Intestinal Permeability: the Bacterial link to Aging, Brain Barrier Dysfunction & Metabolic Disorder

Obesity, in extreme cases, very extreme cases, can have a massive effect on lifespan ... Extreme obesity, a BMI between 40 and 45, is associated with a 7-year decrease in life expectancy. Morbid obesity, this is a BMI between 55 and 60, is associated with a 14-year decrease in life expectancy.

A high omega-3 index has been associated with a 90% reduction in sudden cardiac death. In the United States, the omega-3 index is about 4% or lower. When I say a high omega-3 index, I mean 8% or more. A high omega-3 index has also been associated with a 5-year increase in life expectancy. So people, with an omega-3 index of 8% or more have a 5-year increase in life expectancy compared to people with an omega-3 index of 4% or lower.

When people are given a low dose of LPS... the individuals had up to a 100-fold increase in their inflammatory biomarkers. So, they had a 25-fold increase in TNF-alpha, a very powerful pro-inflammatory cytokine, and a 100-fold increase in IL-6, which is also a pro-inflammatory cytokine. They also had an increase in markers of insulin resistance... and markers of insulin sensitivity decreased by 21%.

Healthy individuals that are injected with LPS experience symptoms of depression, depressive mood, feelings of social disconnection. They also have elevations in inflammatory cytokines, like TNF-alpha and IL-6, compared to people that are injected with a saline control.

You can feed people a high-fat, high-sugar, low-fiber diet, and after about 4 weeks, their LPS levels are increased by 71%.

Binge drinking is something that also has been identified to cause massive LPS release from the intestines.

The blood-brain barrier is key for brain aging. In fact, nearly 50% of all dementias, including Alzheimer's disease, begin with the breakdown of the smallest vessels in the brain. In fact, biomarkers of blood-brain barrier breakdown precede classical biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease, like tau tangles and amyloid-beta 42 aggregates.

LPS in circulation is not a good thing, and maintaining a healthy gut barrier is important for both cardiovascular health and for brain health.

Low omega-3 intake from seafood has been identified as one of the top-6 preventable causes of death.

Weight loss can decrease markers of intestinal permeability.