SPIKE PROTEIN AND GUT DYSBIOSIS: EAT THE RAINBOW FOR A HEALTHY MICROBIOTA
INVISIBLE RED-FLESHED APPLE CAKE (Gâteau Invisible)
We can undoubtedly say that there exists time before and after COVID-19. We all know people whose health deteriorated drastically after coming in contact with either the released bioweapon or the launch of the vaccines. Since the beginning of the pandemic, I have been deeply absorbed in all the research and novel ideas concerning the spike protein and ways to protect or heal ourselves, especially since it became apparent, that we can not rely on officialdom any longer. One of the more insightful reads, revealing unexplored connections and tapping into unorthodox, edge science, that I follow closely, is by John Paul
. In one of his many insightful substacks, he wrote:In case you need a reminder, Omicron displaces a few microbes in our gut, but specifically and most affected is Akkermansia M. one of the microbes responsible both for the control of sugar levels in our blood and our entire immune response against influenza.
Find his writings here: Things Hidden in Complexity
It is worth noting that about 70-80% of the body’s immune cells are located in the gastrointestinal tract. The intestinal mucosal barrier has evolved to maintain the balance between the absorption of nutrients and the prevention of pathogen invasion. Notably, spike (S) glycoprotein exposure creates an alteration to the composition of the microbiota and reduces the diversity of beneficial gut bacteria. “These alterations have been proven to disrupt the intestinal mucosal barrier integrity, perpetuating systemic inflammation.” While gut microbiota protects against inflammation and infection, gut dysbiosis can be associated with a myriad of diseases, such as eczema, allergy, arthritis, inflammation, insulin resistance, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity, liver disease, lupus, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), autism, depression, multiple sclerosis, autoimmune thyroid diseases, autoimmune anemia, myocarditis, thrombosis, neurodegenerative disorders, Alzheimer, and Parkinson disease.
There are now over 3000 peer-reviewed papers confirming that the spike protein, be it from the vaccine or the infection, is causing heart damage and myocarditis. There is also a growing number of papers confirming that the spike protein is causing a myriad of autoimmune diseases. Reports have emerged suggesting that COVID-19 vaccines and spike protein exposure may cause rare autoimmune diseases, including autoimmune glomerulonephritis, autoimmune rheumatic diseases, and autoimmune hepatitis. During the last few years (following COVID-19 infection or vaccination) numerous health issues have emerged and new-onset of diseases have been diagnosed among my circle of friends and family: allergies, asthma, IBS, Crohn's disease, rheumatoid arthritis, myocarditis, heart palpitations, insomnia, migraines, extreme fatigue, tinnitus, whole body atopic eczema, allergic dermatitis, and a suspicion of a rare cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. In the majority of these cases, the official diagnosis was of “unknown origin” and “incurable”, both seriously disputable, IMO.
In the article Insights into new-onset autoimmune diseases after COVID-19 vaccination, researchers discuss possible underlying mechanisms (A, B, C):
A. Following vaccination, vaccine antigens can trigger an immune response in the body. However, due to the presence of a heptapeptide that is shared between the SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein and human proteins, vaccine antigens may also attack human proteins with similar structures via the molecular mimicry pathway.
B. Adjuvants in vaccines can act as ligands for pattern recognition receptors (PRRs), such as toll-like receptors (TLR), bind to them to mobilize innate immune cells and secrete massive cytokines, and induce an innate immune response.
C. During the innate immune response following vaccination, the immune system produces a large number of cytokines, which may induce autoimmunity through the bystander activation pathway. This includes the activation of bystander CD8+T cells and of CD4+T cells, pattern recognition receptors; TLR, Toll-like receptor; TCR, T cell receptor; CTL, Cytotoxic T lymphocyte.
Fig. 1. Schematic illustration of mechanisms inducing autoimmune diseases following COVID-19 vaccination.
Although there are different possible mechanisms at play, it is fairly easy to understand that exposure to spike protein can trigger an immune response, and due to the similar structures between spike protein and human protein, the response may induce autoimmunity.
