How does our gut influence our behaviour?

Our gut microbiome is the instruction room that communicates with & influencing various internal systems including immune system, digestive system, metabolism, brain, mitochondria, circadian rhythm & even emotional & cognitive responses. Among these the most uncommon & unheard is influence of our gut microbiome on our mood & behaviour- the connection with brain.

Let us discuss in detail how our gut microbiome can drive our behaviour. Suppose, you were supposed to send an email/ message to your manager regarding an important update on sales figures, however you passed our early large night & missed writing to him? You know your manager is going to get pissed off with you once you reach office this morning & you have that burping & sinking feeling in your gut or you may experience butterflies in your stomach. Have you ever wondered why? This mind-gut connection plays a pivotal role in influencing your emotional & cognitive responses.

Our gut is home to trillions of microorganisms that directly communicate with your brain via vagus nerve. We have been given to understand for decades that it is the brain who does most of the talking & influences all life decisions. However, it turns out that it is microbes living in our gut that does most of the chatting. It is our gut that communicates with our brain by creating & consuming most of the neurotransmitters. 95% of Serotonin, our happy hormone, is produced by our gut. Change in composition of our gut microbiome can directly influence.

1. Our mood & behaviour
2. Cognitive responses
3. Our Pain tolerance
4. Our mental health (hack for improving our mental health & alleviating depression lies in optimising your gut microbiome through dietary interventions. No counselling sessions or therapy are going to work)

When our gut microbiome is out of balance, it can cause brain fog, depression & even dementia. All this has made our gut microbiome being called as our second brain. Our gut microbiome is involved in almost all biological processes in our body that impacts our health & occurrence/prevention of diseases.

So if you are suffering from depression, stress or anxiety, taking care of your gut is the best way to improve your mental health.

What we eat has a profound impact on our mental health. The food we eat is broken down & converted into beneficial metabolites by our gut to nourish our body with nutrients & short chain fatty acids. Confused? It is our gut bacteria that digests the majority of our food & we get nutrients from the poop of these bacteria. You are what you eat & if you are not feeding your second brain correctly (bacteria in our gut), you will experience the below marginal performance of your brain- this is due to gut- brain connection. Based upon your current gut microbes composition, they can take the food you eat & convert them into either beneficial metabolites such as Butyrate or harmful metabolites. Besides, these microbes residing in your gut also neutralise the compounds such as, sulphur & oxalate from digestion of vegetables such as Broccoli & Spinach to make sure that excess of these compounds are not released in your bloodstream which can cause inflammation & even lead to bloating. Therefore, if our gut microbiome does not have bacteria that can breakdown & digest byproducts of these green vegetables, it can lead to chronic inflammation which can impact gut-brain communication.

Production of neurotransmitters in the brain is dependent upon specific protein, minerals & vitamins. Our brain needs a balanced composition of protein, carbs & vitamins for effective functioning. For example, folic acid is necessary for proper brain functioning. Microbes in our gut are responsible for metabolising the food effectively to make proper flow of folic acid to our brain. Therefore if our microbes are not fed properly, their ability to produce specific vitamins decreases & impacts neurotransmitter production. This impacts gut- brain connection & may even lead to brain fog &/or headache. Your gut microbiome is unique & therefore how can modify your gut microbiome composition for better health required dietary recommendations unique for your body. This is the reason one solution fits all does not work when it comes to optimising our gut microbiome. When you are consuming the right nutrients, it feeds your brain & help you maintain positive mental health.

If you are suffering from depression or anxiety, no counselling sessions or therapy is going to work. Answer to your mental health issues lies in understanding your current composition of gut microbiome! Learning about modifying your gut microbiome composition through unique dietary intervention is the best food forward to improve your mental health & do away with depression/anxiety. Sign up for our free discovery call here to learn how our  UP THE GUT solution can help you optimize your gut microbial ecosystem.