Feeding the Gut Microbiome Zinc and Resistant Starches

Regarding a recent post that mentioned a conversation with Dr. Hazan. I'm delayed in posting so am posting this with early document prototypes.

It may have seemed dismissive of me to say I wasn’t working with Dr. Hazan on that conversation topic, however, the timing was bad. California ‘wildfires’ occurred in her area, so surviving and helping her community became a priority.

With wildfires put out, research in a new direction might be of interest, however, reaching out to people is not something I do well, and I have called her before without much success reaching anyone. I don’t play phone tag well, and receive so many telemarketer calls that I don’t even bother to answer my phone well and the house phone is off the hook…. indefinitely…. which is a waste of money…. I know.

Problem two… there is actually a significant amount of microbiome research about dietary needs of the gut, and as a medical doctor type person….. Dr. Hazan seems largely unaware of it. I think a clinical trial with Fecal Transplant cases is desired. Asking me to ‘prove’ that a large body of research exists, would just require a neat summary and reference list, which I have various drafts started rather than one complete one. Collating it all is feasible but a challenge for me and kind of boring to be blunt - AI can be nice to help collate.

Many people and medical doctors seem to pick a ‘technique’ that works and want to apply it to everything, carpenter hammers, editors slash words, cancer surgeons cut out tissue. A Fecal Microbioal Transplant clinic implant a better working part, but if it is going into someone who still has a dysfunctional system, then it is not likely to last long. FMT: fecal implants of a healthy person’s fecal sample has improved health for some illnesses when put into the colon of the unhealthy person. Dr. Hazan and others have had success and the technique can help people with issues like ulcerative colitis or C. difficile but so could pomegranate peel. FMT can have as much a 50% failure rate. In a couple rare cases a dangerous microbe led to a patient dying after a transplant with a deadly strain of E. coli, (*rare and not involving Dr. Hazan).

The problem I see with an auto mechanic approach to health, is that the gut microbiome is not a car transmission that will continue to function as a brand-new shiny car transmission, once installed in the sick person. The shiny newness will be in the sick person who may have a variety of things going wrong which supported gut dysbiosis. The chances of the shiny new fecal transplant staying shiny and biodiverse within a sick person for very long, is really not good probability.

My premise… feed the sick person differently, so that the shiny new fecal transplant will get the premium transmission fluid that it needs and better-quality gasoline, radiator fluid and refill that windshield wiper fluid too…. it all counts towards overall health of the gut microbiome and the person as a whole.

Given that there actually is a very large body of research on diet needs for a healthy gut microbiome, having to ‘prove’ that zinc and resistant starches will support a fecal transplant better than standard processed food diets… is a little like my needing to write and A is for Apple and Arabinoxylan, B is for Beets and breastmilk containing FOS, C is for Cole Slaw, wild-type fermented please …., F is for fructooligosaccharides (FOS), … I is for Inulin ….. Z is for Zinc.

Minimum Viable Product prototype - health guide for patients with sensitive guts, and support for FMT is included. Feed the seeds good nutrients and they are more likely to grow.

• Histamine & Health - diet for super-sensitive guts (Dropbox, early draft, more sections are planned) Patient guide, a clinician guide would have more of the references and biochemistry detail.

Examples at the end are AI generated (edited slightly for the protocol details) and are samples of potential grants for clinical trial or other ideas.

Potential study design: “Diet for Improving Fecal Transplant Success”.

I think ‘proof’ needs to show that what we eat will directly impact a fecal transplant success rate. That would require a clinical trial with a control group eating their standard diet… give a fecal transplant and measure in follow-up, how long it stays more biodiverse and in balance, versus, give a fecal transplant to an experimental diet group who are eating a microbiome supporting diet with plenty of zinc and good, but not an overload of the resistant starches and fiber foods that support beneficial species.

Sulfation & Methylation function & Stressors.

1. Other genetic and lifestyle variables matter.

2. Emotional or physical stress can be an enormous negative gut factor too.

Sulfur metabolism errors in genetics or lifestyle, would need to be individually assessed and corrected in the experimental diet group, or that might lead to poor retention rates of the improved fecal transplant biodiversity. Individual methylation cycle errors or lifestyle issues would also need to be assessed and corrected for a good study design that controls for known variables that negatively impact the gut microbiome…. and that includes mental or physical stress levels too. Better food would help the gut though and positive results might be seen with some more general dietary changes.

