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Canada tops list of countries for inflammatory bowel disease

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Posted 1/5/2012 8:51 PM (GMT 0)
Interesting stuff:

www.healthzone.ca/health/newsfeatures/article/1111139--canada-tops-list-of-countries-for-inflammatory-bowel-disease

"There are environmental theories that suggest, “that as countries become more developed the society becomes more sterile.” This hygiene hypothesis purports that individuals in modern societies are not exposed to as many microbes “so the immune system is not primed,” says Kaplan. He believes this change in “gut bacteria” is key to the understanding of IBD.

There’s also a possible dietary explanation: that developed countries ingest more refined sugars — more fat and less fibre. Researchers have attempted to correlate the way we grow and prepare food to the growth in the incidence of IBD."

"there are other theories on why the incidence of IBD is so high in Canada. He suggests it might be due to a vitamin-D deficiency because countries like Canada and Scandinavia get less sunlight."
Posted 1/5/2012 9:53 PM (GMT 0)
That's one way to look at it but my theory as I posted in the other thread is that industrialized countries overuse antibiotics, both medically and in livestock feedlots. Those antibiotics get into the population (a sterilization of our gut flora you might say) as well as the water supply and contribute to IBD.

I also think chlorination of water supplies can be overdone. Who is checking what comes out of your tap really, in what concentration? I'm not against chlorination but don't trust how well it's being delivered.
I remember a few years ago when I used to drink tap water all the time commenting on how it smelled like pool water. I still drank it. Dumb.

The Canada connection for IBD? I agree with less sunlight as well as the genetic proclivity being contributory factors.
Posted 1/5/2012 10:06 PM (GMT 0)
If you read the article, they say how there are so many different theories. The vitamin D connection is just being explored now.
There seem to be lots of clues but no definite cause and effect relationship.
Posted 1/6/2012 12:37 AM (GMT 0)
I did read the article but there was no mention of antibiotics or chlorinated water. Yes I believe IBD is caused by a change in gut bacteria, the loss of our normal bacteria. I'll stand by that until they discover otherwise. Many other factors can exacerbate IBD once it's started but for a cause I believe our good flora is being killed off primarily by antibiotic overuse.
Posted 1/6/2012 1:21 AM (GMT 0)
I was on antibiotics for rosacea, think that started it for me a few years later, triggered by child birth maybe
Posted 1/6/2012 2:43 PM (GMT 0)
imagardener2 I don't agree.
Sure, there are environmental pressures put on our bodies every day, but from what they seem to know, UC is caused by a defective gene that has been identified.
Usually an event called an "insult" to the digestive system kicks our UC off, never to return to normal. The imbalance of intestinal flora always follows the original insult, which of course leads to full blown IBD.
In my case, it was food poisoning which ended up lasting over 2 years because the UC had been "awakened"
I think the research now is more about how we acquire that defective gene more than anything else.
Posted 1/6/2012 3:06 PM (GMT 0)
Well I think we are on the same page regarding an "insult" to the digestive system kicking UC off.

I guess where we differ is that I think the lack of good flora precedes (and allows) the insult, whereas (if I may project) you believe the insult is followed by the imbalance of gut flora.

In my case there were many possible insults: overuse of antibiotics deemed necessary at the time, high stress, anemia due to extreme blood loss from fibroid, overconsumption of Diet Coke, heavily chlorinated water. I cannot point to one, it could be several necessary to take me down from being an extremely healthy person to extremely affected by UC.

And yes I belong to the white northern European gene class of high UC incidence. But that gene class does not explain the increase of UC worldwide except that perhaps we are the canaries in the coalmine.
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