24 posts · 12,442 views

Michael Ash BSc(Hons) DO ND FDipION MIoD is an Osteopath, Naturopath and Clinical Nutritionist with in excess of 25 years experience of founding and then running a large, successful integrated medicine clinic. In addition he is a researcher and lecturer as well as an entrepreneur focused on health related business development.

Nutri-Link Ltd - Clinical Education
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March 30, 2010
07:07 AM
692 views

Sparkling Water Saves Lives!

by Michael Ash in Nutri-Link Ltd - Clinical Education

Michael Ash BSc(Hons) DO, ND, Dip ION explores the idea that drinking sparkling water has a direct health benefit for the drinker, if not for the environment.
In this case fizzy drink consumers are directed towards a specific water drink rather than some of the more challenging sugar laden carbonated offerings. So if compelled to drink [...]... Read more »

Schoppen S, Pérez-Granados AM, Carbajal A, Oubiña P, Sánchez-Muniz FJ, Gómez-Gerique JA, & Vaquero MP. (2004) A sodium-rich carbonated mineral water reduces cardiovascular risk in postmenopausal women. The Journal of nutrition, 134(5), 1058-63. PMID: 15113945

May 6, 2010
07:18 AM
674 views

Leaky Gut & Food Reactivity – What’s the Mechanism?

by Michael Ash in Nutri-Link Ltd - Clinical Education

Michael Ash looks at leaky gut with a contemporary approach to investigation, relevance and restoration. It is quite clear that in order to extract nutrients and other sentinel information carrying agents the barrier that divides the contents of the gastric lumen from the host must be permeable. The question that has interested clinicians for many [...]... Read more »

Ménard S, Cerf-Bensussan N, & Heyman M. (2010) Multiple facets of intestinal permeability and epithelial handling of dietary antigens. Mucosal immunology, 3(3), 247-59. PMID: 20404811

Ivanov II, & Littman DR. (2010) Segmented filamentous bacteria take the stage. Mucosal immunology, 3(3), 209-12. PMID: 20147894

March 30, 2010
11:18 AM
664 views

Could a ‘Bacterial Thali’ Resolve Inflammation? – A Novel Strategy

by Michael Ash in Nutri-Link Ltd - Clinical Education

Michael Ash BSc(Hons) DO, ND, DipION reviews the possibility that strategically selected foods and food concentrates represent a valid therapy for inflammatory illnesses.... Read more »

Yan F, & Polk DB. (2010) Disruption of NF-{kappa}B signalling by ancient microbial molecules: novel therapies of the future?. Gut, 59(4), 421-6. PMID: 20332512

Chervonsky AV. (2010) Influence of microbial environment on autoimmunity. Nature immunology, 11(1), 28-35. PMID: 20016507

Ravasco P, Aranha MM, Borralho PM, Moreira da Silva IB, Correia L, Fernandes A, Rodrigues CM, & Camilo M. (2010) Colorectal cancer: can nutrients modulate NF-kappaB and apoptosis?. Clinical nutrition (Edinburgh, Scotland), 29(1), 42-6. PMID: 19573959

West, N., Clark, S., Phillips, R., Hutchinson, J., Leicester, R., Belluzzi, A., & Hull, M. (2010) Eicosapentaenoic acid reduces rectal polyp number and size in familial adenomatous polyposis. Gut. DOI: 10.1136/gut.2009.200642

June 2, 2010
11:11 AM
624 views

Butyrate Improves Bowel Transit

by Michael Ash in Nutri-Link Ltd - Clinical Education

Problems such as poor transit or constipation are common, and can produce significant misery for the individual compromised in this manner. Butyrate is a short chain fatty acid, manufactured in the gut by the anaerobic fermentation of dietary fibres by resident microbiota. It is proposed that apart from its already well understood properties that it has another remarkable effect – the ability to increase the neuronal concentration of the Enteric Nervous System.... Read more »

Soret R, Chevalier J, De Coppet P, Poupeau G, Derkinderen P, Segain JP, & Neunlist M. (2010) Short-chain fatty acids regulate the enteric neurons and control gastrointestinal motility in rats. Gastroenterology, 138(5), 1772-82. PMID: 20152836

Gómez-Pinilla, F. (2008) Brain foods: the effects of nutrients on brain function. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 9(7), 568-578. DOI: 10.1038/nrn2421

de Giorgio R, & Blandizzi C. (2010) Targeting enteric neuroplasticity: diet and bugs as new key factors. Gastroenterology, 138(5), 1663-6. PMID: 20332039

July 27, 2010
05:51 AM
621 views

Vegas, Pregnancy, Immunity and Allergy Prevention!

