Your Belly Controls Your Brain: Is it True?
How often have you read about dietary changes when looking for solutions to most health issues?
Why is the phrase “Fix your gut; fix your health” so popular?
Ever thought about how much of your health is connected to your belly?
Until recently, we thought that the brain is the boss of it all—it controls everything. Turns out, even the brain listens to someone just like it. Keep reading to find out.
In this blog, you will learn everything from the basics of the gut and brain connection, how interrelated most of our health issues are, and how to overcome them, just by taking care of your gut.
So, does your belly control your brain? Let’s find out.
About the Enteric Nervous System (ENS)
Growing up, you must have learned about the nervous system. The Autonomic Nervous System, which regulates the life-sustaining functions like breathing, heartbeat, blood pressure, etc., and the Central Nervous System (brain and spinal cord) processes sensory information and integrates a response accordingly.
We also have the Sympathetic and Parasympathetic Nervous Systems: one triggers the "fight or flight" response, and the other calms the body down after the potential danger has passed.
The Autonomic Nervous System has another crucial, but not-so-well-known, component called the Enteric Nervous System (ENS), which regulates digestion. The Enteric Nervous System has similar neurons and neurotransmitters as found in the Central Nervous System.
The nerves of the ENS are spread across our gut covering the esophagus, abdomen, small intestines, large intestine, pancreas, gallbladder, and the bile tract—all connected with nerve fibers.
Did you know, our gut is the only organ that can function independent of our brain and has a nervous system with a network of 100 million neurons in its wall. That’s why it is also popularly called our "second brain".
As we eat, these neurons signal the intestinal muscles to push the food farther along the digestive tract through a series of contractions that break down the food into nutrients.
The Connection between the ENS & the CNS
The ENS can function autonomously, but digestion requires communication with the central nervous system. Therefore, the ENS uses parasympathetic and sympathetic fibers connecting the central nervous system directly with the digestive tract. It also uses hormones such as Acetylcholine and Serotonin to communicate with the central nervous system.
Both sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems actively interact with the ENS.
The gut provides sensory information to the CNS and the CNS can influence the gut functions and processes through these connections. This also means that signals from the outer environment by the CNS do affect the gut.
For example, ever thought about why your mouth waters simply at the sight of delicious food?
Biological Processes
What is the Gut-Brain Axis?
Contrary to traditional belief—where we thought that the functioning of the body was a top-down system, meaning that the brain sends signals and the body follows—we have now discovered that the body influences the brain too: it’s a bidirectional communication.
The gut-brain axis (GBA) links the central and the enteric nervous system through a cranial nerve called the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve (extending from the brainstem, through the neck, to the abdomen) holds and carries signals from the digestive system to the brain and vice versa.
This is also why our psychology influences our digestion, and our digestive issues affect our mood and emotions.
How do the Gut & Brain communicate?
The digestive system has numerous nerves within the gastrointestinal tract that connect it to the ENS and the CNS.
There is a bidirectional flow of sensory information, signals, and commands between the ENS and the CNS, via the neural pathways that pass through sympathetic ganglia to control digestive function. The sympathetic ganglia are like little stations that store the strength of the transmitted signal as carried by one nerve until the next one enters. The whole process is autonomous.
The commands to and from the ENS and CNS are carried by the vagus and pelvic nerves, with help from the sympathetic pathways.
What processes does the Gut control?
The gut, being the second brain, controls more than just digestion.
Digestion of the food
Absorption of nutrients
The excretion of waste
Development of the immune system
Gut-brain communication
The Influence of Gut Diversity on Brain
The balance of good gut bacteria and other microorganisms in the gut microbiome affects your emotions and the way your brain processes sensory information.
Along with helping with digestion, teaching the immune system how to identify pathogens and toxic invaders, and maintain hormonal balance, a diverse microbiota in the gut is vital for cognitive activity and emotional processing.
