A reader sent me a link to a Danish article that talked about the use of charcoal for microbiome disruptions. On first consideration, it means that a variety of chemical produced by bacteria in the gut may be absorbed and thus “jack the chemical signalling” of the evil [jacked] bacteria. This is speculation, so I thought that I would see what PubMed knows about it.

• “Commonly employed doses of activated charcoal do not appreciably influence the liberation of fecal gases.” [1999]
• “a herbal treatment with myrrh, dry extract of chamomile flowers, and coffee charcoal for ulcerative colitis…demonstrates a distinctly different pattern during treatment with myrrh, chamomile extract, and coffee charcoal than during treatment with mesalazine.” [2014] Does something – unclear what 😦
• “Oral Activated Charcoal Prevents Experimental Cerebral Malaria in Mice …” [2010]
• “The most effective material in the prevention of endotoxemia provided to be bentonite[Bentonite is an absorbent aluminium phyllosilicate, impure clay consisting mostly of montmorillonite} followed by Kaopectate and charcoal particles.” [1983]
• • “Lipopolysaccharides (LPS), also known as lipoglycans and endotoxin, are large molecules consisting of a lipid and a polysaccharide composed of O-antigen, outer core and inner core joined by a covalent bond; they are found in the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria, and elicit strong immune responses in animals.” Wikipedia
• It is cited as being used for Crohn’s Disease [2010] but I could not locate any published studies.

In short, not much published — it has been investigated for removing foul smells from fecal material without success. An old article hints that it may moderate immune responses.

There appear to be a clinical trial attempted in 2006 by Dr. Kenneth Kenigsberg (who appears to have a patent on this approach,  WO 2007/015102 A1: ‘The use of charcoal for the treatment of inflammatory conditions’. Inventors: BMJF, PS, PMK, KJT, Kenneth Kenigsberg and LU.) The patent describes the use of charcoal in association with other drugs/supplements and thus is an adjunct (something that helps but may be ineffectual by itself). There are no results about the clinical trial that I could locate.

Bottom Line

• It’s cheap, i”Activated charcoal is “generally felt to be a very benign” unless it absorbs medications that a person is taking, she said…. “The dosing recommendations for activated charcoal are not well-established,”” [source]
• There is discussion about it on Crohn’s Groups
  • It can absorb medications/supplements – so timing is important.
• There is a “hint” that it may be effective
  • the results of the clinical trial was not published BUT a patent was filed.
  • for a condition with inflammation, it appears to work
• I am a strong advocate of the “three wise men coming from the east”, i.e. using myrrh and frankincense (aka Boswellia) gums and would suggest using those with the charcoal because they also reduce inflammation.

A reader sent me their observations on benfotiamine, which according to wikipedia  ” is marketed as a medicine and/or dietary supplement, depending on the respective Regulatory Authority”

“I have noticed extra energy and less affects from when I eat starches/sugars (I don’t eat white sugar, but I eat honey, coconut sugar, agave, etc). I used to get pretty severe joint pain and stiffness from eating any sort of starches/sugars. Benfotiamine has helped alleviate that on days when I am not 100% Wahls Paleo compliant. My brain fog has been mild or rare since going on a Wahls diet, but even that is improved notably.”

which corresponded to a anecdotal responses to benfotiamine

“…Benfotiamine, at 900 mg a day, tripled my energy in about four days, reduced my sugar cravings, made me able to sense my muscles again for the first time in years, improved my brain fog, and rendered my insomnia total…..

http://www.adnuther.com/2012/02/intravenous-thiamine/

So it looks interesting because it appears to cause a change to the better. The question is whether there is good evidence for it and the mechanism

Material on PubMed is relatively sparse — just 170+ articles.

