The Gut Brain Connection: How A Healthy Gut Supports You

It’s common to think of bacteria and other microbes as invisible supervillains, but most of them aren’t. In recent years, scientists have begun to uncover the beautiful and symbiotic ways that these little life forms nurture and protect us, especially in the gut.

How Gut Health Equals People Health

Warm, moist, and supplied with nutrients daily, the human gastrointestinal tract provides a welcoming home to over one hundred trillion microbial cells, equating to a whopping five pounds of total body weight, which all contribute in a unique way to your health. Microbes in this complex system work to keep you healthier by digesting otherwise indigestible foods like fiber, producing antioxidants, secreting neurotransmitters that can affect mood and perceptions, modulating immune responses, and more. In this way, gut bacteria give back much more than they take.

The interaction between the brain and gut is so extensive that scientists have given it a name: the gut-brain axis. The GI tract is lined with special cells that relay neurotransmitters produced by gut bacteria back to the brain, as well as information on general changes and the condition of the gut. It is estimated that at least 95% of serotonin, the neurotransmitter commonly associated with joy, is produced in the gut and relayed in this way. This example indicates that processes like mood and emotions (that were once believed to only exist as part of the brain) are now shown to be highly related to gut health. The gut also plays a large role in immune responses and inflammation—studies have shown that imbalances in its microbiome are correlated with increased general inflammation, which is a major contributor to aging (often called inflammaging), arthritis, and chronic diseases (Wastyk et al.).

What You Can Do to Support Your Gut

Clearly, maintaining gut health is important. Here are a few tips to keep it in tip-top shape:

• Eat fermented foods: Plain yoghurt, kefir, sauerkraut, and other fermented foods have been shown to increase the size of the microbiome and promote healthy immune function, even more so than supplementing with additional fiber to your diet (Wastyk et al.). However, eating enough fiber is still a good idea.
• Limit artificial sweeteners: Some animal studies indicate that artificial sweeteners disturb healthy gut function (Zheng et al.).
• Practice relaxation and stress reduction techniques: Self-care techniques like deep, conscious breathing, progressive relaxation, exercise, being creative, and more are potent at decreasing stress and promoting well-being. Since stress can negatively affect gut health, practicing self-care can help everything to run optimally.

Conclusion

The gut-brain axis and the gut microbiota are newly emerging and highly promising fields of research that play a large role in many different aspects of your well-being. If you’re interested in working with a practitioner who specializes in this realm, take a look at our practitioner directory under the area of focus “Digestive Health.”