Did you know that gut health and brain health go hand-in-hand?
Your gut is called your “second brain.” That sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach after looking at your post-holiday credit card bill is a classic example of the brain-gut connection at work. You’re stressed and your gut knows it immediately! Also, when we talk about a “gut feeling” after meeting someone for the first time or have “gone with your gut” to make a decision or felt “butterflies in your stomach” when nervous, these are evidence of the gut-brain connection.
Sounds far-fetched but….
This mind-gut connection is not just a metaphor. Studies prove that you do get signals from your second brain. Unfortunately, your “second brain” cannot balance a checkbook nor can it compose a love note. Scientists call this ‘second brain” the enteric nervous system (ENS), which has two thin layers of more than 100 million nerve cells lining your gastrointestinal (GI) tract from esophagus to rectum. The network of neurons in the gut is as plentiful and complex as the network of neurons in our spinal cord.
The main role of our gut is to control digestion:
- Swallowing
- Release enzymes to break down food
- Controlling blood flow, and
- Absorption and elimination.
This information superhighway is called the brain-gut axis. It’s believed that this “small” brain in our gut communicates back and forth with the “big” brain in our skull with profound results. The millions of neuron in the enteric nervous system provide a fundamental connection between our brain and our gut. This forms a highway for chemicals and hormones that constantly provide feedback about how hungry we are, whether or not we’re stressed, or whether we’ve ingested a disease-causing microbe. This brain-gut axis provides constant updates on the state of affairs at your two ends.
90% of the brain’s messages affect the vagus nerve, which in turn “talks” to the “second brain” of the digestive system and stimulates important digestive tasks like:
- Movement of the intestines
- Secretion of digestive juices and enzymes, and
- Contraction of the gall bladder
Leaky gut syndrome a myth or not? The media and nutritional community are running with the story of “leaky gut syndrome,” however, the scientific community basically says it’s hogwash. According to the GI Society♦, some alternative medicine practitioners are claiming that leaky gut syndrome is a prevalent problem and responsible for ill health in many people. Studies do confirm that some individuals may have structural changes in their intestines which allow substances to cross into the blood stream, but the jury is still out. Most physicians maintain that there’s not enough research to prove that ‘leaky gut syndrome” is a legitimate issue. Currently, there’s very little evidence to support the theory that a porous bowel is the direct cause of any significant, widespread health problems.
All in all, the gut is a terrific place to start working towards a healthy lifestyle. Insights into the gut-brain crosstalk have revealed a complex communication system that helps maintain proper gastrointestinal homeostasis and may also affect mood, motivation, and higher cognitive functions. Although the main function of our gut is to track digestion, our “second brain” may also be tasked with communicating with these trillions of microbes that live in our gut. Studies show that people who eat highly refined diets have a different gut composition than those who eat more whole foods, fruits, and vegetables.
Changing our diet will have immediate effects, and will go a long way in helping us become resilient and robust.
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To Your Success,
Althea
Althea A. McLeish Wilson, RN, MSN
Promoting inner health & outer beauty!
Helping you thrive, not just survive!!
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References:
♦John Hopkins Medicine
♦GI Society
♦National Institutes of Health