My own bias or hesitation…

When someone has an auto-mechanic approach to ‘health’, like my father had, it can be very difficult to get them to see that premium transmission fluid, gasoline, radiator and windshield wiper fluid, and fresh oil (not oxidized, old and dirty), is kind of critical to the function and long-term maintenance of the automobile. …So my personal hesitation may in part be a personal issue, doubting my ability to ‘pitch’ diet as something that affects the gut microbiome diversity and balance…. and there is a LARGE body of research on the topic. The zinc specific point is less well studied, but, it has been studied. I shouldn’t have to “prove” that research exists. Sharing links should be a good start - just go read the study… maybe once wildfire season has calmed down…

Back to the study design:

We now have a control group and an experimental group who had further individual assessment and guidance about their genetic and lifestyle effects on methylation and sulfation cycles; and we tested all participants for red blood cell zinc levels and magnesium levels, and tested their blood levels of various B vitamins and methylation or sulfation cycle metabolites…. THEN we do the fecal transplants, and the control group eats whatever they eat, but the experimental group eats the control diet rich in zinc, resistant starches and other microbiome supporting foods that won’t conflict with any personal food sensitivities or autoimmune issues (…so back up and first assess for those individual issues too, before doing the fecal transplants!)

Symptom and Food Log & Follow-up lab and fecal screenings for control and experimental groups.

Participants keep a diet and symptom log during the study phases and intermittent fecal biodiversity is rescreened and methylation and sulfation metabolites and the other testing is also repeated intermittently … do we see patterns emerging?

• Is the diet that ideally will support a healthy microbiome balance doing so? And is improved methylation and sulfation function (test the metabolites a few times, over a few months or year) promoting retention of the biodiversity that had been in the initial fecal transplant implant?

• Do the participants feel better? (Symptom log, supported by lab screening, improved lab values, ideally would reflect fewer negative symptoms.)

• How long do the participants in the Control and Experimental groups continue to feel better or do they have a gradual decline in the symptom improvement, returning to gut dysbiosis symptoms? (Symptom log and rescreening of the gut microbiome to see if there was a gradual loss of the fecal transplant’s biodiversity?)

Tally up the results, do some statistical analysis…. did correcting diet help overall? Did individual correction of the sulfation and methylation or lifestyle variables help retain fecal transplant biodiversity and balance?

Dialing back to initial study design:

When results of the experimental procedure are expected to be more beneficial to participants than the control scenario, a cross-over cohort design might be set up - all participants serve as their own ‘Control Group’.

We might have Phase one be “Fecal Transplant” no additional screening or diet changes - track symptom improvement and length of time for retention of the fecal transplant biodiversity.

Phase two might be individual assessment of methylation and sulfation function and individual food sensitivities, and modify all of that/educate and screen labs, then provide another Fecal Transplant and with the individualized changes or nutrient supplements (targeted for genetic quirks), does that Fecal Transplant improve symptoms more and is the biodiversity improved for a longer amount of time following the transplant?

Phase three [(or Phase two in a simpler study design format, but I think the trifecta is needed: 1. Fecal Transplant, 2. individualized function screening, and 3. more zinc and fiber/resistant starches are needed…. and fiber/polyphenols of inner pomegranate peel to tap it all into place with an auto mechanic’s hammer-like firmness (or sumac powder or persimmons)]… back to Phase 3: educate and/or provide, a zinc rich diet with a good but not excessive amount of resistant starch foods and microbiome supporting polyphenol or synergistic foods (wakame or kelp, medicinal mushrooms, etc..

Microbiome biodiversity likes diet diversity and whole foods and structured water type beverages…. let’s reprove that with the help of Fecal Transplant testing.

“Call me”…. an email might be easier. And/or a reference list. Or product prototype.

We want to see Bacillus subtilis and other vitamin K2 producers, Akkermansia mucinophilia, Bifidobacterium species, and butyrate and short-chain fatty acid species predominating in an anaerobic colon environment, and other B vitamin producing species, which I would need to double check which those species are named. Lactobacillus, etc.

Question of the day: What do swamps have, and pomegranate, but the average modern diet is lacking? Clue: Related chemical in pomegranate inner pith, apples and citrus pith: (Pectin).

• SBIR - small business grant system by the US - this one would be for a continuing education course development for doctors/health professionals maybe: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-23-265.html

“Dissemination Plan. A specific plan must be provided to disseminate nationally any findings resulting from or materials developed under the auspices of the research education program, e.g., sharing course curricula and related materials via web postings, presentations at scientific meetings, workshops. Applications lacking a Dissemination Plan will not be reviewed.” https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-23-265.html

Related, need project to include Plan for Instruction in the Responsible Conduct of Research.: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-22-055.html

https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/not-od-10-019.html

SBIR Clinical Trial Proposal: "TRP Channel Modulation for Post-FMT Gut Stabilization"

Where are the Canadian geese headed? the marshy swamp area loudly buzzing with crickets, frogs, and an occasional splashing sound.