During digestion, as the gut microbiome breaks down food to get nutrients, it also produces metabolites that influence all of the cells in your body, thus, the nerve cells as well. These metabolites play a significant role in reducing oxidative stress from certain foods and have a preventive role in cardiovascular diseases and cancer.
A diverse gut microbiome increases intestinal permeability, which in return allows neuroactive compounds to enter the blood. These neuroactive compounds have broad cognitive, behavioral, and psychological benefits such as improved mood, easing anxiety, and depression prevention.
A study in 2004 showed differences in behavior between mice that had a diverse gut microbiome vs. mice that didn’t. The mice that lacked a diverse gut microbiota showed an exaggerated stress response. This response was reversed when their gut was colonized by Lactobacillus rhamnosus JB-1 bacteria.
Cognition
The Role of BDNF
Nerve growth factor Brain-derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) influences neuronal development at the early stages of growth. It is produced in both the brain and the gut.
It also protects the body and brain against stress-induced damage and helps determine one’s stress tolerance, mood, and cognitive function.
People with a healthier and more diverse microbiome have higher BDNF in their brains, and vice versa. Studies show that vigorous exercise can increase the levels of BDNF.
Gut Health: Memory
In the same study of 2004, the elimination or lack of diversity in the gut microbiome of the mice showed spatial and working memory. Humans with a diverse microbiome have higher BDNF in their brains, thus, better memory.
Research has confirmed the correlation between an imbalance in the gut microbiota and Alzheimer's disease. Here, the gut imbalance was associated with the development of Amyloid plaques in the brain—the origin of the neurodegenerative disorders in Alzheimer's disease.
A protein called lipopolysaccharide is found on the membrane of some intestinal bacteria which promotes inflammation and has also been found in amyloid plaques around vessels in the brains of people with Alzheimer's. The imbalance of these intestinal bacteria causes neurodegeneration and thus, weaker memory and deteriorates other brain functions as well.
How are Gut and Anxiety related?
If a person is highly stressed, the cortisol secretion in their body increases. Meaning that their sympathetic nervous system would trigger the fight-or-flight response, signaling the enteric nervous system to slow down or even stop digestion, to redirect all the body’s energy to fight a potential threat/problem. This is also why when someone is highly anxious in a social situation, the digestive process becomes temporarily disrupted, causing stomach ache.
To look at it the other way around: digestive problems can also disrupt psychological functions as well. For instance, while facing digestive discomfort, a person’s whole attention shifts to their stomachache, ignoring everything else.
Disease—both gastrointestinal and extragastrointestinal diseases—has been associated with gut microbiota imbalance and inflammation. To alleviate prevalent diseases such as anxiety and depression, one should look closer to their life; whether or not certain habits and foods are pro-inflammation or not.
Fun Fact: Ever wondered why you feel “butterflies” in your stomach?
We all have felt that sensation of “butterflies” in our stomach while thinking about a person, or an event.
The reason behind this too is the gut-brain connection. When you have an exciting thought or experience, your dopamine levels boost instantly and your heart rate rises. As this happens, your brain signals the rest of the body to focus blood flow to your heart; away from your digestive system.
Therefore, as the blood flow drops, your digestive muscles shrink, and the blood vessels near and surrounding your abdomen tighten. This is what makes you feel a fluttering, tingling sensation in your stomach.
Hormonal Processes
For a hormonal balance in your body, a healthy gut with a diverse microbiome is crucial. The good bacteria in your gut shield you from pathogens that can cause problems like insulin resistance, hypothyroidism, depression, and fertility-related diseases.
An imbalance in the gut microbiome can also cause a hormonal imbalance in the body.
Happy Hormones
Note that around 50% of Dopamine, the “pleasure” hormone, and 95% of Serotonin, the “happy” hormone are produced in the gut.
Initially, nutritional psychiatrists commonly used to prescribe SSRI antidepressants to boost serotonin levels in their patients. This, however, backfires as it has certain side effects pertaining to gut health. We know that the permeability in the gut also increases the serotonin reception in the body.
