Prevotella: Sprinting, Health and Happiness
Prevotella: Sprinting, Health and Happiness
by CM Monteleone World Champion and Metabolic Analytics Practitioner
Dr. Sean O’Mara put it precisely, that we must stop thinking of ourselves as one organism and recognize that we are hosts to multiple organisms within us and on us.[i]
So what do these bacteria have to do with you?
In a recent overview of studies on gut microbiome and athletes, studies that were presented pointed out that athletes who consumed more animal proteins had a higher concentration of the bacteria called Bacteroides. (Bak-ter-oy-dees) . In contrast, endurance athletes, and those who consumed diets high in both simple and complex carbohydrates had an increased abundance of the bacteria called Prevotella (Prev-o-tell-a). [ii]
What’s the big deal with this? Prevotella abundance is associated with several disease states including: depression, insulin resistance, IBS, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, MS, HIV inflammation, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, colon cancer and hypertension (high blood pressure)! That’s quite a malicious list of chronic diseases! [iii][iv][v]
Interestingly and perhaps somewhat comparable to, I don’t know, if someone stumbled on to discovering zombies are real, there was a study done in 2019, in Berkeley News, reporting that viruses actually attach to bacterial DNA just like viruses can attach to human DNA and Prevotella is their favorite host! .[vi][vii]Yikes!
Prevotella copri, found in people that eat a high fiber, low fat diet, and a high carbohydrate, low fat diet, are the preferred host for phages, which are known to “carry genes that cause disease and genes that code for antibiotic resistance.“ In addition, the study found that Prevotella is associated with upper respiratory tract infections and is prevalent in periodontal disease which also has correlations to atheroschlerosis (the clogging of arteries that lead to heart attacks and strokes).[viii][ix]It is scientifically proven that viruses like Covid-19 are worse in patients with Prevotella abundance.[x] [xi] In patients with Covid-19, Bacteroides, which down-regulate the expression of Ace2, correlated inversely, (were lowest in the worst patients) [xii] [xiii]
Those athletes that preformed high intensity short duration activities and those who ate animal protein, including whey protein, like: rugby players, weight lifters or sprinters, had higher levels of Bacteroides. Bacteroides are associated with lean body mass and improved insulin resistance.[xiv] When obese people lose weight, their count of Bacteroides increases. Bacteroides also provide more nutrition, and less calorie need to athletes (and non-athletes alike). The Bacteroides bacteria break down food into fatty acids that are reabsorbed through the gut lining for an energy source. Those without it were shown to need 30% more calories to maintain body mass[xv] In addition, Bacteroides kill pathogenic bacteria and the decreased abundance of Bacteroides is linked with intestinal inflammation. . [xvi][xvii]
In a comparison of animal protein vs. plant protein, plant protein was found to increase Prevotella whereas animal protein and supplements like whey protein increased Bacteroides.[xviii]Vegans and Vegetarians show a significant correlation of a plant based diet and Prevotella abundance. [xix] Several studies have been done on depression and plant based diets and depression related to overabundance of Prevotella. [xx] [xxi] [xxii]A reminder once again that high levels of Prevotella are correlated with low levels of microbiota with immune regulating properties. [xxiii]On the other hand, Bacteroides, colonization is found to help modulate the immune system. [xxiv]
Respiratory and Gastrointestinal tracts (your lungs and stomach) share components of the common mucosal immune system via a gut-lung axis. [xxv]Prevotella has been shown to cause muscosal inflammation of these pathways. In addition, from an athletic point of view, the more hours spent in excessive exercise, like endurance running, the worse the condition of the gut mucosal lining! [xxvi]Intestinal barrier strength is compromised in long distance running. (sorry, marathoners!)
To wrap this simple message up: high carbohydrate diets in both simple and complex carbohydrates cause an increase in Prevotella abundance, which is bad. Bad for a whole list of monster diseases! That means junk food like processed carbohydrates, AS WELL AS complex carbohydrates like high fiber diets have been shown to create Prevotella abundance. My clients have found increased immune health by eating a high quality animal protein diet with little to no grains or sugars, high healthy fats, and minimal cooked and fermented vegetables.
