Stomach ulcers and pain are the first things many of us think of when we hear the words Helicobacter pylori, but there’s a lot more to these little bacteria to consider.
Helicobacter pylori lives in the stomachs of HALF of all humans, and have been residing inside us for almost 60,000 years (1). They have essentially evolved with us (2). There are several different strains, and which ones you happen to carry depend largely on your geography and ethnicity.
Now, not everyone who carries H. pylori will develop stomach problems (such as pain, bloating and indigestion). Whether H. pylori is harmful or not depends on the strain, or more importantly the genes they carry (3). The more virulent version carries genes called ‘cagA’ and ‘VacA’, which enables the bacteria to essentially inject substances into our stomach cells like a tiny syringe. This is can very damaging, and even fatal to the cell. If these genes are absent, then H. pylori is far less destructive.
Interestingly, H. pylori bacteria adapts to its host, meaning the bacteria changes as we change. Clever little critters. This bacterium hasn’t been around for 60,000 years without mastering the art of adaptation.
This begs the question, is H. pylori GOOD or BAD?
Firstly, there is no doubt that H.pylori weakens the protective barrier of the stomach and results in chronic inflammation of the stomach. Basically, it irritates our cells, and can ultimately destroy them. As discussed earlier, if you are carry the bacteria with the aforementioned genes, the stomach cells suffer.
One fifth of people with H.pylori develop tiny lesions in their stomach wall, and two-thirds of stomach ulcers are in fact caused by this bacterium. In addition to this, 1% of all H.pylori carriers go on to develop stomach cancer. Considering that half of all humans are carriers, this is a fairly big chunk of people. There is also an interesting link between H.pylori, low B12 and Parkinson’s-like symptoms (4).
Although antibiotics (or ‘triple therapy’) are the first-line treatment, there’s a very exciting new treatment on the horizon (which doesn’t knock out all your good bacteria and result in unpleasant side effects)… SULFORAPHANE! Sulforaphane is found in cruciferous vegetables such as good old broccoli, and is able to block the enzyme that H.pylori requires to neutralise acid (5). Although more research is required, this is very exciting. This, my friends, is truly food as medicine!
Now, before you panic, H.pylori can also interact with us in beneficial ways. A study which followed 10 000 people over 12 years found that although there is an increased risk of stomach cancer in carriers of H. pylori, there is also a much lower risk of dying from stroke and lung cancer (6). It has also been shown the H. pylori offers protection against childhood asthma, and reduces eczema incidence (7). It is believed that H. pylori teaches our immune system to chill out a little!
Bottom line
H. pylori can be good AND bad. Keep in mind that although it can irritate the stomach lining, so does coffee, cigarette smoke, alcohol and stress! It is easier to blame our stomach issues on a bug and take a course of antibiotics, then to quit smoking or that daily beer. We also know that anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDS) are thought to cause around two fifths of stomach ulcers (8).
In saying all of this, if you do feel you have unpleasant symptoms that may be from H. pylori, it’s important to determine which strain of H. pylori you carry as to seek the correct treatment. In addition to this, talk to your Naturopath about some dietary changes, as well as natural anti-microbial and gut repair herbs and nutrients which can help.
In the meantime, get onto that Broccoli!
Until next time,
Stacey.
