interesting results: women who took multivitamin-mineral supplements for at least three years did indeed experience a 35% lower risk of dying from heart disease.

There are a few important keywords here. “Mineral” is one: only participants who took mineral supplements as well as vitamins received the benefits. So while vitamins are important, we can’t neglect the role of minerals in our diets. They work in tandem to keep us healthy, and one without the other is likely to be substantially less effective in filling the gaps in our nutrition.

The second thing to gain from this study is that participants had to take supplements over an extended period to receive the full benefits. We sell a lot of products to which this applies, including our ranges of oxygenation and ozonation products. We tell all our customers not to expect immediate results, but rather a gradually improved quality of life over a long course of the product. A multivitamin is not a magic quick fix and it’s not a medicine. It’s simply a way of giving your body the full range of nutrients it needs to function properly. If you got these nutrients through your diet, you’d be getting regular doses of them throughout your life – so why should a multivitamin be any different?

Several other studies have borne out the link between long-term supplementing of certain minerals and vitamins, and better overall health. The America Heart Journal found that every 20 µmol/L increase in plasma vitamin C levels was associated with a 9% decrease in deaths from heart disease. A US report by CRN found that supplementing with psyllium husk, magnesium and other nutrients at preventative levels could save their health system billions each year in unnecessary medical intervention⁵. That’s something our battered NHS would certainly appreciate.

The best way to keep your health in check is to fuel your body with high quality, organic foods – but unless you watch your diet closely, it’s unlikely that you’re getting enough vitamins and minerals for your body to function at its peak. There’s no point in life at which you won’t benefit from boosting your vitamin and mineral levels. Young, old, pregnant, sick, healthy – whatever your status, you have nothing to lose.