Tired of Feeling Tired? Infection and Fatigue

Already in this series Marianne has covered:

• key nutritional concepts to beat fatigue
• how the sub-clinical, chronic inflammation of food allergies and auto immune can affect fatigue

In part three we are going to take a look at how infection can contribute to fatigue. In particular we want to look at a form of infection that is not immediately obvious to most people, but one that is incredibly common and that has a dramatic impact on overall energy, that of intestinal overgrowth and imbalance.

How do intestinal bacteria impact energy levels?

Our intestinal bacteria are a vital part of life and maintain a delicate balance in our bowel. We have previously spoken about the role of our good bacteria in preserving and boosting immune function, but let’s take a quick look at how an imbalance can impact the overall production of energy.

To start with it’s worthwhile to have a quick look at how energy is produced and consumed within the cell. While we often talk about glucose as being a key source of energy, glucose needs to be further converted into ATP before it can be of use at a cellular level; think of glucose as $20 note and ATP as the tokens in a computer arcade, until you break the $20 into tokens the computer games won’t work. Exactly the same happens at a cellular level. Until we break glucose down into ATP our cells have nothing for energy and we get the feelings of fatigue.

There are a number of steps involved in this transaction, but the main step that bacterial imbalance derails is a complex series of reactions known as the Krebs cycle or citric acid cycle. For this cycle to work properly our body must have sufficient quantities of a number of intermediary compounds that help various stages of the conversion from glucose to ATP, or that help to make up the change for tokens.

When there is an imbalance in our gut bacteria a number of the waste products produced that can block or interfere with the production of these intermediary compounds. Using our token analogy again gives a good idea of the sort of thing that is going on. We might be lining up at the change counter with our $20 in head wanting to play the computer games, but there are so many other people in the way that the cashier can’t see us. We don’t get to play the computer games and the cells don’t get the ATP they need to produce energy for us. The result, is fatigue and lethargy.

How do we prevent this occurring?

Naturally, the question becomes, how do we prevent bacterial imbalance?

The best way to do this is by providing support for our good or beneficial bacteria. One of the roles of good bacteria is to keep the levels of bad bacteria under control and to prevent overgrowth from occurring.

The first way we can do this is to ensure a diet that supports development of good bacteria with good levels of soluble fibre. We have previously spoken about how soluble fibre can support good bacteria. The best method though is to sufficient regular intake of fresh fruits and vegetables.

The second step is to avoid dietary and lifestyle habits that can reduce or kill off our good bacteria. Antibiotic use, excessive caffeine and sugar intake, stress and heavy metals are all devastating to the levels of good bacteria.

The final step is to consider whether supplementation is necessary. Where good bacteria colonies have been destroyed or significantly reduced a good probiotic may be necessary to replenish. Probiotic use is always important after a course of antibiotics.

Ready to Spring Out of Bed?

If you are affected by lethargy or fatigue and would like to have more energy contact our Naturopath today on 07 3800 1993 or email to info@www.passion4health.com.au. We can help you to implement a nutritional program and supplementation plan that is going to give you the right nutritional foundation to reduce fatigue and reach your full potential.