Fowler Fitness
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Instagram Q&A 4/7/2025
🕑 Added 2025-04-08 00:10:49 +0000 UTCQ: Can specific fibers feed only specific bacteria? And not bad bacteria
A: Yes. Bacteria are picky eaters just like humans. This is part of the reason why it's important to have a diverse diet, with a variety of different fruits and vegetables in particular. There are also certain fibers found in some of these foods (particularly a lot roots and tubers) that pathogenic bacteria and fungus are entirely unable to ferment due to their molecular structure. If you read the 'fiber article' I have on the patreon, most of the fibers we reintroduce early on are these 'selective' fibers that help to shift the composition of the microbiome away from certain species (like E.coli for example) and more towards lacto and bifido species. For example, kiwi fruit substrate extracts can preferentially shift the composition of the microbiome by increasing the faecalibacterium populations relative to some other antagonistic pathogens. So certain fibers will not only drive up levels of key bacteria but also drive DOWN certain pathogens. If you're interested, the fiber article covers numerous different fibers you can consume to achieve this — sunfiber is one of my favorites!
Q: Can bad oral or nasal microbiome be causing recurrent SIBO?
A: Yes. Infections in the mouth can 're-seed' the gut. Most people with chronic elevated CRP (a marker of inflammartion) usually have dental infections. streptococcus mutans (which cause cavities) in the mouth can also enter the bloodstream through inflamed gums. They can adhere to damaged areas of the heart, and that's where you see people getting things like endocarditis after something as simple as a routine dental cleaning. Bacteria from the mouth can also contribute to the development of atherosclerosis. I really believe infections are a big underlying cause of CVD that few people talk about.
Then as mentioned with the gut, some recent papers have looked at fusobacterium nucleatum (the bacteria that causes gum disease) and its ability to invade gut epithelial cells and cause cancerous lesions. This is all stuff I talk about in the dental health protocol on patreon, which is really recommend reading if you have dental issues of any kind. Very important to address these. If you're not quite there yet, some basic, easy things to do (aside from brushing and flossing) would be frequent xylitol swishes after meals and swishing around a capsule of your spore based probiotic before swallowing. Vitamin K (mitolife) and magnesium (mine) are also important for dental health
Q: Curious the rational behind spores vs other probiotics
A: Spores - collectively - do a lot of different things that other probiotic don't. This dosent mean other probiotic are bad. I've frequently dicussed a variety of other non-spore forming probiotic strains I like for very specific issues. But I tend to recommend spores to most clients because they don't actually colonize the gut. Instead, they go in and essentially recondition' the microbiome by raising beneficial species (like bifido and lactobacillus) while lowering pathogens like candida. Then within 2-3 weeks (if you stop supplementing with them) they leave the gut. I like this approach initially for people because it's more gentle than throwing in a ton of lacto and bifido strains right off the bat. You can get die off reactions with spores, but they tend to be minimal and short lived. You can think of spores really as homeostatic regulators of the gut micro environment.
You don't have to guess what kind of bacteria you need because they're going to modulate the entire microbiome in a positive direction. Its not to say other probiotics can't do that as well. We just have more studies looking specific spore forming combinations (certain spores taken together) and certain spore forming strains given in isolation. Where as a lot of other combinations of probiotic haven't been as well tested together. There’s less overall research on spores in general, but the research that has been done is very specific and well reproduced
Q: Why aren't bio regulators more famous given the evidence and results
A: Lack of motivation, lack of interest, lack of searching skills, and information overload plague clinicians just as much as they do the average person. This is why anyone with even a shred of common sense should be able to see past most of the nonsensical arguments about doctors “knowing best.” You are the best advocate for your health. Clinicians are not researchers, and it takes years for published research to translate into clinical practice.
Trisha Greenhalgh (one of the earliest proponents of evidence based medicine in the 90's) has discussed this extensively in her conversations about evidence-based healtheare. Many of the journals that physicians read are extremely slow to adopt new research, especially studies published outside of the U.S. This is true even for some large databases like Medline, which has close to 25 million publications I believe. Adding to this issue is the fact that bio-regulators were essentially classified Soviet military research for decades, and many studies weren't even translated into English until 2015. Pharmaceutical companies also cannot profit from these because they're Russian patents. Many of these substances are considered drugs by the Ministry of Health in Russia.
There is little interest in them because physicians can’t treat patients with these substances anyway, and drug companies cannot patent them. I think more people need to realize that most of the things we considered to be 'evidence based' (or infective) in medicine have less to do with sound biological reasoning and more to do with politics and geography. Rod cone dystrophy is 'incurable' in the US but very treatable with bio-regulators in Russia. It's all perspective. If you're not willing to look for information outside of journals you've deemed 'acceptable', you're always going to be behind
Q: Do you think declining gut health is the main cause of disease?