by Michael Ash in Nutri-Link Ltd - Clinical Education

The saying is ‘what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas’, or if you are English ‘what happens in Blackpool….’ but the same cannot be said about what happens in utero, as increasing evidence supports the understanding that the maternal nutritional environment and early feeding affects the health of the foetus beyond infancy and into adulthood.[1],[2] An article in Nature’s Mucosal Immunology this month explores some of the key events in foetal and neonatal immune management.[3] It stimulated a revisit to the area of what to consider for parents to be and mums of young children when they ask ‘is there anything I can do to prevent or reduce the risk of allergy or atopy in my child’.... Read more »

Verhasselt, V. (2010) Oral tolerance in neonates: from basics to potential prevention of allergic disease. Mucosal Immunology, 3(4), 326-333. DOI: 10.1038/mi.2010.25

September 29, 2009
10:35 AM
597 views

A Novel Approach to Treating Depression – How Probiotics Can Shift Mood by Modulating Cytokines

by Michael Ash in Nutri-Link Ltd - Clinical Education

Michael E. Ash, BSc.(Hons) DO. ND. F.Dip ION has written an overview from a clinical perspective of the emerging science related to the mucosal immune system and the health of the brain in relation to affect. Published by the in house journal from Allergy Research Group it provides a strategic approach to managing individuals using a novel probiotic strategy.... Read more »

Maes M. (2008) The cytokine hypothesis of depression: inflammation, oxidative . Neuro endocrinology letters, 29(3), 287-91. PMID: 18580840

Goehler LE, Lyte M, & Gaykema RP. (2007) Infection-induced viscerosensory signals from the gut enhance anxiety: implications for psychoneuroimmunology. Brain, behavior, and immunity, 21(6), 721-6. PMID: 17428636

Benton D, Williams C, & Brown A. (2007) Impact of consuming a milk drink containing a probiotic on mood and cognition. European journal of clinical nutrition, 61(3), 355-61. PMID: 17151594

Gareau, M., Jury, J., MacQueen, G., Sherman, P., & Perdue, M. (2007) Probiotic treatment of rat pups normalises corticosterone release and ameliorates colonic dysfunction induced by maternal separation. Gut, 56(11), 1522-1528. DOI: 10.1136/gut.2006.117176

January 27, 2010
05:11 PM
591 views

Dysbiosis - What Have We Learned?

by Michael Ash in Nutri-Link Ltd - Clinical Education

Michael Ash BSc(Hons) DO, ND, FDipION reviews some of the last 12 months of published research.

The human body has some 10 trillion human cells—but 10 times that number of microbial cells. So what happens when such an important part of our bodies goes missing or never develops?

Plus what can we do to limit any adverse consequences linked to microbial disruption – referred to as dysbiosis?... Read more »

Sartor, R. (2008) Therapeutic correction of bacterial dysbiosis discovered by molecular techniques. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 105(43), 16413-16414. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0809363105

Martin FP, Sprenger N, Yap IK, Wang Y, Bibiloni R, Rochat F, Rezzi S, Cherbut C, Kochhar S, Lindon JC.... (2009) Panorganismal gut microbiome-host metabolic crosstalk. Journal of proteome research, 8(4), 2090-105. PMID: 19281268

Ley RE, Lozupone CA, Hamady M, Knight R, & Gordon JI. (2008) Worlds within worlds: evolution of the vertebrate gut microbiota. Nature reviews. Microbiology, 6(10), 776-88. PMID: 18794915

October 15, 2009
10:45 AM
565 views

Blastocystis hominis. Is It Really A Problem?

by Michael Ash in Nutri-Link Ltd - Clinical Education

Problem?

Michael Ash BSc DO ND FDipION reviews the latest studies on this pathogen.

Blastocystis is an unusual enteric protozoan parasite of humans and many animals. It has a worldwide distribution and is often the most commonly isolated organism in parasitological surveys. The parasite has been described since the early 1900s, but only in the last decade or so have there been significant advances in the understanding of Blastocystis biology. ... Read more »

Eroglu F, Genc A, Elgun G, & Koltas IS. (2009) Identification of Blastocystis hominis isolates from asymptomatic and symptomatic patients by PCR. Parasitology research, 105(6), 1589-92. PMID: 19685075

Tan, K. (2008) New Insights on Classification, Identification, and Clinical Relevance of Blastocystis spp. Clinical Microbiology Reviews, 21(4), 639-665. DOI: 10.1128/CMR.00022-08

September 16, 2010
07:25 PM
561 views

Mechanism of Fatty Acids Anti Inflammatory Effects – Explained?