• “benfotiamine (prevents vascular damage in diabetes)” [2015]
  • this implies that it may improve oxygen delivery in the brain
• “Benfotiamine is a synthetic vitamin B1 (thiamine) derivate exerting potentially anti-inflammatory effects.Despite the encouraging results regarding benfotiamine potential to alleviate diabetic microangiopathy, neuropathy and other oxidative stress-induced pathological conditions, its activities and cellular mechanisms during microglial activation have yet to be elucidated… benfotiamine significantly decreased production of pro-inflammatory mediators such as inducible form of nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and NO; cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), heat-shock protein 70 (Hsp70), tumor necrosis factor alpha α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), whereas it increased anti-inflammatory interleukin-10 (IL-10) production in LPS stimulated BV-2 microglia. Moreover, benfotiamine suppressed the phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1/2 (ERK1/2), c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNK) and protein kinase B Akt/PKB… benfotiamine may have therapeutic potential for neurodegenerative diseases by inhibiting inflammatory mediators and enhancing anti-inflammatory factor production in activated microglia. ” [2015]
• “Benfotiamine, a derivative of thiamine, and pyridoxamine, a vitamer of vitamin B6, both have anti-AGE [ advanced glycation end-products] properties, making them valuable therapeutic adjuvants in the treatment of diabetic complications.” [2015]
  • “In erythrocytes, thiamine levels were 4- and 25-fold higher in the groups treated with thiamine and benfotiamine,.. we verified the high bioavailability especially of benfotiamine” [2013]
• “high potency thiamine[B1] analog benfotiamine..  [600mg/day] appears to reduce psychiatric distress and may facilitate recovery in severely affected males with a lifetime alcohol use disorder and should be considered for adjuvant therapy in alcohol rehabilitation.” [2015]
  • “benfotiamine (300 mg/day) supplementation over 24 months has no significant effects upon peripheral nerve function or soluble markers of inflammation in patients with type 1 diabetes” [2012]
• “With a simultaneous increase in energy expenditure, TD[Benfotiamine] caused an overall body weight loss. The results suggest that the status of thiamine levels in the body may affect food intake and body weight.”
• “The efficacy of traditional treatment combined with milgamma[benfotiamine] therapy in the patients with acute sensorineural impairment of hearing of allegedly viral etiology proved to be higher than that of conventional therapy alone” [2012]
• Benfotiamine counteracts smoking-induced vascular dysfunction in healthy smokers. [2012]
• Benfotiamine prevents increased β-amyloid production in HEK cells induced by high glucose [2012]
  • Amyloid beta (Aβ or Abeta) denotes peptides of 36–43 amino acids that are crucially involved in Alzheimer’s disease as the main component of the amyloid plaques found in the brains of Alzheimer patients.

There are no studies specific on benfotiamine for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. However there are two studies for thiamine.

• “These data provide preliminary evidence of reduced functional B vitamin status, particularly of pyridoxine, in CFS patients.” [1999]
• “The absence of blood thiamine deficiency and the efficacy of high-dose thiamine in our [CFS] patients suggest that fatigue is the manifestation of a thiamine deficiency, likely due to a dysfunction of the active transport of thiamine inside the cells, or due to structural enzymatic abnormalities. The administration of large quantities of thiamine increases the concentration in the blood to levels in which the passive transport restores the normal glucose metabolism in all cells and leads to a complete regression of fatigue.” [2013]

Bottom Line

• A supplementation of 600 mg/day of  benfotiamine is a recommended experiment for CFS patients, and other autoimmune diseases that are prone to mal-nutrition/
• A 30 day experiment has a cost of $10.00,  Swanson’s Benfotiamine (Fat-Soluble Vitamin B-1) 300 mg 60 Veg Caps

Readers of my last post expressed angst over trying to figure out what is safe to eat. First some more potential bad news:

• Studies indicate that Glyphosate is expelled from the body If it is applied in nature we find “The half-life for glyphosate at 25 °C in low-light was 47 days, extending to 267 days in the dark at 25 °C and 315 days in the dark at 31 °C, which is the longest persistence reported for this herbicide.” [2014] This means on a site where it was used, after 5 years (usually required for organic certification) it would be reduced to   0.01% to 3% of prior levels.
• “GlySH intoxication has a case fatality rate 3.2–29.3%.” [2014]
• The herbicide glyphosate causes behavioral changes and alterations in dopaminergic markers in male Sprague-Dawley rat. [2015]
• ” We present evidence from the biomedical research literature of a plausible link among glyphosate, nitrogen dysbiosis and ADHD.” [2015]
• “Among the suspected toxins surveyed, polybrominated diphenyl ethers, aluminum adjuvants, and the herbicide glyphosate have increasing trends that correlate positively to the rise in autism.” [2014]

In terms of good news,

• “The apparent elimination half life of glyphosate was 3.1 hours (95% CI 2.7 to 3.6 hours)..” [2010], so given low ingestion of more, your levels will drop. Note the key word “apparent”, this is in reference to circulating levels and if it has been stored in fat or other tissue, we do not know the clearance time.
  • If you look at the prior post on pigs and glyphosate, you would expect it to be zero (if they have not been sprayed with glyphosate immediately before slaughter) — that is not the case, hence we should assume storage in the body which can cause disruption.