A: It's definitely a big one. Since the high prevalence of gut issues is associated with many diseases, it makes sense. if you compare loss of microbial diversity in the gut to a baby being born without an organ like a spleen or thymus. If people realized this is essentially what's happening on a mass scale (loss of key organs), most people would likely care about their gut - and how they could fix it — a lot more. The microbiome really is an endocrine organ in of itself. If we think about endocrine tissue as organs that regulate distant cells and other organs through metabolite production (neurotransmitters, cortisol regulation through the gut-brain axis, hunger hormones etc) then the microbiome falls nicely into that category. When you consider that you have more microbial genes than human genes, the role that the microbiome plays in maintaining your health should be clear. I think the best example of this is lactose intolerance - you don't even need human nuclear genes to digest lactose! They can be acquired entirely from the microbial genome! This is why so many people who do the fungal protocol report that they can now tolerant dairy again.
Q: Rotten egg smelling farts? Is it SIBO
A: Probably. If you're adequately addressing microbial dysbiosis (fungal protocol) and made appropriate changes to your diet for 4-6 months and still have issues tolerating sulphur rich foods, you likely need to consider some of the detox strategies listed in the testosterone protocol. I think hydrogen sulfide SIBO may be a compensatory adaptation the body is using to work around issues with sulphur metabolism. H2S production in the gut (by H2S bacteria) likely happens when sulfate availability is low. H2S will diffuse into the bloodstream and be oxidized to sulfite and THEN sulfate. Thats what causes the smelly gas. I don't think gene mutations in sulphur pathways are the cause though. There's some good evidence that glyphosate exposure can impair SUOX enzymes by chelating minerals like molybdenum (so supplementing may be helpful). Then heavy metal exposure (particularly aresenic) can jam into the molybdenum cofactor. This is called 'molecular mimicry' where you get heavy metals trying to essentially compensate for the lacking mineral.
Multiple steps in that casual chain that need to be addressed. Big fan of modified citrus pectin for managing glyphosate and metal exposure as well as some of the other things listed in the protocol. Testosterone protocol isn't just for testosterone by the way. The detox protocol is amazing for everyone
Q: Sulphur issues implicated in Eds syndrome because of it needed for connective tissue ?
A: Yes. Sulfate is needed for the synthesis of glycosaminoglycans which are components of the connective tissues matrix. So most definitely. There’s a tremendous amount of other factors to consider, but this is definitely one of them. heparan sulfate and chondroitin sulfate both provide structure and support to tissues like the skin, cartilage, and blood vessels. And In EDS, connective tissues are already weakened. So having enough sulfate (and functioning sulphur metabolism) is important. I really believe that EDS is mostly epigentic and that there are a tremendous amount of pathways through which defects in collagen metabolism can get 'worked around'. Collagen production is already an extremely energy intensive process. If you have multiple nutrient defiencies, the collagen you are capable of producing if you didn't produce any, you'd be dead so obviously we can maximize what you have) will be impaired. This is why it really grinds my gears when people say that nutrition and lifestyle don't matter because ‘ITs a gEnEtIc dISoRdEr bro' To add to some of the slightly off topic sentiments in the last story- If you don't address underlying metabolic deficits first, ramping up collagen production in isolation could be a net negative for conditions like EDS. So many people fail to realize that this is the cause of most biotech (and even regenerative medicine) failures, particularly when they try to address genetic conditions without considering the ecological whole that the organisms- and its genes - are entangled in. This determines how those genes are subject to feedback regulation. A lot people focus on people with EDS not producing enough collagen, but they also have gene defects (like procollagen pepdidase and some double-negative mutations in COL) in collagen processing enzymes. Lots of issues with post translational modifications involving the hydroxylation of lysine and proline causing Improper cross-linking of the collagen you DO produce. That will impair the structural intergrity of collagen fibrils. Multiple nutrient defiencies can also contribute to this
Q: Any ways to improve sulfation issues that are driving hydrogen sulfide SIBO?
A: Also, worth noting that opportunistic organisms like staph, ampylobacter and pylori (just to name a few) can metabolize sulfur substrates directly into H2S. It's not just klebsiella enterobacteria. This isn't just a problem that people with hydrogen sulfide dominant SIBO have - I believe everyone with SIBO and gut issues in general likely have a mix of H2S and methane dominant dysbiosis (irrespective of where you tend to fall predominantly on that continuum), so I think addressing sulphur metabolism is going to be important for everyone. Particularly because most likely have heavy metal and gly exposure. Also, sun exposure is another commonly overlooked component of sulfate production in the skin. You also need UV light to sulfate cholesterol. Red light will also stimulate eNOS which is needed for cholesterol sulfate production. Get more sun, balance minerals (to replace metals), chelate metals and displace glyphosate. Everyone on planet earth likely needs these