by Michael Ash in Nutri-Link Ltd - Clinical Education

Most Nutritional Therapists are comfortable in the concept and application of concentrated essential fatty acids especially fish oils as a means of altering abnormal inflammatory pathways in the body. Some EFA’s are perceived to be anti-inflammatory and others pro-inflammatory. Whilst the simplistic dichotomy of interpretation (Omega 3 Anti/Omega 6 Pro) has kept many a student [...]... Read more »

Oh da Y, Talukdar S, Bae EJ, Imamura T, Morinaga H, Fan W, Li P, Lu WJ, Watkins SM, & Olefsky JM. (2010) GPR120 is an omega-3 fatty acid receptor mediating potent anti-inflammatory and insulin-sensitizing effects. Cell, 142(5), 687-98. PMID: 20813258

Schenk, S., Saberi, M., & Olefsky, J. (2008) Insulin sensitivity: modulation by nutrients and inflammation. Journal of Clinical Investigation, 118(9), 2992-3002. DOI: 10.1172/JCI34260

Ford, E. (2002) Prevalence of the Metabolic Syndrome Among US Adults: Findings From the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association, 287(3), 356-359. DOI: 10.1001/jama.287.3.356

July 1, 2010
06:36 AM
545 views

Neurological/Dietary Control Over the Immune System – The Role of Fats

by Michael Ash in Nutri-Link Ltd - Clinical Education

The immune system in humans and animal is complex, all the more so because it crosses over all tissues. The traditional view has been that the immune system keeps itself in check, and that is mostly the case. However, for some years there has been a development of a neural feedback loop comprehension that helps to answer some of the complex mechanisms and remarkably ties in the role of a nutritional strategy for immune management. This is known as the inflammatory reflex.... Read more »

Tracey, K. (2010) Understanding immunity requires more than immunology. Nature Immunology, 11(7), 561-564. DOI: 10.1038/ni0710-561

Endres S, Lorenz R, & Loeschke K. (1999) Lipid treatment of inflammatory bowel disease. Current opinion in clinical nutrition and metabolic care, 2(2), 117-20. PMID: 10453341

Luyer MD, Greve JW, Hadfoune M, Jacobs JA, Dejong CH, & Buurman WA. (2005) Nutritional stimulation of cholecystokinin receptors inhibits inflammation via the vagus nerve. The Journal of experimental medicine, 202(8), 1023-9. PMID: 16216887

Mebius, R., & Kraal, G. (2005) Structure and function of the spleen. Nature Reviews Immunology, 5(8), 606-616. DOI: 10.1038/nri1669

November 13, 2009
06:29 AM
534 views

Confused About Abdominal Bloating? - No More!

by Michael Ash in Nutri-Link Ltd - Clinical Education

Michael Ash BSc(Hons).DO. ND. FDipION reviews the current understanding behind bloating and distension.

The unpleasant symptoms of bloating and abdominal distension are common and bothersome, affecting up to 96% of patients with functional gastrointestinal disorders (such as IBS) and an estimated 30% of the general population. Clear pathophysiologic explanations have been lacking and available treatment options can appear contradictory and ineffective. Treatments will be explored in a follow up review.... Read more »

Houghton LA, & Whorwell PJ. (2005) Towards a better understanding of abdominal bloating and distension in functional gastrointestinal disorders. Neurogastroenterology and motility : the official journal of the European Gastrointestinal Motility Society, 17(4), 500-11. PMID: 16078938

Cremon C, Gargano L, Morselli-Labate AM, Santini D, Cogliandro RF, De Giorgio R, Stanghellini V, Corinaldesi R, & Barbara G. (2009) Mucosal immune activation in irritable bowel syndrome: gender-dependence and association with digestive symptoms. The American journal of gastroenterology, 104(2), 392-400. PMID: 19174797

July 7, 2010
06:14 AM
529 views

Fat – I’m Not To Blame Its My Bugs!

by Michael Ash in Nutri-Link Ltd - Clinical Education

A trial to see if the ingestion of a probiotic bacterium enriched drink might have a beneficial impact on central obesity was funded by Snow Brand Milk Products company in Japan and the results were published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition this June 2010. [i]
Whilst it may seem a stretch that bacteria can [...]... Read more »

Kadooka Y, Sato M, Imaizumi K, Ogawa A, Ikuyama K, Akai Y, Okano M, Kagoshima M, & Tsuchida T. (2010) Regulation of abdominal adiposity by probiotics (Lactobacillus gasseri SBT2055) in adults with obese tendencies in a randomized controlled trial. European journal of clinical nutrition, 64(6), 636-43. PMID: 20216555