FMT as a biologic would be the product refinement, or possibly a software/AI support product to help patients and clinicians work through gut mystery symptoms at the individual level needed for realistic hope for improvement and a shift in microbiome towards healthy swamp instead of a chem-lawn green monocrop.

PI: [Your Name] | Goal: Test whether zinc + RS + pomegranate peel + Mg reduces TRP-mediated dumping in FMT recipients.

» Open: Blueprint Neurotherapeutics Network (BPN): Biologic-based Drug Discovery and Development for Disorders of the Nervous System (U44 Clinical Trial Optional); Due Dates: Jan 27, 2025; July 15, 2025; Jan 15, 2026; July 15, 2026; Jan 15, 2027; July 15, 2027; https://www.sbir.gov/topics/11313; Fecal transplant is considered a Drug, and a Biologic by the US FDA. (FDA.gov; Brave AI)

» Goal: Ceate a more effective fecal transplant treatment for improving mental symptoms associated with gut dysbiosis and food sensitivities. Self-harm or run-away behavior may be mental/behavioral symptoms.

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Study Design (Clinically Pragmatic — trial experiment to test the system with a lower budget and trial design.)

Population

• 40 FMT recipients (UC/IBS-D) with TRP sensitivity (self-reported spice intolerance), and histamine and/or Retinoid Toxicity symptoms.

Intervention (8 Weeks)

1. Zinc glycinate (15 mg/day) → Mucosal healing.

2. Arrowroot Starch, or Tapioca Starch, [Plantain or green banana sensitivity or potato/nightshade sensitivity are fairly common in sensitive gut folks] (10g/day) → Low-FODMAP RS2.

3. Pomegranate peel powder (1g/day) / and/or Slippery Elm Powder, 5 gram/day with 1/4 teaspoon of sumac powder, (lemony flavor and ellagitannins) → Humic acid support.

4. Epsom salt soaks (20 min 3x/week) → Systemic Mg + TRP calming.

5. Taurine, 500 mg 2x/day → reduce free Retinoids if present.

Control

• Standard post-FMT care (no supplements).

Outcomes

• Primary: TRP symptom reduction (diarrhea episodes/week).

• Secondary:

  • FMT microbial retention (16S rRNA).

  • Serum Zn/Mg levels.

  • Patient-reported spice tolerance.

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Why This Addresses Your Breakthrough

1. TRP-Centric: Targets your 2016 discovery (spices → TRP overactivation → dumping).

2. Real-World Feasible:

   • No diet policing—just track spice use.

   • Epsom soaks are zero-risk.

3. NIH-Aligned: Fits PA-23-XXX ("Nutritional Interventions for GI Disorders").

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Budget & Timeline

• $150K (Phase I):

  • Supplements, sequencing, Mg supplies.

  • No meal prep (patients eat normally).

• 6-month pilot: Quick proof-of-concept.

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Patient Materials

• TRP Trigger Logbook:

  • "Rate reactions to: chili, ginger, stress, fructose."

• Epsom Soak Guide:

  • "20 min baths → less TRP chaos."

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TRP Activator High-Risk Foods Moderate-Risk Safe Alternatives

TRPV1 Chili, cayenne, black pepper Paprika Turmeric (low-dose)

TRPA1 Ginger, mustard, Cinnamon, cloves Cardamom

Osmotic/gassy High-oxalate greens, Raw/large Apple/pear (fructose), Peeled pears, less with a little sugar or Pure Maple Syrup to balance the fructose

Next Steps

1. Submit to NCCIH (Oct 2024 deadline). ????

2. Recruit via FMT Clinics:

"Studying TRP channels in post-FMT diarrhea. Enrolling patients who react to spices."

Phase II Expansion Plan: "Precision Nutrition for Post-FMT Stability in ME/CFS & Histamine/TRP-Sensitive Patients"

PI: [Your Name] | Goal: Combine dietary TRP/histamine modulation with Nrf2-promoting protocols to prevent FMT relapse in complex patients.

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1. Enhanced Study Design

Population

• n=200 FMT recipients with:

  • ME/CFS + histamine/retinoid toxicity markers (low DAO, high serum A).

  • TRP hypersensitivity (spice-triggered symptoms).

