The Low-Down on the Gut-Brain Axis and How Your Mental Health is Affected

The Low-Down on the Gut-Brain Axis and How Your Mental Health is Affected

If you missed the post on what gut health is, you’ll want to read this first. If you already know what gut health is but missed last week’s post, then you’ll want to read about the problem when our gut health is imbalanced here. And if you’ve already read those two posts, then you’re ready for today’s topic on the gut-brain axis and the influence of diet on gut health.

I’m a little late getting this post out today, but I wanted to be confident in what is said. I don’t want to unintentionally mislead you because I didn’t do enough research. This topic is very complicated and there are still a lot of unknowns, so I appreciate any grace you can give me. Let’s get to it!

The gut-brain axis and how your mental health is affected

Recap From the Past Two Weeks:

If you don’t have time to read the past few posts or need a reminder of what you’ve already read, here is a summary of the past two posts:

  • Gut health is the health of the trillions of microbes (bacteria) that live in your stomach down to the anus
  • The balance of these microbes (which are good bacteria) is key to limiting unnecessary inflammation and protecting our immune systems
  • Imbalanced gut bacteria very likely contribute to obesity, immune problems, autism, allergies, asthma, and mood and behavior problems
  • Delivering a baby via C-section, feeding formula instead of breastfeeding, and using antibiotics all negatively affect your gut health

Now that you’re all caught up, let’s talk about the gut-brain axis.

I’ve got a Gut Feeling About this…

We’re all aware that the mind is very powerful. But, did you know that your gut is also very powerful?

Our gut has about a 100 million nerve-endings in its walls, which is more than any other organ besides the brain. Because of this, the gut is considered by many as the second brain.

Have you ever had butterflies in your stomach? Lost your appetite when you were stressed, upset, or nervous? Or had a “gut feeling” before?

If you have, then you have experienced firsthand the connection between your brain and your gut. This is what is called the gut-brain axis. Meaning, there is constant communication between your brain and your gut. And what they talk about depends on the types and amounts of bacteria in your gut.

When you get nervous, your brain tells your gut. Your gut then shifts its focus on what you need to get through the nervousness.

If that isn’t cool enough… The bacteria in our gut are even responsible to produce hundreds of brain chemicals, like serotonin (the “feel-good” drug) and dopamine (pain and pleasure messenger).

So, the balance of the bacteria in your gut is even important in maintaining your mental health.

All About that Gut-Brain Axis

As more research is being done, the link between gut health and the ability to manage stress and anxiety is getting stronger. Also, the link between gut health and depression is getting clearer.

Over the past few decades, depression and other mood disorders (and even Alzheimer’s and dementia) have been shown to be related to inflammation. As we talked about last week, inflammation is a consequence of gut bacteria imbalance.

Some studies have shown a decrease in depression and mood disorders when gut health is restored. This does not necessarily mean that an unhealthy gut causes depression and various mood disorders. But, we can’t deny that there is something going on between our gut health (or lack of) and our mental state.

It Always Comes Back to Diet

One well-known and well-supported theory is that our diet is the cause of gut bacteria imbalance and resulting inflammation.

Just like us, our gut bacteria need food to survive. And they all don’t eat the same thing.

Each type of bacteria eats a specific group of foods. Eating a diet high in sugar and white flour encourages certain bacteria in our gut to flourish and others to be suppressed. Eating a diet high in fat encourages other types of bacteria to flourish over the rest.

What we eat determines what types of bacteria are more dominant in our gut.

The reason we may be seeing rises in inflammation-related diseases (autoimmune, cancer, depression, diabetes, etc.) is most likely because we are eating foods that the inflammation-making bacteria in our gut eat.

This is why dietitians recommend eating a balanced diet that includes all food groups in moderate amounts. To keep our gut balanced, we have to eat a variety of things to make sure one type of bacteria is not overcoming another and harming us. Balance is key!

This is also why there is a push for people to eat more vegetables, fruit, and fiber. These foods are known to help balance our gut bacteria. Vegetables and fruits provide much-needed nutrients to our gut, and the fiber in vegetables, fruits, and whole grains feeds the gut bacteria.

Eating food that gut bacteria can eat is important because when we don’t provide our gut bacteria with food it can eat, it then eats the protective barrier lining our gut. This is definitely a bad thing and can lead to a bunch of problems.

Cutting out whole food groups (i.e. carbs or fat) from your diet can also imbalance your gut bacteria. So, it is essential to eat a variety of foods to balance your gut bacteria.

We have talked about the problems and causes of gut bacteria imbalance. Next, we will dig into what you can do now to prevent or fix an imbalance.

I’m currently seeking how you can tell if you have an imbalance, and what you can do to restore your gut health. Knowing all this about gut health is great, but it’s meaningless if you can’t do something about it.

Join me next week to find out what you can do to restore your gut health and prevent an imbalance.

 

 

I’d love to hear what you think about this post. Feel free to comment with your thoughts below!

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