The Good Food List for glyphosate reduction

Criteria: food must be 0.2 ppm or less according to EPA list. Here is the list.

The Dirty Ones

Over 1 ppm. This is based on EPA tolerance of over 1ppm. Some items that have been explicited tested (like Rye) has been omitted.

Very low levels of some chemicals can cause serious, potentially fatal, for example 0.43 mg or even 0.000 001 gm. In some cases, only some people are sensitive (for example, 0.5 – 1% for Celiac Disease). In general most safety testing is done on normal healthy individuals and not a representative cross section of society.

This too often results in MDs’ saying it’s in your head until such time as testing is developed and accepted. This was the case for Ulcers for almost 30 years after a MD discovered that a bacteria was involved.

Glyphosate (N-(phosphonomethyl)glycine) is a broad-spectrum systemic herbicide used to killweeds, commonly known as RoundUp.

A friend forward this:
“Monsanto’s glyphosate-based herbicide Roundup is an endocrine (hormone) disruptor in adult male rats, a new study shows.The lowest dose tested of 10 mg/kg bw/d (bodyweight per day) was found to reduce levels of corticosterone, a steroid hormone produced in the adrenal glands. … a 2012 study detected a 35% testosterone down-regulation in rats at a concentration of 1 part per million.” [Source]

“The presented results evidence that the highly pathogenic bacteria as Salmonella Entritidis, Salmonella Gallinarum, Salmonella Typhimurium, Clostridium perfringens and Clostridium botulinum are highly resistant to glyphosate. However, most of beneficial bacteria as Enterococcus faecalis, Enterococcus faecium, Bacillus badius, Bifidobacterium adolescentis and Lactobacillus spp. were found to be moderate to highly susceptible. Also Campylobacter spp. were found to be susceptible to glyphosate. A reduction of beneficial bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract microbiota by ingestion of glyphosate could disturb the normal gut bacterial community. Also, the toxicity of glyphosate to the most prevalent Enterococcus spp. could be a significant predisposing factor that is associated with the increase in C. botulinum-mediated diseases by suppressing the antagonistic effect of these bacteria on clostridia.” [2013]

• “Glyphosate has antibiotic properties. Monsanto filed for a respective patent in 2003 and received it in 2010.^{[41]” Wikipedia}

“Celiac disease, and, more generally, gluten intolerance, is a growing problem worldwide, but especially in North America and Europe…we propose that glyphosate, the active ingredient in the herbicide, Roundup(®), is the most important causal factor in this epidemic.” [2013]

“Chronically ill humans showed significantly higher glyphosate residues in urine than healthy population” [2014]

“Glyphosate was significantly higher (P<0.0002) in humans feed conventional feed[diet] compared with predominantly organic feed[diet] humans… Interestingly, the glyphosate concentration in German dairy cows kept in a GM free region excreted much less glyphosate than conventionallymanaged cows. Thus, the prohibition of GM grains and soy prevent these animals from consuming glyphosate with their feed.” [2014]

” There is a reasonable correlation between the amount ingested and the likelihood of serious systemic sequelae or death. Advancing age is also associated with a less favourable prognosis.” Glyphosate Poisoning [2014]

” Although glyphosate is only slightly toxic to rats, ingestion of GlySH may lead to severe effects, including death, in humans.” [2009]

” In March 2015 theWorld Health Organization‘s International Agency for Research on Cancer published a summary of its forthcoming monograph on glyphosate, and classified it as “probably carcinogenic in humans” (category 2A) based on epidemiological studies, animal studies, and in vitro studies.^{[5][11][12]“wikipedia}

Crops likely to contain residue Roundup or equivalent

Some people could naively claim that it is not a problem because stuff is washed and so it is washed off. If you apply something to the surface (in a sticky manner), a percentage will be merged into the organism. Why do you think that roundup resistant plants had to be developed?