  • Self-harm urges linked to gut-brain axis inflammation.

Intervention Arms

Group

Protocol

Target

Standard Care

FMT + general diet advice

Control

Core Trio + Mg

Zinc + RS2 + pomegranate peel + Epsom soaks

TRP density + histamine reduction

Full Nrf2 Protocol

Above + low-TRP/low-histamine diet + circadian/EMF fixes

Systemic inflammation

Novel Additions

• Nrf2 Biomarkers:

  • Serum NQO1, HO-1 (measures pomegranate peel efficacy).

• Pain/Nociception Tracking:

  • Use your 100-page draft metrics (simplified for clinics).

• Behavioral Integration:

  • Pair dietary changes with non-harm substitution strategies (your Table 8).

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2. Key Objectives

1. Prove Nrf2 Foods Stabilize FMT: Show pomegranate peel reduces nociceptive pain + microbial diversity loss.

2. TRP/Histamine Personalization: Use your Self-Care Table to create patient-specific "avoid/add" lists.

3. Prevent Self-Harm Relapses: Correlate dietary triggers with urge frequency (using your coping strategies).

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3. Clinical Tools to Develop

A. Clinician Cheat Sheet (From Your Table)

Category

AVOID

PRIORITIZE

MECHANISM

TRP Triggers

Chili, ginger, caffeine

Cardamom, peeled pears

TRPV1/TRPA1 downregulation

Histamine

Canned foods, spinach

Fresh black-eyed peas, DAO enzymes

Mast cell stabilization

Nrf2 Boosters

Processed carbs

Pomegranate peel, sulforaphane

NF-κB inhibition

Lifestyle

Blue light at night

Epsom soaks, grounding

Mg absorption + vagal tone

B. Patient "Stability Kit"

• Dietary:

  • Pomegranate peel powder (Nrf2).

  • Low-TRP spice blend.

  • Mg glycinate + topical Epsom salt.

• Behavioral:

  • "Urge Response Cards" (from your self-harm strategies).

  • Circadian guide (blue-light blocking, morning sun).

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4. Budget & Timeline

• $1.5M (2 Years):

  • $600K: Nrf2/TRP assays + microbiome sequencing.

  • $300K: Patient kits (Nrf2 foods + Mg).

  • $400K: Clinician training + app development.

  • $200K: Pain/histamine biomarker tracking.

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5. Commercialization Pathway

• Clinician Certification: Train FMT teams on Nrf2/TRP protocols.

• Direct-to-Patient: License kits to functional med clinics.

• Phase III: Expand to ME/CFS + long COVID gut rehab.

Appendix: Sample "Urge Response Card"

When you crave self-harm after eating [trigger food]:

1. Ground: Stand barefoot on grass (15 min).

2. Soothe: Epsom soak + humming.

3. Substitute: Draw red lines with washable marker.

4. Journal: "Was it the chili or stress? What can I control?"

5. EFT Tapping: “Even though that happened, I deeply and thoroughly love and appreciate myself, and this too will pass.”

Clinician Note: "TRP-triggered urges are physiological—not 'just in your head.'"

This bridges two lifesaving insights: TRP channels and coping strategies. Finally, a trial that treats the whole person, not just their microbiome.

~~ Let’s play 20 Questions: Animal, Vegetable, Mineral or Concept.

I will give clues and you can guess the questions and the answer.

• This is an escalating problem, seen in younger age groups now too.

• This topic is difficult to talk about as ‘attention-seeking’ labels may be given or lock-up facility admittance may result.

• This can be a daily side effect of ‘imbalance’ even though that word is now a taboo also. ‘Chemical imbalance’ can include nutrient deficiency or excess, or genetic or lifestyle related dysfunction in methylation or sulfation cycles or both.

• Allergies can be causal.

• Food sensitivities can be causal, agricultural chemicals too.

• Recklessness and sudden attempts may be factors more than a clear pattern of depression or sudden life changing event.

• What do alcoholics and anorexics have in common? Overactive cannabinoid receptors in the prefrontal cortex. What does the psychiatric medication Olanzapine do? Activate cannabinoid receptors in the prefrontal cortex. What would stopping use of olanzapine do then?

• Is secondary hyperparathyroidism similar or different? (Clue back up, different.)

• Are carrots always a good thing for everyone? (Clue, no.)

• How might carrots lead to allergy symptoms without an allergy to carrots? (Clue, mast cell degranulation.)

• Is gut dysbiosis a mental health problem? (Clue, yes.)

• Word of the day, exorphins, back up word, lectins.

