A Healthy Gut for a Healthy Brain
For centuries, humans have been discussing and trying to understand the link between the gut and the brain. Today, it is clear that the health of your mind is dictated by what happens in your stomach. Whatever that takes place in the intestine directly affects the daily functioning of the brain. This gut-brain connection also determines one’s risk for various neurological conditions in future. All the human intestinal microbiome or organisms take part in a wide variety of body functioning including:
- Nutrient absorption
- Use of carbohydrates and fat
- Vitamins and neurotransmitter production
- Detoxification
- Inflammation
- Immunity
- Whether a person feels hungry or full
How is the gut connected to the brain?
We all know that emotions can directly affect and impact our stomach functions. Like when we feel frightened, and we may experience stomach pain or diarrhea due to stress.
The reason behind that feeling is that our brain communicated with our GI system. The gut, which is also known as our second brain, operates on its own and communicates back and forth with our actual brain. This gut-brain connection happens in two distinct ways:
- The physical association of gut and brain
- The gut is directly connected with the brain with vagus nerves. These nerves control messages to the heart, lungs and other vital organs.
- The chemical connection between gut and brain:
- Our gut is also connected with our mind through chemicals like neurotransmitters and hormones.
The entire physical and mental interaction between the gut and the brain can be affected by microorganisms (bacteria, fungi and viruses) that live inside our gut. Your gut microbiome may be beneficial, harmful or harmless. This microbiome also affects our libido, our mood, and even the clarity of our thoughts and our perception of the world. While in the case of the dysfunctional microbiome, we can experience anxiety, depression, headaches, less or no concentration, and even a more negative outlook on life.
How is the gut connected to the brain?
We all know that emotions can directly affect and impact our stomach functions. Like when we feel frightened, and we may experience stomach pain or diarrhea due to stress.
The reason behind that feeling is that our brain communicated with our GI system. The gut, which is also known as our second brain, operates on its own and communicates back and forth with our actual brain. This gut-brain connection happens in two distinct ways:
- The physical association of gut and brain
- The gut is directly connected with the brain with vagus nerves. These nerves control messages to the heart, lungs and other vital organs.
- The chemical connection between gut and brain:
- Our gut is also connected with our mind through chemicals like neurotransmitters and hormones.
The entire physical and mental interaction between the gut and the brain can be affected by microorganisms (bacteria, fungi and viruses) that live inside our gut. Your gut microbiome may be beneficial, harmful or harmless. This microbiome also affects our libido, our mood, and even the clarity of our thoughts and our perception of the world. While in the case of the dysfunctional microbiome, we can experience anxiety, depression, headaches, less or no concentration, and even a more negative outlook on life.
