According to a study out of Weill Cornell Medical College, bacteria in the GI tract can help decrease stroke risk. Since stroke is the second leading cause of death worldwide it is a serious problem. The researchers found that certain types of bacteria in the gut can leverage the immune system to decrease the severity, potentially avoiding fatality. The study was conducted on mice.
“Our experiment shows a new relationship between the brain and the intestine,” one researcher noted. “The intestinal microbiota shape stroke outcome, which will impact how the medical community views stroke and define stroke risk.”
This way to prevent strokes could be especially helpful to those individuals that are high-risk patients. The mechanism for preventing the stroke was not through an interaction with the brain chemically, but rather influenced neural survival by modifying the behavior of immune cells.
For more information, read the full study.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/03/160328143111.htm
http://www.nature.com/nm/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nm.4068.html
Razi Berry, Founder and Publisher of Naturopathic Doctor News & Review (ndnr.com) and NaturalPath (thenatpath.com), has spent the last decade as a natural medicine advocate and marketing whiz. She has galvanized and supported the naturopathic community, bringing a higher quality of healthcare to millions of North Americans through her publications. A self-proclaimed health-food junkie and mother of two; she loves all things nature, is obsessed with organic gardening, growing fruit trees (not easy in Phoenix), laughing until she snorts, and homeschooling. She is a little bit crunchy and yes, that is her real name.