There are thus several logical steps one can take to prevent and/or recover from spike protein-induced diseases:
minimize spike protein exposure
inhibiting spike protein cleavage and binding
clearing the spike protein from the body
repairing the gut lining
establishing a healthy microbiome
supporting optimum methylation
supporting all the organs of detoxification (liver, kidneys, lungs, lymph, colon, and skin)
reducing inflammation
restoring homeostasis
healing the damage caused by the spike protein
boosting the immune system
There are several protocols, natural herbs, supplements, and nutrient-dense foods you can incorporate in your health recovery journey for each of these points. If you experience IBS and gut dysbiosis, you want to repair the gut lining first by consuming a lot of bone broths, gelatine, butyric acid (=the acid of butter or Sodium Butyrate as a supplement), collagen, and amino acids, while completely avoiding all the inflammatory foods, especially trans fats, simple sugars, gluten, refined flours, processed foods, and additives. As soon as your gut lining is somewhat healed, it is possible to slowly add more foods to establish a healthy microbiome. Adding many different probiotic and prebiotic foods is vital in this step, as well as including a wide range of enzyme-containing foods to promote digestion and absorption of vitally important nutrients for repairing any damage in the body.
I might write some more articles about all these steps, but today let’s look at how we can increase the presence of Akkermansia muciniphila, a Gram-negative anaerobic mucus-layer-degrading bacterium that colonizes the intestinal mucosa of humans. It has been reported that the abundant presence of Akkermansia muciniphila protects against autoimmune and chronic inflammatory diseases, obesity and metabolic syndrome, IBS, and diabetes, and plays an important role in our immune response — an important friend to have in our intestinal mucosa.
Akkermansia muciniphila is considered a next-generation beneficial microbe and is even called the shining star of the gut flora. It resides in the mucus layer of the host and regulates intestinal homeostasis by feeding on mucin, while stimulating goblet cells to produce more mucin, thereby enhancing the thickness of the intestinal mucus layer or the barrier of the gut. To date, Akkermansia increases mucus thickness and intestinal barrier function, improves intestinal permeability, and reduces the inflammatory response [1]. A lower abundance of Akkermansia muciniphila has been increasingly linked with obesity, diabetes, atherosclerosis, neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis, depression, autism, epilepsy, inflammatory bowled disease, fatty liver disease, digestive system diseases, arthritis, asthma, skin disorders, cancers, and even aging.
Foods and drugs are the main compounds influencing and regulating gut microbes. The abundance of Akkermansia muciniphila was significantly reduced after antibiotic treatment [2], but many dietary regulators can influence its abundance. The article Strategies to promote abundance of Akkermansia muciniphila states that most of the substances increasing the abundance of Akkermansia muciniphila are indigestible, such as polyphenols, dietary fiber, and fructooligosaccharides, not decomposed by the stomach acid or digested by small intestines and thus reaching the large intestines where Akkermansia muciniphila is located. These substances include polyphenols, alkaloids, capsaicin, and some plant-derived carbohydrates. Strategies and dietary regulators to promote Akkermansia muciniphila include:
A ketogenic diet mediated by gut microbes can be used to treat refractory epilepsy. Akkermansia muciniphila abundance in the gut of mice with induced seizures increases significantly due to ketogenic diets [3,4,5].
phenolic acid (such as caffeic acid in coffee for example)
anthocyanins (water-soluble flavonoids that give the fruits their specific color and are found in blueberries, red grapes, cranberries, aronia (or chokeberry), blackberries, raspberries, plums, red cabbage, purple potatoes, red-fleshed apples, elderberries, dark sweet cherry, pomegranate fruit pulp, currant, acai, lychee)
resveratrol (wine, grapes, Japanese knotweed roots)
green tea polyphenols (EGCG)
ellagic acid in pomegranate peel extract
berberine (goldenseal, Oregon grape, barberry) After treatment with berberine the abundance of A. muciniphila increased and various diseases (atherosclerosis, hyperlipidemia, and alcoholic liver disease) symptoms were relieved [9]. Berberine is a natural compound that can be used instead of metformin for glucose metabolism to treat high blood sugar levels in diabetes.
betaine (beets, broccoli, whole barley, spinach, wheat bran, and aquatic invertebrates) Supplementation during pregnancy in maternal rats can reduce obesity rates in offspring, leading to long-term metabolic health in offspring and an increase in A. muciniphila in the neonatal intestines [10].
capsaicin (bell peppers, jalapeño peppers, cayenne peppers, and other chili peppers) Several animal experiments have studied the anti-obesity effect of oral capsaicin. Capsicin can promote the increase of goblet cells, which secrete more mucus proteins and provide more mucus sources for A. muciniphila, thus increasing the absolute abundance of A. muciniphila [11].
