Poop Transplant: a Potent Weapon against Addiction, Depression, Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson’s Disease

Alright, I’ll admit it, doctors don’t really call it poop transplant. What’s more, the doctors aren’t really after the poop. But, believe it or not, there’s a lot more than poop sloshing around your colon. There’s also a boatload of bacteria. Those little bugs are what the doctors are trying to harvest.?

It turns out that the bugs in your gut (a key component of your microbiome) have a profound effect on what’s happening in your brain (no shit for brain jokes, please, this is some serious shit). Trillions of colonic bacteria produce all kinds of stuff that leaches out into the bloodstream, sails through the blood brain barrier and affects cerebral health. Alternatively, the bugs may change intracranial function by tickling the vagus nerve (which wanders all the way down from the brain and wraps around the colon).

Based on all that, you can see why doctors might have deduced that a poop transplant may benefit maladies affecting the brain. The first thing they had to do, if they expected to be taken seriously, was change the name of the procedure. Violà, poop transplant became Fecal Microbiota Transplantation (FMT).

In 2024, American researchers reviewed four-hundred and fifty scientific articles regarding FMT and neurodegenerative disease. They discovered some evidence, albeit weak, that FMT may alleviate some of the symptoms associated with Multiple Sclerosis. On the other hand, the evidence regarding the benefit FMT may provide to patients suffering from Parkinson’s Disease (PD) was much more robust. The scientists’ meta-analysis determined FMT benefited those with PD in terms of cognitive (thinking) function and motor (movement) function. What’s more, no serious side effects were caused by FMT.

How could FMT possibly help those suffering from PD? In 2024, Polish researchers explored the mechanism by which FMT may benefit patients suffering from PD. The scientists observed alterations in gut microbiota composition in PD patients, which render them prone to gastroenteric inflammation. Based on the Gut-Brain Axis, this inflammation has been implicated in causing the destruction of the type of brain cells (dopaminergic neurons) which may lead to PD. Compared to their neurologically normal peers, PD patients had abnormal levels of inflammatory markers, including tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF α), interleukin -1β (IL-1β), and interleukin-6 (IL-6).

In 2024, Chinese researchers reviewed the available medical literature and determined that FMT from psychologically healthy volunteers may benefit people suffering from depression, for whom standard treatment did not produce salutary results.?

In 2024, Belgian researchers discussed the effects of FMT on people addicted to alcohol. They surmised the unbalanced microbiome of alcoholics were significantly related to the inability to break addiction. Among other methods to alter the microbiome, the doctors touted FMT as a weapon in the battle against addiction.

Want to learn about FMT for Alzheimer’s Disease? Check out https://brain2mind.substack.com/p/poop-transplant-and-alzheimers-disease