Bäckhed F, Ding H, Wang T, Hooper LV, Koh GY, Nagy A, Semenkovich CF, & Gordon JI. (2004) The gut microbiota as an environmental factor that regulates fat storage. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 101(44), 15718-23. PMID: 15505215

Naoki Takemura, Takuma Okubo, & Kei Sonoyama. (2010) Lactobacillus plantarum strain No. 14 reduces adipocyte size in mice fed high-fat diet. Experimental Biology and Medicine . info:/20558839

June 14, 2010
08:53 AM
512 views

Nature Vs Nurture Debate Meets Godzilla

by Michael Ash in Nutri-Link Ltd - Clinical Education

Nutrition, infection, experiences, the environment and genes interact to provide alterations to the phenotype. This concept is referred to as plasticity, the ability of organisms or cells to alter their phenotype in response to changes in the environment.... Read more »

Petronis, A. (2010) Epigenetics as a unifying principle in the aetiology of complex traits and diseases. Nature, 465(7299), 721-727. DOI: 10.1038/nature09230

Bird, A. (2007) Perceptions of epigenetics. Nature, 447(7143), 396-398. DOI: 10.1038/nature05913

Feuk, L., Carson, A., & Scherer, S. (2006) Structural variation in the human genome. Nature Reviews Genetics, 7(2), 85-97. DOI: 10.1038/nrg1767

April 19, 2010
07:09 AM
510 views

Multivitamins & Breast Cancer - Is It Too Little Rather Than Too Much?

by Michael Ash in Nutri-Link Ltd - Clinical Education

Multivitamins have recently been flagged in a March 2010 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition article to raise the risk of developing breast cancer amongst a group of Swedish Women. Naturally this paper sounds both alarming and contradictory and merits deeper investigation. Particularly as it is directly opposed by a paper out just 3 month previously in the Public Health Nutrition Journal when a group of nearly 3,000 women with breast cancer were compared to a similar number of controls in relation to the potential risk for breast cancer and multivitamins.... Read more »

Larsson SC, Akesson A, Bergkvist L, & Wolk A. (2010) Multivitamin use and breast cancer incidence in a prospective cohort of Swedish women. The American journal of clinical nutrition. PMID: 20335555

Meulepas JM, Newcomb PA, Burnett-Hartman AN, Hampton JM, & Trentham-Dietz A. (2009) Multivitamin supplement use and risk of invasive breast cancer. Public health nutrition, 1-6. PMID: 19954572

Ishitani K, Lin J, Manson JE, Buring JE, & Zhang SM. (2008) A prospective study of multivitamin supplement use and risk of breast cancer. American journal of epidemiology, 167(10), 1197-206. PMID: 18344515

April 14, 2010
05:41 AM
476 views

Alzheimers Postponed by Diet!

by Michael Ash in Nutri-Link Ltd - Clinical Education

If Alzheimer’s is a disease related to adverse inflammatory responses over time, could one of the largest and most regular antigenic burden – our foods have a significant impact on risk of development. What level of conviction would we as humans looking at a future of declining cognitive function require to moderate our food selection.

The journal Archives of Neurology in April 2010 published a paper looking at the role of a protective diet over time on the risk of Alzheimer’s development in northern Manhattan, New York.... Read more »

Gu, Y., Nieves, J., Stern, Y., Luchsinger, J., & Scarmeas, N. (2010) Food Combination and Alzheimer Disease Risk: A Protective Diet. Archives of Neurology. DOI: 10.1001/archneurol.2010.84

August 18, 2010
04:00 AM
467 views

Increase Vit D RDA’s Say Scientists

by Michael Ash in Nutri-Link Ltd - Clinical Education

On July the 28th 2010 the Journal Experimental Biology and Medicine published an article looking at the levels of Vitamin D in the general population and made recommendations concerning the RDA levels needed to limit osteomalacia in adults and rickets in children.[1] This they say is because scientists and nutritionists from many countries agree that [...]... Read more »

Norman AW, & Bouillon R. (2010) Vitamin D nutritional policy needs a vision for the future. Experimental biology and medicine (Maywood, N.J.). PMID: 20667908

April 20, 2010
07:49 AM
453 views

Drink? - Mines 1.5 Litres Of Your Finest H2O

by Michael Ash in Nutri-Link Ltd - Clinical Education

Water as an essential nutrient: the physiological basis of hydration

There are many times when the decision to say we need ‘8 glasses of water’ a day just pops out. But what is the evidence for this, do we need more or less? Obviously climate, activity, age and availability of fluids are all going to have an effect, and what about if we drink too much and suffer hyperhydration leading to hyponatraemia (a disturbance of the salts in the blood) in which the sodium (Natrium in Latin) concentration in the plasma is lower than normal (hypo in Greek), specifically below 135 mEq/L)?... Read more »

