How Food Affects Your Brain. Find Out The Gut-Brain Connection Now

The gut, our second brain, is a crucial organ in the body that has been largely overlooked in the past. In recent years, we have come to realize the importance of this organ and how it can affect mental health.

The gut-brain connection is how the health of your digestive system affects your mental health. This is called the gut-brain axis.

We all have gone through the feeling of butterflies in the stomach or before some big presentation or a gut feeling while waiting for good or dreaded news. This anticipation causes stomach upset or a nauseous feeling or stomach cramps etc.

Recent?neuroscience discoveries?in gut-brain communication have shown a complex, bidirectional communication system.

with numerous effects on motivation, and higher cognitive functions, including?intuitive decision making.

Our Gut is sensitive to emotion and triggers symptoms in our digestive tract upon emotional triggers like anger, depression, anxiety, etc.

The brain affects the stomach and gut directly. Our mouth starts to water by just thinking about our favorite food even before we eat it.

This relationship is reciprocal. A messed-up intestine can convey messages to the brain, just as a messed-up brain can do the same. As a result, stomach or intestinal discomfort might be the result or cause of anxiety, stress, melancholy. and vice versa.

What is the Gut-Brain Connection?

The gut-brain axis (GBA) connects the?central and enteric nervous systems in a bidirectional communication system. It connects the brain’s emotional and cognitive centers with the digestive system’s peripheral functions.

Our gut contains a lesser-known part of our nervous system also known as the?Enteric Nervous System.

The enteric nervous system is a network of nerves, neurons, and neurotransmitters that runs the length of the digestive tract, from the esophagus to the stomach and intestines, and down to the anus.

A recent study has shown the relevance of gut bacteria in affecting these interactions.

The gut is the home to trillions of bacteria that make up a microbiome. These bacteria are an essential part of bi-directional signaling between the gut and the brain.

Digestive issues such as IBS, celiac disease, Crohn’s, etc can cause mental health disorders because of the gut-brain axis.

The Enteric Nervous System

The size and complexity of the?Enteric?Nervous System?are not surprising given the challenges posed by the organism’s interface with its environment.

• It interfaces with our largest body surface, the intestinal surface area, which is approximately 100 times larger than the surface area of the skin.
• A new study in 2021?shows that the ENS with a?series of muscles tightening and relaxing in tandem aids in the flow of food and water through the digestive tract.
• The intestines by the act of the ENS efficiently absorb the nutrients from the food.
• Our Gut well has the largest population of microorganisms on all body surfaces.
• 100 trillion microorganisms from 40,000 species with 100 times the number of genes?containing more than 20 identified hormones.
• It has between 200 – 600 million neuron cells in our digestive tract from the esophagus to the anus.
• The ENS maintains a homeostatic balance between tolerance and immunity in the intestine.
• The gut contains 80% of the immune cells in the body.
• More than 40 diseases have been linked to a microbial imbalance in the gut from mental depression, arthritis to cancer.
• 80% of the body’s serotonin is stored in the gut which acts as a mood enhancer and promotes the feeling of happiness. It helps in communication with other nervous system cells and aids in digestion and sleeping.

Vagus Nerve and Gut-Brain Connection.

The vagus nerve is the longest of the cranial nerves and it originates in the brainstem. It runs through your neck, chest and connects the gut to the brain.

The vagus nerve is a major component of the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for slowing down our heart rate and controlling other involuntary actions such as breathing and digestion. The vagus nerve also regulates inflammation throughout the body.

The vagus nerve can detect the microbiota in the gut, transmit this information to the central nervous system.

The central autonomic network, and then provide an appropriate response.

Stress?suppresses the Vagus nerve, which has detrimental consequences on the gastrointestinal tract and microbiota. It is also involved in the pathogenesis of gastrointestinal illnesses like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), all of which are characterized by dysbiosis.

This study shows that the stimulation?of the vagus nerve helps in the corrections and improvement of major psychiatric disorders of depression and anxiety.

Gut Microbiota And The Brain

The gut microbiota is a complex ecosystem of billions of bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other microorganisms that live in the human digestive tract.

The gut microbiota is essential for human health. It influences the development of the immune system, the regulation of energy metabolism, and brain function. The composition of the gut microbiota can be altered by various factors such as diet, antibiotic use, or environmental exposure to toxins.