dietary fiber
mucins (mucin proteins are found in the mucus of animals, such as cows, pigs, and chickens. Increasing the dietary supply of threonine, serine, proline, and cysteine is a new approach to promote mucin production and healthy microbiota and to improve epithelial protection and repair [12].)
oligofructose (found in banana, garlic, onions, chicory, artichoke, asparagus, leek, barley, oats, wheat bran)
inulin (acts as a prebiotic, non-digestible parts of food that feed healthy bacteria, found in elecampane, chicory root, Jerusalem artichoke, asparagus, onion, leek, dandelions, burdock, yacon, seaweed, apple,…)
active polysaccharide (spirulina, goji, brown algae such as kombu and wakame)
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) formulas for treating gastrointestinal disorders include: berberine, Japanese honeysuckle, rhubarb, kudzu, bitter orange, magnolia (polyphenols isolated from the bark, seed cones, and leaves of trees), golden thread, Chinese peony root, Wuji Wan formula
In light of all these possible dietary interventions and regulators, I hope you find your way to support the abundance and growth of beneficial gut microbiota to prevent gut dysbiosis and a myriad of diseases.
One of my favorite regulators is the anthocyanins that give the fruits and vegetables their specific color. The exact type of anthocyanin that a fruit or veggie contains is partially what determines how deeply red, purple, violet, blue, or even orange it will be [13]. Berries have the highest level, particularly blueberries, elderberries, and aronia berries. Pomegranates, cranberries, black currant, red cabbage, and purple potato are all potent foods that can be consumed for the prevention of disease. They all contain anthocyanins that possess antidiabetic, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and anti-obesity effects, as well as prevention of cardiovascular diseases [14].
An interesting study has been analyzing the effects of white apples (a variety with green skin and white flesh, with low anthocyanin content) compared to red-fleshed apples (a variety with high anthocyanin content in both the skin and flesh). In conclusion, this study shows that anthocyanin-rich apples may influence immune function compared to control apples, with changes potentially associated with differences in the fecal microbiota [15]. So eat the rainbow for a healthy microbiota!
INVISIBLE RED-FLESHED APPLE CAKE (Gâteau Invisible)
This apple cake disappears faster thank you can make it, hence its name. It packs a handful of anthocyanin-containing red-fleshed apples that are gorgeous to look at and taste delicious (not too sweet). The recipe uses a few tablespoons of gluten-free buckwheat flour packed with rutin, which has vasoprotective, anticarcinogenic, neuroprotective, and cardioprotective properties. Here you can find my other recipes for buckwheat bread and fermented buckwheat pancakes with elderberries.
Ingredients:
5 red-fleshed apples (like Lucy Glo)
1/2 lemon (juice of)
5 eggs yolks
200 ml milk, slightly warmed
3 tbsp butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp homemade amaretto or almond extract
3 tsp honey
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
3 tbsp buckwheat flour
Preparation:
Preheat your oven to 175°C (347°F). Line a 20 x 10 cm (approx. 9 x 5 inch) loaf pan with parchment paper. Peel, core, and slice the red-fleshed apples thin with a mandolin and sprinkle with lemon juice to prevent oxidation. Nicely arrange the slices in the loaf pan. In a large bowl whisk together the eggs yolks and honey, and add slightly warmed milk, melted and somewhat cooled butter, vanilla, and amaretto. Quickly add the buckwheat flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt and mix until smooth. The batter is supposed to be on the thin side.
Pour the batter over the apples and bake immediately for about 50 minutes until the top is slightly golden. Allow to set for at least 10 minutes, then put out of the loaf pan and remove the parchment paper. Serve immediately and watch it disappear.
Excellent info, gorgeous pics and what a lovely recipe.
I am currently working on attempting to breed new anthocyanin rich apple varieties through growing out many Malus sieversii trees. I have a few second year (2 year old) 2nd generation North American (grown from seed on Canadian soil) Malus sieversii seedlings and about a dozen first year seedlings showing promising indications that they may indeed produce anthocyanin rich fruit (the anthocyanin content in the leaves is an indicator of the likelihood of anthocyanin expression levels in the fruit in my experience).
If you are not familiar with Malus sieversii and would like to learn more I wrote an article on that species here:
https://gavinmounsey.substack.com/p/the-wild-apples-of-the-tian-shan
Thanks for publishing info that is nourishing and healing to the body as well as providing poetry for the senses.