Over the last 5 decades, we have been made to believe that brain is independent of digestive system. However, it has now been proven that the digestive system & brain are interconnected with each other. For sure, the mind-body connection is real. This has become all the more relevant when it comes to mental health. As such the far away body organ- large intestine which is warehouse to around 38 trillion microbes is deeply linked with our brain & plays a major role in an individual mood & risk to attracting anxiety & depression (not to mention both of these conditions took center stage during COVID-19 crisis)

When it comes to mental issues such as depression, it is important to learn what our body is trying to tell us. Some of important facts, which we generally ignore when it comes to mental health & are important to evaluate our current state of mental health, are enumerated below:

1. Chronic & body wide inflammation is connected to major life threatening & chronic diseases including mental health issues. These issues stem from imbalance in our gut microbiome. If we feed something to our gut which makes harmful bacteria overgrow or become food for pathogens, bacteria release harmful metabolites such as LPS which promotes inflammation. On a lot of occasions, these harmful metabolites or gases can break the intestinal barrier and lead to leaky gut, spurring systemic inflammation & sending inflammatory markers throughout the body.
2. Vagus nerve which connects gut & brain plays an important role in regular gut brain communication. It is considered to be a travelling mode for sensory information to reach the brain from the gut & vice versa. Any inflammation caused by bacteria in the gut that leads to leaky gut & makes bacteria rent out place in vagus nerve breaks this communication between gut & brain making us feel anxious or depressed. In fact vagus nerve is also connected to our heart rate & breathing, making it extremely sensitive to an individuals’ anxiety & depression.
3. Our large intestine, also referred to as the second brain, has its own nervous system known as ENS- Enteric Nervous System. RNS responds to a person’s mental & physical health. ENS is responsible for sending direct message to brain through vagus nerve.
4. The most important aspect of our gut which most of us do not realise is 70% of our immune cells are along our gut lining & it is actually our gut microbiome that modules our immune responses. It is not the brain but the gut that releases 95% of serotonin, our happiness & mood hormone. This clearly signifies the fact that our gut plays a relevant role in our mental health.

It is important to note that depression is linked to both our brain & body (Large intestine). Understanding the role of our gut microbiome in mental health can help us evaluate the connection between our digestive system & anxiety/depression. This will enable us to have better control over our mental health issues & not fall prey for numerous drug prescriptions & counselling/therapy solutions that just focus on managing symptoms rather than providing cure.

We, at Genefitletics, help you decode health of your gut microbiome & provide you personalized dietary & lifestyle recommendations that can prevent inflammation, heal leaky gut & regulate communication between gut & brain, thereby eliminating conditions of mental disorders such as depression & anxiety. For more details, sign up for a free discovery call here.