Gut-Brain Connection

What is the gut-brain connection?

Your brain communicates with your gut daily, and vice versa, in order to maintain digestion and health. Research suggests that the organisms in the gastrointestinal tract can influence mental health greatly. In fact, the gut is also known as ‘the second brain’, since it seems to have such a large role in someone’s overall health. 

The organisms in your gut (gastrointestinal tract) are essential for the digestion of food and maintenance of health. However, some of these organisms stray from the goal they have. They can cause problems by sending signals to the brain via hormones (such as cortisol, which regulates the body’s stress response). A negative imbalance of these hormones influences the daily work that is necessary for the brain. 

Because of this special connection, your gut may be the cause or the effect of disorders relating to the brain, such as anxiety, depression, or even Alzheimer’s disease. For example, those who have anxiety may also suffer from IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), a chronic gut condition. It has also been found that those who suffer from Alzheimer’s disease lack diversity in their gut microbiome. 

Listen to your gut

The gut is very sensitive to emotion. If you have ever felt ‘butterflies’ in your stomach or heard some ‘gut-wrenching’ news, you can thank your brain for sending those signals to your gut. Stress and other factors affect the movement of the GI tract and can cause stomach upset. The microbiome in your gut is responsible for the production of serotonin and GABA (both neurotransmitters) that affect mood, sleep, and stress. Hence, when you are in a stressful situation, that anxiety can cause nausea – linking the brain to the gut. 

How to improve the health of your gut – and your brain

Luckily, there are numerous ways to improve the health of your gut. 

1. Probiotics and prebiotics
   • are essentially beneficial bacteria and food for the organisms in your gut and promote a better mood and diet
   • Pro- and prebiotics are also advantageous after taking antibiotics or another illness that could have gotten rid of the good bacteria in your gut. 
2. A change in diet with the help of a nutritionist can also work to get your microbiome in shape and improve gut health. 
   • Having a diet that is abundant with plant foods (anything except for meat and animal products), unsaturated fats, vegetable oils, legumes, whole grains, nuts, etc. promotes a healthy gut.
3. Be mindful of the signs: 
   • Gas, bloating, nausea, constipation, and more can indicate digestive trouble. 
   • Staying hydrated, managing stress, and getting enough sleep can help not only your gut but your brain, too. 

Edited by TLC Intern: Jillian Meloro and Christopher Williams

References: 

The Incredible Gut-Brain Connection and How to Harness It for Better Health

Jim West

Adolescent Expert, Jim West offers expert advice to Local and National TV News & Schools Internationally and provides phone or face-to-face counseling in the Orlando area. Jim is an Author, Communicator, School Consultant, Nationally Certified and State Licensed Counselor and specializes in counseling for Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADD/ADHD) and Oppositional Defiance Disorder (ODD). Jim has been interviewed for multiple TV, Radio, magazine and newspaper articles. He is president of Total Life Counseling Center and his Total Life approach accelerates the therapeutic & healing process by relating to children, adolescents and adults and incorporating wellness. Jim’s clients travel from all over Florida, England, Georgia, Cayman Islands and the Bahamas as he has been able to treat clients with ADHD, Anxiety, Mood Disorders, Depression and more with FDA approved supplements and Dietary Modifications. 85% of his clients have not needed medication or used less medication than when they first came to Total Life Counseling Center.

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