Healthy gut can help patients fight cancer



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There is another reason to celebrate the gut microbiome: a healthy gut can actually save lives. According to scientists at the Lawson Health Research Institute, all it takes to strengthen your immune system is to improve your bowel health. We know that a process is as simple as increasing your intake of probiotics and dietary fiber. How this for functional food?

These scientists from the Lawson Health Research Institute are putting together a preliminary study that would determine whether fecal transplantation of a healthy microbiome can help melanoma patients become more receptive to immunotherapy treatments. During immunotherapy treatments, patients take certain medications to boost their immune system and attack the tumors of their body. According to these researchers, a stool transplant would make their immune system more receptive to drugs and could help more people fight their cancer effectively.

"We know that some people's immune system is not responding well, and this seems to be associated with microbes in your gut," said Michael Silverman, MD, a scientist associated with Lawson, in a video filmed by the institute's research. "The goal is to allow healthy people to replenish the bacteria in their gut so that their immune system responds optimally and that they can control the tumor."

These scientists plan to study a sample of 20 patients with melanoma who will each undergo a fecal transplant followed by a series of immunotherapies. The results, if this study goes in favor of transplants, will be revolutionary for patients with this deadly cancer of the skin.

This research is particularly interesting because scientists believe that these stool transplants are not only partial melanoma, but could also have significant effects on other cancers.

"We are one of the first in the world to study fecal transplants in cancer patients," said Saman Maleki, Ph.D., another scientist associated with Lawson, in a press release. "This study is as sharp as possible with potential applications for multiple disease sites."

As if we needed another reason to improve our gut health, this research could have a big impact on the future of cancer treatment, allowing more people to get a higher success rate with the cancer. immunotherapy.

And although a fecal transplant is definitely a quick and effective way to completely transform the microbiome, there are other lifestyle changes that we can make to ensure the health of the gut. Habits like increasing your fiber intake or investing in probiotics could be a simpler and less invasive way to strengthen the immune system before a stool transplant becomes necessary. Plus, if you end up needing an immunotherapy treatment, it's a good place to start with an already strong and healthy intestinal microbiome.

So, if you needed a sign to finally step into the high-fiber train and start filling your shelves with dark leaves and whole grains, consider that as your call to action.

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