See  http://www.isaaa.org/gmapprovaldatabase/ for a list of GM crops

• Soybean [source] “In 2011–2012, soybeans were planted on about 30 million hectares in the USA, with Roundup Ready GM soy contributing 93–94% of the production” [2014] EPA allows up to 40 ppm [source]
• Canola
• Carrots EPA allows up to 5 ppm [source]
• Chicory
• Sesame Flax – EPA allows up to 40 ppm [source]
• Maize / Corn [source]
• Wheat
• Sunflowers [source]
• sugar beets [source]
• potato [GM]
• sweetpotatoes   EPA allows up to 3 ppm [source]
• rice [GM]
• sugarcane
• Drinking Water  0.7 mg/L

• Rice (roundup damages rice crops)
• Potatoes (roundup damages source]
• Rye [“Cereal rye is easily killed with glyphosate and can be controlled at any growth stage” source]
• Most ORGANIC root vegetables [Roundup is suggested for many of them for weed control thus conventional root vegetables are a risk, source]
• Crops grown in the El Salvador and  Sri Lanka (be careful, some countries have banned retail sales but not commercial use)

Current EPA Allowed Limits

The following was likely based on tests of what was actually seen, and thus likely a guide to what is expected.

Needless to say, you want food with the lowest levels

Bottom Line

• Organic food with a preference for rice instead of wheat
• 100% Rye Bread instead of wheat (ideally 100% Organic non GMO Rye Bread)
• NO SUGAR or sugar substitutes added — say good bye to that sweet tooth!
  • Honey is NOT safe, the bees gather pollen from sprayed crops and many organic honey had high levels. [2014]
  • Organic Maple Syrup appears to be the exception [cannot find any evidence of significant level, plus the trees not co-cohabiting with crops likely to be sprayed]
    • Non-organic may have roundup sprayed along the roads.

“Tropical Traditions has sold organic grains for years. After reading new research about the issue of “crop desiccation” done by using glyphosate on wheat and other grains just prior to harvest, Tropical Traditions decided to first test some commercial wheat products with wheat grown in Montana, North Dakota, and Canada…All tested positive for glyphosate residue. The range was from 0.07 mg/kg to 0.09 mg/kg….. For a GMO crop such as GMO soybeans, which are sprayed heavily with glyphosate, the range is typically between 3.3 and 5.7 mg/kg. (Source.)

…. the presence of glyphosate residue was found in organic wheat and other organic grains, including organic barley, oats, spelt, and einkorn. The range was from 0.03 to 0.06 mg/kg, just slightly lower than the conventional grains that were tested.

The only organic grains that tested clean were organic rye and organic millet. There was also one variety of organic wheat from small-scale farmers in Wisconsin that tested clean from glyphosate.”[Source]

In my last post I mentioned Mannitol which is also used in food and supplements. It has a number of positive medical benefits — however, what is good for one condition can be bad for another condition. This “naive alternative medicine belief” that if it is good for one condition it is good for all conditions is something to be very wary of. It is simplistic logic being applied to very complex situations.

• “Clostridium difficile.. can exploit specific metabolites that become more abundant in the mouse gut after antibiotics, including … carbon sources such as mannitol, fructose, sorbitol, raffinose and stachyose for growth.”  [2014]
• Increase in serum potassium resulting from the administration of hypertonic mannitol and other solutions. [1969]
• “Xylitol at 10 and 20 per cent disturbed gastro-intestinal function but was tolerated better than sorbitol or mannitol” [1983]
• “the severity of such gastro-intestinal disturbances, induced by large doses of polyols, decrease in the following order: mannitol, sorbitol, xylitol…The available clinical data generally suggest that moderate consumption of the above polyols is not harmful to human metabolism.” [1984]
  • Based on people without gut dysfunction
• “all three polyols[ galactitol, mannitol or xylitol] retarded the growth rate of the animals, the polyols were well tolerated.” [1985]
• “Airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) to inhaled mannitol is associated with indirect markers of mast cell activation and eosinophilic airway inflammation” [2015]

I was unable to find any studies specific to how it impacts the microbiome apart from disturbing normal health guts.