Jéquier E, & Constant F. (2010) Water as an essential nutrient: the physiological basis of hydration. European journal of clinical nutrition, 64(2), 115-23. PMID: 19724292

March 18, 2010
11:32 AM
449 views

Antibiotics Can Cause Gut Related Diseases

by Michael Ash in Nutri-Link Ltd - Clinical Education

Michael Ash BSc (Hons), DO, ND FDipION reviews the current understanding of the role of antibiotics in the initiation of gut associated inflammation and local and systemic health problems, and briefly explores some strategies to prevent and manage this.... Read more »

Round JL, & Mazmanian SK. (2009) The gut microbiota shapes intestinal immune responses during health and disease. Nature reviews. Immunology, 9(5), 313-23. PMID: 19343057

Round JL, O'Connell RM, & Mazmanian SK. (2010) Coordination of tolerogenic immune responses by the commensal microbiota. Journal of autoimmunity, 34(3). PMID: 19963349

Andersson DI, & Hughes D. (2010) Antibiotic resistance and its cost: is it possible to reverse resistance?. Nature reviews. Microbiology, 8(4), 260-71. PMID: 20208551

Belongia EA, & Schwartz B. (1998) Strategies for promoting judicious use of antibiotics by doctors and patients. BMJ (Clinical research ed.), 317(7159), 668-71. PMID: 9728003

Wlodarska M, & Finlay BB. (2010) Host immune response to antibiotic perturbation of the microbiota. Mucosal immunology, 3(2), 100-3. PMID: 20016473

Hooper LV. (2009) Do symbiotic bacteria subvert host immunity?. Nature reviews. Microbiology, 7(5), 367-74. PMID: 19369952

Mazmanian SK, Round JL, & Kasper DL. (2008) A microbial symbiosis factor prevents intestinal inflammatory disease. Nature, 453(7195), 620-5. PMID: 18509436

Johansson ME, Phillipson M, Petersson J, Velcich A, Holm L, & Hansson GC. (2008) The inner of the two Muc2 mucin-dependent mucus layers in colon is devoid of bacteria. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 105(39), 15064-9. PMID: 18806221

Mack DR, Michail S, Wei S, McDougall L, & Hollingsworth MA. (1999) Probiotics inhibit enteropathogenic E. coli adherence in vitro by inducing intestinal mucin gene expression. The American journal of physiology, 276(4 Pt 1). PMID: 10198338

Brandl K, Plitas G, Mihu CN, Ubeda C, Jia T, Fleisher M, Schnabl B, DeMatteo RP, & Pamer EG. (2008) Vancomycin-resistant enterococci exploit antibiotic-induced innate immune deficits. Nature, 455(7214), 804-7. PMID: 18724361

Chang SH, & Dong C. (2007) A novel heterodimeric cytokine consisting of IL-17 and IL-17F regulates inflammatory responses. Cell research, 17(5), 435-40. PMID: 17452998

Strober W. (2008) Vitamin A rewrites the ABCs of oral tolerance. Mucosal immunology, 1(2), 92-5. PMID: 19079166

Hill DA, Hoffmann C, Abt MC, Du Y, Kobuley D, Kirn TJ, Bushman FD, & Artis D. (2010) Metagenomic analyses reveal antibiotic-induced temporal and spatial changes in intestinal microbiota with associated alterations in immune cell homeostasis. Mucosal immunology, 3(2), 148-58. PMID: 19940845

Kotowska M, Albrecht P, & Szajewska H. (2005) Saccharomyces boulardii in the prevention of antibiotic-associated diarrhoea in children: a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial. Alimentary pharmacology , 21(5), 583-90. PMID: 15740542

April 23, 2010
04:07 AM
422 views

Atishoo – that’s D’ one!

by Michael Ash in Nutri-Link Ltd - Clinical Education

Vitamin D Vs Influenza A
Lets face it, right now we are still recovering from the various revelations about the novel variant H1N1 or swine flu non event (in terms of pandemic effects) to be looking to see if we can manage the more common seasonal influenza. Plus spring is in the air and we all [...]... Read more »

Urashima M, Segawa T, Okazaki M, Kurihara M, Wada Y, & Ida H. (2010) Randomized trial of vitamin D supplementation to prevent seasonal influenza A in schoolchildren. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 91(5), 1255-60. PMID: 20219962

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