Regarding "diarrhea as a type of seizure" I think that's what IBS-D is all about, spastic colon. But I believe the cause is more likely microbial imbalance, not the brain controlling the gut.
I've thought the reason fasting seems to halt seizure activity is simply via allowing the gut to rest, especially since intestinal innervation (nerve fibers and bundles) are the most extensive in the body. I didn't think it was about ketones and still don't, though I obviously have much to learn about ketones.
But there are also interesting dynamics regarding tryptophan and fasting. One of them is tryptophan levels in the pancreas rise during fasting and lower in serum. Apparently, tryptophan levels change quickly upon eating. http://www.springerlink.com/content/g527627x24378n42/?MUD=MP
And because tryptophan is the precursor for niacin, apparently niacin is released more efficienty during fasting:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/4260741
Fasting also appears to induce significant increase in melatonin in both serum and gastrointestinal tract:
http://books.google.com/books?id=m_...Q6AEwBg#v=onepage&q=melatonin fasting&f=false
So, between pancreatic tryptophan, niacin and melatonin increased during fasting, there's improved glucose and lipid control along with antimicrobial and powerful antioxidant activity.
But how is serotonin (also a product of tryptophan) affected by fasting? It's depleted in fasting, apparently a good thing in the case of gut dysbiosis where too much serotonin is a problem. But fasting is said to increase serotonin levels in the brain and maybe that's a good thing. So, there's an inverse relationship in brain and gut serotonin during fasting.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1476-5381.1984.tb16495.x/abstract
There's a growing science behind the practice of intermittent fasting (IF) and several variants of the diet. The one I think makes sense is allowing oneself a daily eight hour eating window, i.e., noon-8pm.
Some nice IF references here associated with brain health:
http://healthyagingreview.com/featured/does-fasting-decrease-aging
Please accept what I'm saying here "with a grain of salt" as I'm really just learning aloud . . . here's a brand new paper released last week stating "gut-derived serotonin" is increased during fasting which leads to better fat absorbtion (I've read fat malabsorption is the real cause of gut symptoms in Celiac disease). They state this also leads to improved glucose regulation. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1550413112003981
I've thought the reason fasting seems to halt seizure activity is simply via allowing the gut to rest, especially since intestinal innervation (nerve fibers and bundles) are the most extensive in the body. I didn't think it was about ketones and still don't, though I obviously have much to learn about ketones.
But there are also interesting dynamics regarding tryptophan and fasting. One of them is tryptophan levels in the pancreas rise during fasting and lower in serum. Apparently, tryptophan levels change quickly upon eating. http://www.springerlink.com/content/g527627x24378n42/?MUD=MP
And because tryptophan is the precursor for niacin, apparently niacin is released more efficienty during fasting:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/4260741
Fasting also appears to induce significant increase in melatonin in both serum and gastrointestinal tract:
http://books.google.com/books?id=m_...Q6AEwBg#v=onepage&q=melatonin fasting&f=false
So, between pancreatic tryptophan, niacin and melatonin increased during fasting, there's improved glucose and lipid control along with antimicrobial and powerful antioxidant activity.
But how is serotonin (also a product of tryptophan) affected by fasting? It's depleted in fasting, apparently a good thing in the case of gut dysbiosis where too much serotonin is a problem. But fasting is said to increase serotonin levels in the brain and maybe that's a good thing. So, there's an inverse relationship in brain and gut serotonin during fasting.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1476-5381.1984.tb16495.x/abstract
There's a growing science behind the practice of intermittent fasting (IF) and several variants of the diet. The one I think makes sense is allowing oneself a daily eight hour eating window, i.e., noon-8pm.
Some nice IF references here associated with brain health:
http://healthyagingreview.com/featured/does-fasting-decrease-aging
Please accept what I'm saying here "with a grain of salt" as I'm really just learning aloud . . . here's a brand new paper released last week stating "gut-derived serotonin" is increased during fasting which leads to better fat absorbtion (I've read fat malabsorption is the real cause of gut symptoms in Celiac disease). They state this also leads to improved glucose regulation. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1550413112003981
Last edited: