Gut Health and Brain Health

Have you ever had a gut feeling or butterflies in your stomach? Such simulations emerging from the belly suggest that your brain and gut are connected. Various studies have claimed that the brain affects your gut health and your gut may even affect your brain health.

How Gut and Brain Connected?

The gastrointestinal tract, popularly known as gut, is the organ that hosts the largest concentration of immune cells in your entire body. The gut is lined by its own nervous system called, enteric nervous system (ENS), or known as the “second brain”. This is so, because it controls a variety of gastrointestinal functions, communicates continuously with the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord), but could also function independently of them. This connection between the brain and intestine is known as the “gut-brain axis”.

The gastrointestinal tract has many responsibilities and the primary role of the gut is overall digestion, which is the absorption of nutrients and water to support all body’s functions. Apart from digestion, our gut also determines the emotions, mental state and various risk for neurological conditions, such as:

• Firstly, they affect the production of serotonin, otherwise known as the “feel good” neurotransmitter.
• Secondly, the gut bacteria produce an amino acid called GABA, which helps to calm nerve activity after a state of stress.
• Thirdly, plays an important role in digestion, through the fermentation and absorption of carbohydrates.

Foods that Help Gut-Brain Axis: To maintain or restore the health of your microbiome and support good overall health, it is important to maintain a strong balance of foods in favour of beneficial bacteria in your digestive tract.

• Probiotic Foods: Probiotics are live cultures of bacteria that are similar to those found in the gut. Foods and drinks such as yogurt, kefir, cottage cheese, fresh sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha, and miso should be consumed.
• Prebiotic Foods: Prebiotics are indigestible carbohydrates, like fibre, that contain nutrients for the healthy bacteria in your gut to grow, such as artichokes, leeks, onions, garlic, chicory, cabbage, asparagus, legumes, and oats.
• Omega-3 fats: Omega-3 fats are found in fish, nuts and also in high quantities in the human brain. It can increase good bacteria in the gut and reduce risk of brain disorders.
• High-fibre foods: Whole grains, nuts, seeds, fruits and vegetables all contain prebiotic fibre that are good for your gut bacteria. Prebiotics can reduce stress hormone in humans
• Tryptophan-rich foods: Tryptophan, an amino acid that is converted into the neurotransmitter serotonin. Foods such as milk, chicken, nuts and seeds etc are high in tryptophan.

Thus, the gut-brain axis refers to the physical and chemical connections between your gut and brain.

Over to you:

By incorporating these gut-friendly foods, you can keep your brain and your “second brain” healthy and happy!