Connecting the Gut and Brain

The idea of “the gut” is thrown around in our media a lot but what actually is it? The gut is a large, complex system that experiences the consequences of everything we put into our bodies. It is composed of the “microbiome” which is home to trillions of bugs (good guys and bad guys) that develop over our lifetime and are seen to be the root cause of cancer and disease in our country when out of balance. 

We are born with a very intricate map of perfectly balanced amounts of bacteria, yeast and parasites that control our immune system and gut function. Over time, different factors influence this which then alters the relationship between our immune system and the environment around us. This means the pesticides and pollutants we ingest, the products we use on our skin and of course, the food we eat. The main culprit is sugar which helps feed and re-create these little creatures in our bodies and in turn creates a major inflammatory response and continues to wreak havoc on the rest of the body. 

This system of microbes also plays a huge role in mental health. The vagus nerve connects the enteric nervous system (the gut) and the central nervous system (the brain) and is arguably the most important nerves in the body. The two systems are in constant communication via neurotransmitters. One of the main communicators is serotonin which is a neurochemical that regulates mood and well-being in the brain and acts as a digestive pathway and immune system regulator in the gut. Like anything in the body, this communication can be altered based on it’s environment.

If you are trashing your microbiome with inflammatory processed foods, you are doing an equal amount of damage to the brain. 

Many chronic and autoimmune diseases can be prevented by improving gut health because of this crucial communication system between the brain and the gut. Understanding this connection can help build a happier and healthier mind and body.