Lipopolysaccharides or LPS are bacterial toxins that can health issues if they reach the bloodstream. Normally housed safely in the gut, lipopolysaccharides can enter the blood if you have an infection, \u201cleaky gut\u201d, or eat too many fatty foods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Read on to learn about the potential health risks of lipopolysaccharides and which factors may help reduce them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
The conditions we discuss here are commonly associated with high LPS levels, but this single symptom is not enough for a diagnosis. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Because they have been studied in cohort studies, we cannot conclude for certain that high LPS levels caused <\/em>these conditions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Work with your doctor to discover what underlying condition might be causing your high LPS levels and to develop an appropriate plan to improve your health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fatigue is reliably caused in humans by the administration of LPS<\/strong>, as part of LPS-induced \u201csickness behavior\u201d [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n\n\n\n LPS increased fatigue and inflammation (TNF-a, IL-6) in a small trial with 11 healthy participants. Pre-treatment with citalopram (SSRI) prevented the increase in fatigue [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n\n\n\n In studies of 168 patients, LPS levels were greater in those with<\/strong> chronic fatigue syndrome<\/strong><\/a> and were associated with symptom severity, including fatigue, concentration problems, and failing memory<\/strong> [R<\/a>, R<\/a>].<\/p>\n\n\n\n In a small trial on 20 healthy men, intravenous LPS impaired verbal and nonverbal memory and increased <\/strong>anxiety<\/strong><\/a> and <\/strong>depression<\/strong><\/a>. Inflammatory cytokine secretion was associated with a decrease in memory performance [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n\n\n\n Administration of LPS increased anxiety, depression, cortisol<\/a>, and blood norepinephrine<\/a> in another trial on 34 men. Low-dose LPS impaired long-term memory, while high-dose LPS increased reaction time. The authors stated that inflammation may increase short-term alertness, although this is speculative on their part [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n\n\n\n In a clinical trial on 115 healthy people, LPS decreased participants\u2019 ability to accurately understand the emotional state of a person by looking at their eyes<\/strong> [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n\n\n\n In a small trial on 18 men, LPS administration worsened mood and increased anxiety. LPS also increased the activation of the right inferior orbitofrontal cortex in response to emotional visual stimuli. This brain region is associated with fear and anger recognition, so increased activity may have increased negative emotions towards the stimuli [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n\n\n\n LPS administration consistently increased depression<\/strong> in numerous studies [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n\n\n\n Injection of LPS increased feelings of social disconnection, depression<\/strong>, and inflammation (IL-6, TNF-a) in a trial of 39 participants [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n\n\n\n TNF-alpha<\/a> production is increased in the hippocampus of animals after LPS injection. This activation of immune cells in the brain is believed to contribute significantly to the selective brain cell injury associated with depression [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n\n\n\n In a study of 9 participants, glucose metabolism (energy use) was increased in the insula and decreased in the cingulate cortex due to LPS-induced inflammation [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n\n\n\n The insula is associated with negative emotions, while the cingulate is associated with positive mood. Thus, increased energy use by the insula and reduced energy use by the cingulate may both promote negative feelings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n LPS increased fatigue and decreased vigor and social interest in a trial on 10 healthy people [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n\n\n\n Injection of LPS increased depressed mood and lowered the brain response to monetary reward cues (decreased ventral striatum activity) in a clinical trial on 39 people [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n\n\n\n In animals, LPS consistently lowered preference for palatable foods, stimulation-seeking behavior, and exploration of new environments<\/strong> [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n\n\n\n LPS disrupted <\/strong>sleep<\/strong><\/a> and lowered REM sleep in healthy humans<\/strong> [R<\/a>, R<\/a>].<\/p>\n\n\n\n LPS also lowered non-REM sleep and increased sleepiness during the day in a study of 10 men [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n\n\n\n1) Fatigue<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
2) Poor Memory<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
3) Anxiety and Low Empathy<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
4) Depression and Social Disconnection<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
5) Inability to Experience Pleasure<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
6) Disturbed Sleep<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n