The English language has many interesting expressions around the gut. Some of them are “it was a gut feeling”, “it was a gut-wrenching experience”, “felt sick to the stomach”, “feeling nauseous”, “my gut was in my mouth” etc.
So also, in India, traditional wisdom around health and diet has some interesting practices. Some of them are – eating curds before leaving home for an important event, not eating anything fried or spicy on the day of an exam, eating almonds for better memory, avoiding consumption of meat on certain days, having a light dinner, eating curd rice at the end of every meal, etc.
All of the above expressions and practices endorse, or emphasize what scientists are appreciating better, in the last couple of decades – which is – the gut-brain connection! One of our earlier articles “7 signs of an unhealthy gut” explored how an unhealthy gut can affect psychological or cognitive health. In this article, we will explore the gut-brain connection a little more.
The gut, which is a collective expression for the digestive tract (excluding the mouth), is rich in microorganisms that affect our health in different ways. There are over 500 species of microorganisms collectively called the microbiome and the individual species – microbiota.
So it’s now acknowledged that gastrointestinal conditions like constipation, distension (swollen abdomen), nausea, diarrhea, gas and bloated sensation can be influenced by psychological conditions like anxiety, depression and stress. The connection works the other way too. Poor gut health caused by poor eating habits can affect one’s mental health causing irritability, anxiety, anger issues and depression.
So one can easily conclude that there is a clear neurological channel between the gut and brain. Scientists have even given a name for this – the gut-brain axis.
Bio-chemically speaking, the gut-brain axis is comprised of and influenced by five different factors.
The central nervous system comprises the brain, spinal cord and a vast network of major and minor nerves that carry signals from and to the brain, and different parts of the body.
Neural pathways between the gut and brain are not the only channel of communication between the gut and brain. There are chemicals secreted by the brain or gut which establish a conversation and these chemicals are called neurotransmitters.
Neurotransmitters are not the only chemicals produced by the body. The 500 species which amount to trillions of microbes also produce chemicals that affect the brain.
The gut-brain axis has a direct connection to our immune system. Toxins and pathogens that get into our body from food, water and air are filtered by the immune system and the gut barrier. The immune system attacks pathogens and reduces the effect of toxins. The gut barrier prevents toxins from leaking into the blood from the gut. If the immune system is constantly stressed by harmful chemicals and toxins in the body, it can lead to inflammation which is a major trigger for many health conditions. Gut microbes improve immunity and reduce inflammation.
Since its established that gut bacteria can affect mental health, consuming certain bacteria through food can improve mental health or relieve the symptoms of certain conditions. That is why, such bacteria are called Psychobiotics and are of two major types.
Incidentally, anti-biotics are medications or drugs that are targeted at a particular disease-causing strain of bacteria or virus. However, they also destroy some of the prebiotics and probiotics in our body, temporarily, which is why antibiotics are the last choice of medication for any condition.
If you repeatedly suffer from gastrointestinal or mental health issues, it’s time to consult a dietician or nutritionist at a reputed hospital. He/she will incorporate foods that are beneficial to your gut-brain axis, in your diet. This includes Omega-3 fats, fermented foods, high-fiber foods, tryptophan-rich foods and polyphenol-rich foods.
In addition to this, you may be interested to know that there are a whole lot of mind-body therapies aimed at improving the gut-brain connection, such as Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), medical hypnotherapy, anti-depressants, etc. This brings hope to millions of people worldwide, who routinely suffer from gastrointestinal or mental health issues.
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