With the communication between the gut and brain via the vagus nerve, this process can impact one’s mood in terms of the degree of joy, sadness, or fury they experience. This information also acts as a link between diet and gut health, and mental health disorders such as depression.
Insulin Regulation
The gut microbiome significantly influences how the body responds to insulin.
Insulin is a hormone that carries glucose from the food to the cells in the body to be converted into and used as energy. A bacteria called Lactobacillus reuteri in the gut microbiome helps regulate insulin. This bacteria keeps insulin secretion in check which helps with better absorption of nutrients.
When there’s a lack of good bacteria in the gut, the barrier of the gut becomes weaker. This can lead to pathogens and larger molecules of glucose coming inside the gut. The entry of these pathogens and large molecules can trigger an immune response in the gut, which can lead to inflammation in the body and thus, causing hormonal imbalances and insulin resistance. This can cause diseases/ health conditions such as diabetes and metabolic syndrome.
Estrogen Balance
Estrogen is an essential hormone for the female body: it develops and maintains the reproductive system, affects brain activity, mood, bone health, prepares the body for childbearing, cholesterol control, and so on.
Studies show that an imbalance in the gut bacteria, especially a lack of estrobolome (a bacteria found in the gut that metabolizes estrogen), can cause estrogen imbalance leading to issues like PCOD, endometriosis, infertility, hair loss, and blood sugar, and weight fluctuations.
Thyroid Function
Thyroid hormone is essential for the body’s growth and energy regulation. It also is responsible for regulating the heartrate of the body.
Thyroid imbalance in the body can cause major weight loss or gain, anxiety, irritability, increase or decrease in appetite, and other wellness issues. Gut dysbiosis is also linked to low-performing thyroid. It deteriorates thyroid function, which can contribute to inflammation and other health issues.
This imbalance is also the leading cause behind diseases such as Hypothyroidism, Hashimoto's thyroiditis, hyperthyroidism, or Graves' disease.
Immunity and Gut Health
Gut health equates to a healthy and well-functioning immune system.
In fact, about 70% of the immune system inhabits the gut. The gut microbiome plays a very important role in the development of immune barriers. They basically teach your immune system how to differentiate between bad bacteria and pathogens, and beneficial bacteria and microbes that enter and exit our body every day.
This is exactly why gut diversity is crucial to a healthy body protected from all communicable and most non-communicable diseases. The microbes in our gut fight toxic foreign substances and harmful free radicals that enter our system from what we eat and flush them out via excretion.
Diet & Gut Health
Diet and the gut microbiome are best friends (or best foes, depending on the individual’s habits) throughout one’s life. What you eat has a significant impact on your gut health. This might surprise you, but these effects can be seen in as little as 24 hours.
What you eat, how often you eat, the bacterial composition of the things you eat, your existing gut microbiome: everything affects your gut health.
Focusing on eating the right foods—foods high in fiber, fermented foods, and probiotics feed the good bacteria in your gut that will support your body in intestinal homeostasis, immune tolerance and giving you a healthy, fast metabolism.
When you eat food that does not support the diversity in your gut or feed the good bacteria in your gut, you put your body in a phase of dysbiosis.
A dysbiosis is a reduction in diversity in the gut microbiota and the loss of beneficial (good) bacteria.
What causes dysbiosis?
Processed food
High sugar consumption
Inorganically produced foods; treated with pesticides
Over sanitizing
High stress
Overconsumption of antibiotics
Lack of nutrient dense food
How does diet affect your brain?
The brain functions continuously, 24/7. It requires the right “fuel” to run on. The food you eat is what fuels it. What you eat has a direct and significant impact on your gut microbiome and subsequently your brain: its structure, functioning, and efficiency.
Eating foods that are good for your gut health, foods that are easy on the digestive system and feed the good bacteria in your gut also fuel and protect your brain activity.