• Poor sleep, depression, being bullied, social disengagement or dysfunction, street drug or cannabis use (more than alcohol use) were associated with this in adolescents. https://bmcpsychiatry.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-244X-13-328 Clue: Note that modern ‘cannabis’ is frequently very potent THC with little to no calming CBD and that can be directly ‘causal’ in schizophrenia like thinking which can include paranoia and extreme anxiety and lead to social disengagement.

• This issue is frequently treated as if it is a once in lifetime feeling rather than an everyday issue that is not about ‘attention-seeking’, instead is internally, physically related to body chemistry whether we call it ‘imbalance’ or lack of magnesium, glycine, serine, and lack of 2-AG/CBD in ratio to anandamide/THC. Alcoholism may be related but angry outbursts might be seen prior to or instead of self-harm which may occur at later stages of chronic alcoholism.

• If something is viewed as rare and unusual, but is happening everyday within a youth’s mind, will it be easy for the youth to discuss with a counselor, peer, or doctor? Would it be easy for an adult either? Would it be confusing for the individual to have uncomfortable feelings every day, but be told that it is considered rare and highly unusual and maybe they are just seeking attention? Would that message lead them to talk even less about it, even though still feeling that way everyday?

• How is poor sleep, gut microbiome and depression related? (Clue: poor gut absorption of magnesium.)

• Teens need ten hours of sleep on average, similar to toddlers, because they are in a rapid growth phase of life. Clue - this issue is related to teens getting less than ten hours of sleep per night on a regular basis. Clue - bus schedules favor littler children riding to school at later times in the morning than teens.

• Is this an easy issue to discuss? No, not really. Is it a simple problem of social skills or poverty or poor parenting? No, not really.

• How do sunshine and EMF and blue light screen time fit in the picture?

• Not a very fun game, sorry.

• Grab an apple, skin on, it calms histamine excess, organic apples preferred but in an emergency, any apple may help. Pomegranate would help too, or niacin.

Isaac Newton under an apple tree. Substack AI generated, Paint mode.

“In a Norwegian study, Larsson & Sund assessed 2,464 adolescents aged 12–15 years over a one year period [21]. Lifetime rates of self-harm without suicidal intent were 3%. Those who self-harmed were more likely to be girls, have more depressive symptoms and somatic problems, smoke cigarettes and know someone who had self-harmed. In Sweden, Lundh et al. assessed a community sample of 1052 young adolescents aged 13–15 years twice over a two year period [22]. Using a 9-item self-harm inventory 45.1% of girls and 37.9% of boys reported at least one episode of self-harm during the past 6 months. Depressive symptoms at time one predicted the incidence of new cases of repeated self-harm at time two. Subsequent analyses explored risk factors for developing self-harm [23, 24]. There was evidence of a bi-directional relationship between depressive symptoms and repeated self-harm in girls but not boys [23]. Poor sleep was also a risk factor for the development of self-harm over a one year period [24]. In terms of remission, 22.7% of those who engaged in repeat self-harm at baseline were no longer self-harming one year later [23].” In a Norwegian study, Larsson & Sund assessed 2,464 adolescents aged 12–15 years over a one year period [21]. Lifetime rates of self-harm without suicidal intent were 3%. Those who self-harmed were more likely to be girls, have more depressive symptoms and somatic problems, smoke cigarettes and know someone who had self-harmed. In Sweden, Lundh et al. assessed a community sample of 1052 young adolescents aged 13–15 years twice over a two year period [22]. Using a 9-item self-harm inventory 45.1% of girls and 37.9% of boys reported at least one episode of self-harm during the past 6 months. Depressive symptoms at time one predicted the incidence of new cases of repeated self-harm at time two. Subsequent analyses explored risk factors for developing self-harm [23, 24]. There was evidence of a bi-directional relationship between depressive symptoms and repeated self-harm in girls but not boys [23]. Poor sleep was also a risk factor for the development of self-harm over a one year period [24]. In terms of remission, 22.7% of those who engaged in repeat self-harm at baseline were no longer self-harming one year later [23].

https://bmcpsychiatry.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-244X-13-328

More on BHMT is in this other prototype document, with more sections planned: Presidential Material? a short story I wrote in 1984 and found recently. I forgot writing it, or forgot the details of it and odd, quite odd, predictive programming that I wrote myself? odd…. and endocannabinoid metabolism gene effects on anxiety or klutziness. (Dropbox).

Disclaimer: This information is being shared for educational purposes within the guidelines of Fair Use and is not intended to provide individual health care guidance.