health Matters
Gut-Brain Connection
What Is It & How To Support It
by Dr. Thomas K. Lo, Advanced Chiropractic & Nutritional Healing Center
You’ve probably used the phrases: “I have butterflies in my stomach,” “I have a gut feeling about this,” and “There’s a pit in my stomach.” Have you ever wondered why so many of these sayings involve our brains and stomach? The answer is the gut-brain connection.
The more we learn about the human gut, or the gut microbiome, the more it’s clear that it really is our “second brain.”
Turns out, science is discovering that the connection between our guts and our emotions is a strong one.
The microbes in the gut play a significant role in human body function. The gut microbiome is responsible for everyday functions, including digestion and nutrient absorption.
The gut and brain work in a bi-directional manner, which means that gut health can impact stress, anxiety, depression, and cognition.
Scientific studies show that the gut is home to the enteric nervous system (ENS). Separate from the central nervous system, the ENS is made up of two thin layers with more than 100 million nerve cells in them—more than the spinal cord.
These cells line the gastrointestinal tract, controlling blood flow and secretions to help the gastrointestinal tract digest food. They also help us “feel” what’s happening inside the gut, since this second brain is behind the mechanics of food digestion.
While the second brain doesn’t get involved in thought processes like political debates or theological reflection, studies suggest that it does control behavior on its own.
Instead of having to “direct” digestion through the spinal cord and into the brain and back, we developed an on-site brain that could handle things closer to the source.
The Impact on Depression
The gut microbiome appears to play a role in depression. The microflora has proved to benefit mental health by enhancing the microbiome content in our GI systems.
Researchers have learned that healthy gut microflora transmits brain signals through pathways that are involved in brain neuron formation and behavioral control. They also have proved that inflammation affects the brain and how someone thinks.
More than 20 percent of inflammatory bowel disease patients exhibit depressed behaviors.
One study illustrated how the gut and brain are connected through studying the effects of probiotics on patients with irritable bowel syndrome and depression.
Researchers found that twice as many patients saw improvements from depression when they took a probiotic as compared to the other patients who took a placebo.
Studies have also shown that patients with inflammatory diseases are prone to depression. The theory is that a dysregulation of the pathways involved in the gut-brain axis is responsible for this phenomenon.
Impact on Anxiety
We know that gut health influences anxiety and the body’s response to stress as part of the brain-gut connection. Our bodies respond to stress with a “fight or flight system,” related to our cortisol levels, which is ruled by the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis.
When something scary or worrying happens, like someone unexpectedly jumps in front of you, you have a physical reaction.
Typically, if you’re in a stressful situation that is then diffused, your body goes back to normal. However, if you’re constantly stressed, your body is stuck in that fight or flight phase over an extended period.
The critical part is that our bodies are unable to distinguish between physical and mental stress. Thus, your body responds the same way if a bear shows up in your home as it does when you realize you hate your job.
This constant state of stress causes chronic inflammation. The body reacts to stress as a type of infection and tries to overcome it.
Because inflammation is at the root of many diseases, this exposure to prolonged stress can have serious consequences for your health, ranging from high blood pressure to autoimmune disorders.
Natural Ways to Improve Your Gut-Brain Connection
While there’s still much to uncover about the gut and all it affects, there are a few things you can do to improve your gut-brain connection.
Whole Foods Diet
A whole foods-based diet leads to a gut with a much different makeup than one that’s been fed mainly refined and processed foods. Even worse, ultra-processed foods—like white bread, chips, and snack cakes—make up nearly 60 percent of the average American’s diet.
The added sugar found in processed foods, often disguised as different types of artificial sweeteners, are responsible for a variety of health conditions, from obesity to type 2 diabetes and migraines.
Eat Probiotic-Rich Foods
Eating probiotic-rich foods, like kefir, Kimchi, and sauerkraut, can also cause your gut and mood to thrive. Probiotics are good bacteria that primarily line your gut and are responsible for nutrient absorption and supporting your immune system.
Limit Gluten
For many people, limiting gluten can also have a positive effect on the gut microbiome. The traditional methods of soaking, sprouting, and souring grains to make them digestible and nutritious have been abandoned for fast and convenient methods of mass-producing food, and our guts have taken the brunt of it.
Eat Healthy Fats
Healthy fats are essential for brain development. Olive oil, for instance, includes a high amount of antioxidants that protect your cells from damage. It also helps improve memory and cognitive function, and it works as an anti-inflammatory.
Avocado benefits range from protecting your heart to helping with digestion, and it’s also a great pick for improving your mood.
In addition, high-protein foods—both from animals and plants—have been found to support and enhance the gut-brain connection.
Add Mushrooms to Your Diet
Add mushrooms to your diet, like the shiitake mushroom, which contains plenty of vitamin B6. Because vitamin B6 impacts the production of serotonin and neurotransmitters, healthy B6 levels are associated with a positive mood and reducing stress naturally.
It’s also been shown to effectively treat mood disorders like depression in animal research.
Eat Nuts
Eat small handfuls of nuts, like macadamia, cashews, walnuts, and Brazil nuts.
Research shows they’re full of serotonin, a feel-good chemical that’s in short supply when you’re depressed.
Eat Sesame Seeds
Sesame seeds are a great source of tyrosine, an amino acid that boosts the brain’s dopamine levels. It kicks the feel-good hormone into high gear while balancing out the others.
Increase Fiber & Prebiotic Intake
Increasing fiber and prebiotic intake can significantly enhance the gut-brain connection.
Fiber and prebiotics promote the growth of beneficial gut bacteria, which produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) like butyrate. SCFAs help maintain the integrity of the gut barrier and reduce inflammation, which is crucial for proper gut-brain communication.
A diet rich in fiber and prebiotics has been associated with improved cognitive function and reduced risk of neurological disorders.
Quit Smoking
Quitting smoking can have a positive impact on the gut-brain axis because smoking alters the gut microbiome composition, reducing beneficial bacteria and increasing potentially harmful ones.
Quitting smoking allows the gut microbiome to recover, potentially improving gut barrier function and reducing inflammation. Improved gut health after smoking cessation may contribute to better mental health outcomes and reduced risk of neurological disorders.
Reduce Alcohol Consumption
Reducing alcohol consumption can significantly benefit the gut-brain connection since chronic alcohol use disrupts the gut microbiome balance and increases intestinal permeability, leading to inflammation and potential neuroinflammation.
Alcohol reduction or abstinence can help restore gut microbiome diversity and improve gut barrier function.
We don’t have all the answers, but one thing is for certain: Our bodies and minds are much more connected than we believed.
If you are struggling with health issues, call the Advanced Chiropractic & Nutritional Healing Center at 240-651-1650 for a free consultation. Dr. Lo uses Nutritional Response Testing® to analyze the body to determine the underlying causes of ill or non-optimum health. The office is located at 7310 Grove Road #107, Frederick, MD.
Check out the website at www.doctorlo.com. senior Centers