Foods rich in minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants not only fuel the brain but also protect it from damage from stress, oxidative processes, and free radicals.
Studies show a link between a high-sugar diet of processed foods and deteriorating brain health. An unhealthy diet can also deteriorate brain activity in ways that can lead to mental health disorders such as depression, Alzheimer’s disease, and dementia.
You might have noticed how, after eating certain foods that are relatively tastier, you feel bloated, uncomfortable and just, fatigued. This might be the body’s reaction to foods that aren’t as easy on the gut as healthy food. This also affects the mood and mental state of the person, reducing creativity, increasing anxiety, and impacting sleep at times.
Bottom line—So does your belly control your brain?
Well, clearly it does.
The way our brains and guts are interconnected, each activity in one influences another. What you eat influences your gut, which influences your mood and mental states, which influences your lifestyle, which influences your brain’s health and it all comes back to the gut.
The key here would be to know what exactly needs to be changed in your unique lifestyle to ensure brain and gut health; both of which significantly influence everything else.
So, where to start? We got you.
How to Take Care of Your Gut Health?
Manage Stress
Stress can have many negative effects on your gut health, it can alter the brain-gut communication, impact your digestive process resulting in discomfort, pain, and bloating.
However, it can be managed by self-awareness, knowing your triggers, and trying not to take too much stress. It’s easier said than done, but this one practice takes regular effort till the time it becomes a way of living stress-free.
Have a High-fiber Diet
Fiber is the key component of a gut-friendly diet. Fiber-rich foods act as a fuel for the microbiome, increase gut permeability to help the waste products move smoothly, help alleviate constipation and ensure colon health.
Having a balanced diet, with fiber-rich foods will help you maintain your gut health. It has many other benefits pertaining to fertility, controlled blood sugar levels, healthy weight maintenance, and longevity.
Including food like these in your daily diet can help in doing that:
Whole grains
Legumes
Broccoli
Berries
Avocados
Apples
Bananas
Dry Fruits
Oranges
Tip: For fruits, try to eat the whole fruit instead of juicing it.
Avoid Processed Foods
Ensure whatever you eat is free of chemical additives and artificial sugars. Processed foods damage the gut environment and make it susceptible to chronic diseases. Your gut thrives on natural, organic food, whereas processed foods are the exact opposite with artificial sugars and starch, hydrogenated fats, laboratory-added flavors, or food colorings.
Processed food increases the oxidative stress in the body causing digestive discomfort, and reduces diversity in the gut microbiome; overall, it’s not easy on the gut.
Consume Probiotics Supplements for a Healthy Gut
Probiotics are food for the good bacteria in your gut; fueling the good bacteria in the gut and maintaining microbial balance. These are found in various fermented foods and supplements which can be made a part of your regular diet.
To ensure your probiotic intake is rich, consuming a trusted probiotic supplement on a regular basis is recommended. The Ultimate Probiotic by Magnolia Wellness is a good supplement to start your holistic health journey with.
Probiotics also act as neuroprotectors that prevent oxidative stress-induced dysfunction in the neurons. Studies show that the consumption of probiotics can significantly help alleviate anxiety and depressive symptoms.
Eat Fermented Foods
Naturally Fermented foods help in increasing the number of good bacterias in your gut. You can make such dishes at home or purchase from trusted organic food brands and add them to your diet as a snack, beverage, or side dish. Do your research before you decide to make certain foods a part of your daily diet i.e., check for food intolerance and allergies beforehand.
Some healthy fermented foods are:
Kefir
Pickles
Kombucha
Curd
Sauerkraut
Miso sauce
Kimchi
Sourdough Bread
Tempeh
That’s it. A bit of extra care, consideration, and love towards your body is all it takes! You making time to read this article is one of them. Now, go feed your microbiome and they’ll take care of you.
We hope this blog helped make you realize the value of our gut health, which is often neglected by a majority. If you have any further questions, reach out to us at hello@magnoliawellnessoc.com and we will get back to you at the earliest!