‘Hacking’ the microbiome for cold weather adaptation

Did you know that the tiny microbes living in your gut play a massive role in how your body reacts to cold weather?

When exposed to cold, our gut microbiota undergoes a shift, creating what’s known as the ‘cold microbiota’. The cold microbiota is an adaption to cold that boost our insulin sensitivity and help us tolerate colder temperatures

The cold microbiota promotes the browning of white fat, which means it helps convert fat into energy, increasing our energy expenditure and aiding in fat loss.🔥💥

Studies show that when the cold microbiota is transplanted into germ-free mice, it boosts insulin sensitivity, promotes fat browning, ramps up energy expenditure, and aids in fat loss. This shift helps your body maintain energy balance, especially when it needs it most. It also helps you adapt to the cold

There’s a superstar bacterium that plays a crucial role when you’re exposed to cold. It helps regulate gut microbiota and triggers important changes in fat metabolism. We talk about it briefly in our recent fiber article — Akkermansia. By downregulating a specific protein called DUSP6, this bacteria promotes the production of a beneficial compound called UDCA that supports fat browning. This means more efficient energy use and adaptation to colder climates

There are many mechanisms. These are just a few

Your body actively shapes its gut microbiota through various factors like microRNAs, antimicrobial peptides, and as we will discuss, your diet.

How do we feed akkermansia

We already discussed a few ways to do this in the recent fiber article. If you haven’t read it yet, do that first. The main ones are HMO’s and fruit peels. Mainly apple peels. We’ll discuss some more specific approaches here today.

Here’s a simple strategy for ramping up your production of akkermansia and the ‘cold microbiome’

Week 1:

1. 1/4 tsp of pure HMO powder

2. 1/2 tsp of Dr. Formulated Organic Fiber (apple peel) Unflavored (Garden of life brand)

3. Green banana flour (Green banana flour is super high in resistant starch which will ramp up akk production). Any kind works. Start with 1/2 tsp

4. Take this along with one serving of Just Thrives sport based probiotic

5. 2-3 min ice bath. You can also use an ice pack on the stomach. You’ll do this 3-4x a week, with one day off in between. Preferably in the morning

You can take the fiber by itself or you can throw it in the shake outlined bellow

Week 2:

Follow the protocol as outlined above, but bump to 1/2 tsp HMO, 1 full tsp fiber and banana flour, and 4-5min for ice. Continue until you’re at 10min of ice, and 1 full tablespoon of fiber and 1 tsp of HMO’s

Another way to increase the production of akkeromansia is by increasing consumption of polyphenol rich foods. Particularly berries. polyphenol-rich extract from berries have been shown to improve metabolic syndrome through a prebiotic effect on akkremansia production

Any berries work but Frozen wild blueberries are the best. You can find them at stores like Whole Foods. wild blueberries are smaller, with a more pronounced skin-to-pulp ratio. They contain less water and more fiber and more antioxidant-rich pigments. Whole Foods often sell frozen Aronia berries which can also a fantastic addition

Throw these into a shake, along with the following ingredients and drink after cold exposure.

1. 1/2 avacodo

2. Sheeps or full fat yogurt

3. Ginger root

4. Spouted pumpkin seeds or a handful of walnuts

5. Collagen (optional)

6. Whey protein (optional)

7. 1/4 tsp sea salt

8. Green banana flour

9. Fiber

Do this for 1-2 months before winter or traveling to a cold climate!

PS: this will work a lot better if you’ve completed the fungal protocol