Gut bugs, cancer tests and metabolic phenotypes
What lies ahead for me as a reluctant human guinea pig?
This week has been an important one for me as I plan the next stage in my research. It’s been a turbulent time in all honesty as things haven’t quite gone to plan, but as always, I’m able to adapt and continue to make progress.
In a more personal capacity I continue to move forward with plans to prevent recurrence of my cancer. This will be a considered, multi-pronged attack in a way that supports my health and doesn’t leave me struggling with difficult to manage treatments that have a host of side effects.
One major part of this will be an attempt to optimise my gut microbiome, though I realise research in this area remains in its infancy. I will review the latest literature on this topic, particularly as it relates to brain cancer, to formulate insightful questions about the practicalities before consulting with experts.
At the moment I’m pouring over this fascinating paper on gut dysbiosis and GBM, in an attempt to make sense of it all by finding practical solutions to what is an emerging area of research that remains in its infancy.
The basic finding is gut dysbiosis in GBM. “This increase in diversity suggests a significant bacterial overgrowth in the gut of GBM patients in contrast to the controls … (this points to) significant implications of gut microbial dysbiosis in these patients.
The findings were exhaustive, but as a snapshot see the graphic below. In time I will review the paper and explain the methodology to learn more about what this all means for actual patients. I aim to replicate the study as well as I can for me as an individual, or at least come close. I’m happy to take several stool samples to see if I can figure out what my gut says about me with expert input and without bias from those who may have an agenda or vested interests.
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