You Are Not Alone

In 2023 the U.S. Surgeon General declared loneliness a public health epidemic, citing that approximately half of U.S. adults report experiencing loneliness. This feeling of loneliness and isolation is associated with risk of premature death, anxiety, depression, and dementia (Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation: The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory).

When we think about loneliness, we most often think about having supportive people around us. While having people around us that we feel connected to is fundamentally important for our physical and mental health, we often neglect the trillions of much smaller friends that support us from within.

Our first group of tiny friends to consider are the microbes that line our gastrointestinal tract, primarily in the last part of our small intestines and colon. This group of bacteria, fungi, viruses and other single celled organisms aid in digesting our food, producing critical nutrients (vitamins, essential amino acids, essential fatty acids, and other substances), and protecting us from dangerous microbes. We have approximately 30 trillion cells in our bodies and up to 100 trillion microbes that make up the microbiome of our gastrointestinal tracts.

A healthy microbiome is a diverse microbiome. When there is diversity in the microbiome the various microbes occupy space and prevent overgrowth of any particular species of microbe. When one or a few of the microbes overgrow, as can happen with overuse of antibiotics, chronic stress, highly restrictive diets, or diets lacking a variety of whole foods, a condition called dysbiosis can ensue. Dysbiosis has been associated with a variety of conditions including: Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, C-difficile, Cancer (Colorectal, Gastric, Esophageal, Oral, Liver, Pancreatic, Breast, etc), Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome, Type 2 Diabetes, Cardiovascular Disease, Depression, Anxiety, Bipolar, Autism Spectrum, Schizophrenia, Allergies, Asthma, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Fibromyalgia, Multiple Sclerosis, Lupus, Type 1 Diabetes, ALS, and Parkinson’s Disease.

(Int J Mol Sci. 2021 Jul 18;22(14):7671.)

The best way to ensure that your trillions of tiny friends are diverse and healthy is to make sure your diet has a variety of plant-rich food and that you minimize processed foods. A good rule of thumb is to have 30 different plant based foods in your diet in the course of a week. This includes various fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes, and whole grains. If you take care of your microbiome, your microbiome will take care of you. As we eat this variety of plant-based food and we are able to derive the nutrients we need from these foods, cells in the last part of our small intestine and colon produce GLP-1 naturally and this helps keep our appetite at a reasonable level and helps ensure we are metabolically healthy.

The second group of tiny friends within us is our mitochondria. The mitochondria, often called the “powerhouses” of our cells, produce ATP, which is the primary source of energy for each of our cells. We have approximately 100 quadrillion (or 100,000 trillion) mitochondria in our bodies. There are up to several thousand mitochondria in our individual cells, with the highest numbers found in liver cells, nerve cells and muscle cells.

As the mitochondria produce ATP, the cellular functions of each cell type in our bodies are facilitated. Muscle cells are able to contract. Immune cells are able to produce the components needed to fight infection and heal from injuries. Endocrine cells are able to produce and release hormones. Neurons are able to produce and release neurotransmitters to conduct signals. These cell types and a host of others are able to function and keep our bodies functioning well when the mitochondria are optimized.

How do we optimize mitochondrial function? Lifestyle factors and stress management are key. In terms of lifestyle factors, exercise (endurance and high intensity interval) has the most evidence for improving mitochondrial health and increasing the number of mitochondria in our cells. Other lifestyle factors that optimize mitochondrial function include having a lower carb diet, avoiding toxins in our diet (such as ultraprocessed foods), getting plant based foods in our diet (such as a Mediterranean diet), getting regular and adequate sleep, periodic fasting, and natural light exposure (especially earlier in the day). Chronic stress is detrimental to mitochondrial function, thus it is important to work on how we handle stressful situations in our lives (ie: have a healthy approach to stress–dealing with stresses directly, getting support, working on any distorted thoughts, etc).

When you consider the microbiome and the mitochondria within you, you have a mighty army of help and there is no reason to feel like you are all alone. If you take care of this host of tiny friends, they will take care of you and the immensity of help they can offer is staggering.

Author

David L Paulson, MD Board Certified Psychiatrist