1. NUTRITION IN LYME
and
TICK INFECTIONS
Martin D. Fried, MD, FAAP,
ABPNS
Physician Nutrition Specialist
3200 Sunset Ave Suite 100
Ocean, NJ 07712
www.healthydays.info

2. Inflammed Stomach
Nodularity Gastritis

3. Leaky Gut from Infection
• Gastritis with foreign protein
leaking into the blood stream
• Examples of immune activation
psoriasis,
IBD, Celiac
Neovascular rashes

4. Inflammation causes
permeable gut
Foreign proteins to
immune system
Crohn’s, Colitis,
Celiac

6. Psoriasis

7. Immune/Autoimmune
• Crohn’s, Celiac, Ulcerative Colitis
• Lyme, Bartonella, Mycoplasma
• Inflammatory mediators include:
Tumor necrosis factor
interleukins 2, 6, 10

8. Immune Activation
Neovascular Rash

9. SNAKE LIKE = INFECTION

10. Nutritional Goals
• Minimize Nutritional Risk
• Provide Nutrition
• enhance absorption and tolerance
• Maintain intestinal integrity
• Favorably alter intestinal flora
• Regulate immune system favorably
• Address fatigue and obesity

11. Nutritional Goals
• Minimize nutritional risk by providing:
adequate calories, protein,
carbohydrates
healthy fats, vitamins
and minerals

12. Provide Nutrition to Enhance
Absorption and Tolerance
• Whey verses Casein properties of milk
• Whey empties faster (reference 1)
• Casein delays gastric emptying
• In cases of Neurologic conditions affecting
gut motility, whey protein is preferred
• Mixture of protein sizes of varying length
helps absorption due to dual transport of
Proteins (reference 2)

13. Lyme and IBD, Celiac
• Genetic predisposition
• Environmental trigger (infection)
• albumin, protein absorption, folate
• Calcium and fat
• Consider Zinc and Iron deficiencies
(references 3-6)

14. Immune Activation
Scalp Psoriasis to…….. Crohn’s Disease

15. Canker Sore

16. Inflammatory Ulcers

17. Colon Ulcers

18. Colitis

19. Celiac vs Food Intolerance
• Celiac is Autoimmune to wheat, rye,
barley
• Gluten, Genetics and Environment
• Allergy is IgE mediated
• Celiac is non IgE mediated

20. Celiac Disease
Enzymes lost in disease malabsorption affected:
Lactase milk sugar
Sucrase table sugar
Maltase Simple starch
Glucoamylase Complex starch as rice

21. Maintain Intestinal Integrity
• Iron, Zinc, Albumin
• Fat soluble vitamins A,D,E,K (refer 4-7)
• B12 malabsorption in ileum

22. Alter GI Flora Favorably
• Minimize Clostridium difficile - colitis
• Reduce Candida albicans – yeast overgrowth
• Short chained Fructoligosaccharides (scFOS)
• Promote growth of Bifidobacteria
• Lactobacillus acidophillus

23. Clostridium difficile
• C. difficile is normal bacterial flora
• Antibiotics kill lactobacilli, bifidobacter
• C. difficile overgrowth occurs
• C. difficile elicits – Toxin A and Toxin B
• Pseudomembranous colits
• Treat with Metronidazole and
pre/probiotics

24. Pseudomembranous Colitis

25. Candida Albicans
• Normal Flora Yeast
• Antibiotics kills Normal Flora
• Yeast overgrowth occurs
• Diet to produce lactobacillus,
bifidobacteria
• Short chained fructooligosaccharides
(FOS)

26. Probiotics
• > 90% killed by stomach acid
• Lactobacillus
• Bifidobacter

27. Prebiotics
• Natural Carbohydrates not digested
by : amylase, sucrase and maltase
• scFOS
• Sources include banana, garlic,
onion, leeks, whole wheat, asparagus
and tomato products

28. Keeps yeast and C difficile in check
Lowers the pH in the colon
Acidic environment is bifidogenic

29. Foods with sc FOS
• Soluble Fiber in Fruits and
Vegetables
• Fermented in colon to short chain
Fatty acids by normal colonic flora
(refer 8,9)
• banana onions
• garlic asparagus
• Barley wheat

30. Immune Supression
ACNE progresses to….. THIRD DEGREE BURN

31. Down regulate Inflammation
• Omega three oils are anti-inflammatory
• Salmon, tuna, herring, walnuts, almonds
• Omega six oils are inflammatory

32. Obesity
• Inactivity, joint pains, malaise, fatigue
• High caloric foods… leads to………….

33. Gallstones

34. Insulin Resistance

35. Fatty Liver

36. Sleep Apnea

37. Conclusions
• Lyme, Bartonella, Mycoplasma cause
inflammation and changes in the GI
tract
• Prevent yeast, c. difficile overgrowth
with prebiotics and probiotics
• Address specific nutritional
deficiencies
• Consider omega three foods to down

38. References
• 1) J Pediatr 1992;120:569-572
• 2)Ann Rev Physiol 2004; 66:361-384
• 3) J Ped Gastroenterol Nutr 1985;4:45-51
• 4) Am J Physiol 1995;268
• 5) Am J Physiol 1999;277
• 6) Ann Surg 1996; 223:316-333
• 7) J Nutr 2001; 131:2157-2163
• 8) Lancet 1993; 342:1266-1268
• 9) Am J Gastroenterol 1990;85:1307-1312