Your gut’s trillions of microbes also produce compounds that affect how your brain works.

When fiber is digested, SCFA is produced. SCFAs affect brain activity in a variety of ways, including?hunger suppression.

The microbiota’s role in controlling metabolic activity is now well understood, with?growing evidence pointing?to its participation in glucose and weight management. There have been proposed microbial signatures that enhance the risk of diabetes mellitus and obesity.

Gut and Social Behaviour

Microbes in the gastrointestinal tract have been shown to affect brain physiology and behavior. The gut microbiota can communicate with the brain via a variety of channels, according to research.

Animal?social behavior has been influenced simply by switching the microbiota?in the gut, according to these findings.

These findings imply that microbial signals are critical for healthy neurodevelopment and social behavior programming in the brain.

Because of the complicated interaction between animals and bacteria, it’s possible that microbes affected the evolution of the social brain and behavior as a way to spread their own genetic material.

Gut And Body Immflamation

The gut is a part of the body that is responsible for digesting food, absorbing nutrients, Keeping harmful microbes out, and producing hormones. Inflammation is a response to injury or infection in the body.

The gut is home to trillions of bacteria, which can be good or bad. These bacteria are responsible for digestion and they produce hormones that help regulate the immune system.

Your gut and gut microbes play a critical role in your immune system and inflammation by controlling what enters and exits the body.

Our gut and inflammation are closely related because inflammation can lead to stomach ulcers, diarrhea, constipation, bloating,?acid reflux (heartburn), and many other symptoms of an unhealthy gut.

Inflammation has been related to a range of brain disorders, including depression and Alzheimer’s disease, when your immune system is engaged for an extended length of time.

Prebiotics , Probiotics and Gut-Brain Axis

The Gut-brain axis is bidirectional communication between the gut and the brain. It is a complex system that regulates our mood, behavior, and digestion.

Probiotics are live bacteria that are good for our health when they are consumed in adequate amounts. They have been shown to have benefits in the gut-brain axis by reducing inflammation, improving mood, and preventing anxiety or depression.

Probiotics that affect the brain?are often referred to as “psychobiotic.

In this study, the Beck Depression Inventory, insulin, the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance, hs-CRP concentrations, and glutathione concentrations all improved after 8 weeks of probiotic therapy in Major Depression Disorder?patients.

Prebiotics are a type of dietary fiber that can be found in a variety of foods. They help promote the growth and/or activity of good bacteria in our gut.

One study in which a prebiotic B-GOS?was administered for 3 weeks showed a significant reduction in the stress hormone cortisol.

Best Nutrition for a Healthy Gut-Brain Connection.

• Omega-3 fatty Acids:- are found in fatty fish, as well as in large amounts in the human brain. Omega-3s have been shown in human and animal studies to enhance beneficial bacteria in the gut and lessen the incidence of brain problems
• High?fiber foods:- They are found in whole grains, nuts, seeds, fruits, and vegetables, and are beneficial to your gut bacteria. In humans, prebiotics can lower stress hormone levels?
• Lactic acid:– Yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, and cheese, among other fermented foods, are rich in lactic acid bacteria. It’s been proven fermented foods impact brain activity.
• Polyphenol-rich foods: Polyphenols, which are plant compounds absorbed by your gut bacteria, are found in cocoa, green tea, olive oil, and coffee. Polyphenols boost gut microbes and may help with cognition.
• Foods high in tryptophan include: Tryptophan is an amino acid that is turned into serotonin, which is a neurotransmitter. Turkey, eggs, and cheese are among the foods high in tryptophan.

Conclusion about the Gut-Brain Connection & How It Impacts Mental Health

The gut-brain connection is a relatively new field of study. But it has been shown that the gut plays a significant role in mental health.

The connection between the microbiome and mental health is an important subject to study. The microbiome is a complex ecosystem of bacteria that lives in our intestines. It has been found from various research papers & studies that this microbiome can have an effect on our mood, behavior, cognition and even treat many mental and metabolic disorders

This doesn’t mean that we should neglect the importance of environmental factors or genetics on mental health as well as physical factors such as diet and exercise. But it does show how important the gut-brain connection is for overall well-being and how it can be improved by changing our diet or taking probiotics (which are live bacteria).

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