Does our Gut bacteria have a role to play in mental health & depression?

Our colon is home to trillions of micro-organisms that make an ecosystem of gut microbiomes. By releasing nutrients in your bloodstream as well as keeping pathogens off the hook, our gut microbiota plays a key role in communicating with our brain & maintaining overall mental health

When we are stressed or tensed, uro body goes through a series of changes wherein all energy & resources are directly towards the brain & muscles. Stress makes our body release cortisol. Our Immune System signals our gut/colon that the body is being attached & as a result our gut shuts down the digestive system, resulting in inflammation, bloating & digestive issues. This has direct impact on our gut bacteria

Besides, imbalance in our gut bacteria, also referred to as gut dysbiosis, directly impacts your mood since 90% of serotonin is produced by our gut. This happens because when our gut is out of balance, our immune system is out of balance & it creates low grade inflammation. This makes us feel depressed , stressed & creates anxiety. This is a vicious circle & ultimately results in chronic inflammation. Let us discuss at length how gut bacteria, depression & mental health are linked.

1. Gut bacteria & Vagus Nerve

Our brain & gut are connected through the vagus nerve, one of the major components of the autonomic nervous system, that enables us to breathe, digest & swallow food automatically. This nerve enables 2 way communication between brain & gut. This two way connection & communication between gut & brain plays a vital role in our mental health & either makes us feel happy or depressed. Ultimately gut dysbiosis directly impacts our brain functioning & a drive us towards mental illness & can even cause irritable bowel syndrome( since gut imbalance leads to digestive issues). Basic functions of vagus nerve include: 

• Motility: Helps food move through digestive tract
• Stimulates the release of digestive enzymes(digestion)
• Communicates satiety to brain ( Appetite)

2. Gut & Brain: bidirectional communication

  Gut bacteria breaks down food- Microbiota accessible carbohydrates(MAC) consisting of resistant starch & dietary fibre & release metabolites such as short chain fatty acids( Butyrate- one of the most important one). Remember if you eat a high fat or high protein diet, your gut bacteria will release toxins & lipopolysaccharides(LPS) as metabolites that can lead to inflammation & have a negative impact on brain functions. The short chain fatty acids are detected by nerves which sends data to the brain that stimulates regulation of digestive processes. If your vagus nerve is impacted by stress, your body cannot deal effectively with inflammation that directly impacts your gut & overall digestive system.

3. Gut Bacteria & depression

  Having a balanced & diverse gut bacteria is key to maintaining overall holistic health. If your gut is out of balance, opportunistic or bad bacteria can take advantage & result in inflammation. Even good bacteria can lead to inflammation if they are sitting in the wrong places or there is bacteria overgrowth in the small intestine(SIBO). Since your body does not need opportunistic bacteria or good bacteria at wrong places or excess bacteria, it alerts the immune system & this results in inflammation. This inflammation makes people feel stressed & depressed & vice versa. Having a diverse gut microbiome can help you keep inflammation at bay & hence improve our mental health. Having a gut friendly plant based diet is one of the important ways to improve the diversity of our gut microbiome.

4. The butyrate effect

Butyrate is one the most important short chain fatty acids which is released by our gut when we eat plant based food such as fibre, nuts & seeds, resistant starch, wholegrain & legumes. Butyrate is the main source of fuel for cells of your gut lining & hence keeps the intestinal barrier intact. It helps to prevent inflammation & aids in growth of new cells. However, if your gut is imbalanced, your body will produce less of Butyrate & increase your chances of attracting inflammation. Having a diet high in prebiotic can help you improve Butyrate production & positively impact your overall holistic health including mental health.

5. Probiotics & Depression

Probiotics- live bacteria that we consume through foods such as yoghurt, kefir & Sauerkraut provides numerous health benefits including for the brain. Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, and overall health. Probiotics keeps gut bacteria balanced, minimises the risk of attracting inflammation, makes beneficial bacteria thrive & improves Butyrate production. Having a diet rich in probiotics improves our mental health too.

6. Eat Prebiotics to feed probiotic bacteria

Consumption of prebiotic & probiotics should go hand in hand in order to make bacteria work in favor of your health. Prebiotic acts as food for probiotics. Prebiotics are substances found in plant based foods which nourish our gut bacteria. Diet rich in prebiotics, polyphenols & resistant starch helps feed beneficial bacteria & assist them in releasing short chain fatty acids & vitamins. Consuming prebiotics is associated with reduced anxiety. Some of the important foods rich in prebiotic include:

7. Gut microbes drives development of happy hormones

Short chain fatty acids communicate with cells that facilitate production of serotonin that regulates your food, anxiety & level of happiness. Essentially, your gut microbes help your body to produce more serotonin. Another neurotransmitter GABA regulates & improves mood because it helps to calm the nervous system & switch off stress reactions. Some Probiotic bacteria can produce GABA themselves for their body. Your diet can help you gut bacteria promote mental well being & this leads to more happy bacteria. When your diet feeds beneficial bacteria, your gut microbiome is more diverse & produces improved mood chemicals such as GABA & Serotonin.

Gut dysbiosis, which leads to inflammation, is associated with many diseases, including mood disorders like depression, stress & anxiety. This Depression in turn can cause inflammation which can affect the natural ecosystem in the gut, thereby creating depression-inflammation vicious circle.

Learning about gut bacteria can help you manage your stress & overall mental health. Want to learn how we are helping people understand their gut microbiome composition & keep them away from mental illness ? Take our gut intelligence assessment & fix up free discovery call here to know more.