[Jeff Gerber]

Here’s another interesting twist and it leads to some interesting ideas for what else a person might try when they get sick with Norovirus or Rotavirus. It might be beneficial to consume things that lower gut pH and increase short chain fatty acids.

I asked, “Does viral gastroenteritis raise the pH of the gut?”

Copilot:

The short answer is: it can, but not always — and the effect is usually indirect.

Viral gastroenteritis (from norovirus, rotavirus, etc.) disrupts the gut environment in several ways that can shift pH, but the direction of change depends on what’s happening in the microbiome and with digestion.

🔬 Mechanisms That Can Raise Gut pH

• Loss of acid-producing bacteria – Beneficial microbes like Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus produce lactic acid and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) that keep the colon slightly acidic (pH ~5.5–6.5). Vomiting and diarrhea can flush these microbes out, reducing acid production and allowing pH to drift upward toward neutral.
• Reduced fermentation – If the infection damages the small intestine’s absorptive surface, undigested carbohydrates may not reach the colon in the same way, lowering SCFA output and raising pH.
• Bile acid malabsorption – Some viral infections temporarily impair bile reabsorption, and excess bile salts in the colon can increase luminal pH.

⚖️ Mechanisms That Can Lower Gut pH

• Malabsorption of carbohydrates – If sugars reach the colon in larger amounts, surviving bacteria may ferment them rapidly, producing more acids and lowering pH.
• Inflammatory response – Certain immune-mediated changes can favor acid-producing bacterial blooms in the short term.

📚 What Studies Suggest

• In rotavirus infections, animal and pediatric studies have shown a temporary rise in fecal pH during acute illness, often linked to loss of bifidobacteria and lactobacilli.
• In norovirus, data are more limited, but similar microbiome disruptions have been observed, suggesting pH could shift upward during or after infection.
• These pH changes are usually transient — as the microbiome recovers, SCFA production resumes and pH moves back toward its normal slightly acidic range.

🧠 Why This Matters

A higher gut pH during or after viral gastroenteritis can:

• Make the colon more hospitable to opportunistic pathogens
• Slow recovery of beneficial bacteria
• Alter immune signaling in the gut

This is one reason why restoring acid-producing microbes (through diet, prebiotics, or targeted probiotics) is often recommended after severe gastroenteritis.

Lowering gut pH and boosting short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) like butyrate, acetate, and propionate go hand in hand — because SCFAs themselves are acidic, and their production naturally shifts the colon toward a healthier, slightly acidic range (pH ~5.5–6.5).

Here’s a science-backed playbook for achieving both goals:

🥦 1. Feed the Right Microbes With Fermentable Fibers

• Resistant starches – e.g., cooked-and-cooled potatoes, green bananas, legumes, rice that’s been chilled. These are prime substrates for butyrate-producing bacteria.
• Soluble fibers – from oats (beta-glucan), psyllium husk, chia seeds, flaxseeds, and pectins in apples/citrus.
• Inulin & fructooligosaccharides (FOS) – found in onions, garlic, leeks, asparagus, Jerusalem artichokes. These selectively feed Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus, which lower pH via lactic acid and SCFA production.

🥛 2. Introduce Acid-Producing Probiotics

• Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus strains produce lactic acid, which can be cross-fed to butyrate producers like Faecalibacterium prausnitzii.
• Fermented foods (kefir, yogurt, sauerkraut, kimchi) can help reseed these populations after disruption.

🍠 3. Use Polyphenol-Rich Plant Foods

• Berries, cocoa, green tea, and colorful vegetables contain polyphenols that beneficial bacteria metabolize into acids, lowering pH and supporting SCFA producers.
• Polyphenols can also suppress pH-raising, proteolytic bacteria.

🥣 4. Moderate Protein & Emphasize Plant-Based Meals

• Excess protein fermentation tends to raise pH (producing ammonia and amines).
• Balancing protein with high-fiber plant foods shifts fermentation toward carbohydrate-derived SCFAs.

🧪 5. Consider Direct SCFA or Prebiotic Supplementation

• Butyrate salts (e.g., sodium butyrate) can directly acidify the colon and feed colonocytes.
• Prebiotic blends (resistant starch + inulin) have been shown to synergistically raise SCFA output and lower pH.

🚰 6. Support Microbial Cross-Feeding

• Pair lactic acid–producing bacteria with fiber that butyrate producers can use.
• Example: yogurt (lactate source) + oats (beta-glucan) → lactate converted to butyrate by secondary fermenters.

[Jeff Gerber]

The link above is broken because it contained extra characters. Here it is.

Hazan: Cholinergic eubiosis: A hypothesis on Ivermectin-upregulated Bifidobacterium

c19early.org

Hazan: Cholinergic eubiosis: A hypothesis on Ivermectin-upregulated Bifidobacterium

Hypothesis that ivermectin may increase beneficial Bifidobacterium populations in the gut through a "cholinergic eubiosis" mechanism. Authors..