Alcohol consumption has a very negative effect on the gut microbiome. Drinking alcohol increases inflammatory cytokines and enhances Prevotella. It also diminishes Bacterioides and other beneficial bacteria. [xxvii]
In my experience, high intensity, short duration exercise, along with a diet high in quality animal proteins have been shown to have a beneficial outcome on microbiome translating to better health and increased happiness.
[i]Meat Rx Video on You Tube Dated July 24, 2020
[ii]Mohr, et al, “Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition,” 2020
[iii]Bernstein, CN, , “Disease and Other Chronic Immune Mediated Inflammatory Diseases. “ Inflamm Intest Digest 2017
[iv]Dshire Alpizar-Rodriguez, et al, “Prevotella copri in individuals at risk for rheumatoid arthritis,” Annals of Rheumatic Diseases Volume 78 Issue 5.
[v]Scott, Gale, “Microbiome Seems to Have a Role in Triggering Lupus, “ HCP Live, Nov. 2015
[vi]Sanders, Robert, “Whopping Big Viruses Prey on Human Gut Bacteria, “ Jan, 2019.
[vii]Bleyzac, Nathlaie, “Azithromycin for Covid-19: More than Just and Antimicrobial?” Clinical Drug Investigation, June 2020
[viii]Harvard Heart Lettter, “Gum Disease and Heart Disease: the common thread. “ March 2018.
[ix]Penn Heart and Vascular Blog, “ The Link Between Gum Disease and Heart Disease,’ March 2019.
[x]Khan, Abdul Arif, “Covid-2019- associated overexpressed Prevotella proteins mediated host-pathogen interactions and their role in the coronavirus outbreak, July 2020
[xi]There are many doctors who have studied this link and some that infer that Covid invades bacterial DNA through Prevotella. See the work of Sandeep Chakaborty, and Bio Moon. Also interestingly Hydroxychloroquine inhibits Prevotella.
[xii]Zuo,Tao, “Alterations in Gut Microbiota of Patients with Covid-19 during time of Hospitalization.” Gastroenterology, May 2020
[xiii]According to studies, Hydroxychloroquine and Azytromycin are treatments for Prevotella infections and decrease Prevotella induced inflammation. Bleyzac, June 2020 , Bodkhe, Rahul, “Threapeutic Advances in Musculoskeletal Disease” July 2019
[xiv]Mohr, “”
[xv]Wexler, “Bacteriodes, “the Good the Bad and the Nitty Gritty, “ Clinical Microbiology Reviews, Oct. 2007.
[xvi]Wexler, “”
[xvii]Hiipala, Kaisa, “Isolation of Anti-Inflammatory Epithelium Reinforcing Bacteroides and Parabacteroides from a Healthy Fecal Donor, “ Nutrients April 2020
[xix]Tomova, Aleksandra, et al: “The Effects of Vegetarian and Vegan Diets on Gut Microbiota, “ Fronteirs in Nutrition, April 2019 In this article the author infers Bacteroides are inflammatory however the opposite has been proven.
[xx]Frrestel, C. A. “Vegetarianism, depression, and the five factor model of personality,” Ecol, Food Nutr, 2018.
Hibbeln, Joseph, “Vegetarian diets and depressive symptoms among men.” Journ of Affective Disorders January 2018.
[xxi] Rodriguez-Rabassa, et al, Inflammatory Biomarkers, Microbiome, Depression and Executive Dysfunction in Alcohol Users, “ Int J Environ Res Public Health Feb 2020
[xxii]Lin, Ping,et al, ‘Prevotella and Kelbsiella Proportions in Fecal Microbial Communities are Potential Characteristic Parameters for Patients with Major Depressive Disorder, “ Journal of Affective Disorders Oct 2016
[xxiii]Guerriro, Catarina, et al: “Diet, Microbiota and Gut Permeability-the Unknown Triad in Rheumatoid Arthritis,” Front Med December 2018.
[xxiv]Troy, Erin, et at, “Beneficial effects of Bacteroides fragilis polysaccharides on the immune system,” Front Biosci 2010
[xxv]Keely, Simon, et al “ Pulmonary-Intestinal Cross Talk in Muscosal Inflamatory Disease.” Muscosal Immunology
[xxvi]Oktedallen, O, Lunde, OC, et al, “Chanes in the gastrointestinal mucosa after long distance running, “ Gastroenterol, 1992.
[xxvii]Rodriguez-Rabassa, Mary “”