Medical & Health Writer | Wellness Enthusiast | MEng in Biomedical Engineering
Jessica is a medical writer with an unquenched thirst to discover something new. She believes that medical content should be universally accessible and strives to write content that everyone, no matter their background, can understand. Credentials: MEng in Biomedical Engineering from Rutgers University
Your diet may have more of an effect on your mood than you may think. The gut and brain communicate through the gut-brain axis, which is both a physical and biochemical connection that allows the gut to send messages to the brain and the brain to send signals to the gut.
If you’ve ever felt butterflies in your stomach while nervous, you’ve experienced the gut-brain axis, and we can use our knowledge of this connection to our advantage by being strategic in our nutrition.
There are many ways in which the gut and brain are connected.
First, they are connected through the vagus nerve and the nervous system. It’s no surprise that your brain is a part of the nervous system, but the gut is also full of 500 million neurons that are all connected to the brain through the nervous system. The vagus nerve is one of the biggest connectors and can send signals in both directions; for one example of it in action, animal studies have shown that stress inhibits the signals sent through the vagus nerve but also causes gastrointestinal problems.
Neurotransmitters also help to connect the gut and brain. The neurotransmitters that are produced in the brain, such as serotonin, control your feelings and emotions. However, studies have found that many of these neurotransmitters are also produced in the gut; in particular, more than 90% of serotonin is synthesized in the gut. As such, supporting your gut also supports the production of these mood-boosting neurotransmitters.
Neurotransmitters are not the only chemicals produced in your gut, either. Your gut also produces lots of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), such as propionate, butyrate, and acetate, and they can affect brain function by reducing your appetite.
The stress that you feel can also impact your gut. Namely, studies have found that stress reduces the production of bile acids by gut bacteria, making it harder for you to digest your food.
Since gut bacteria can affect brain health, changing your gut bacteria may offer cognitive benefits. Specifically, some probiotics, or live bacteria, have been shown to improve the symptoms of anxiety and depression.
Other studies have found that taking a certain prebiotic—fibers that are fermented by the gut bacteria—significantly reduces the amount of stress hormone in the body.
You can also consume specific foods to support your gut-brain axis, including:
Some of these foods increase healthy gut bacteria, others can be converted into certain neurotransmitters, and some have been shown to reduce the risk of brain disorders.
Ultimately, your gut and brain are closely connected, which is why supporting one is important for balancing the others. YOURx is focused on helping you take control of your well-being; explore our supplements that can help support your road to a healthier lifestyle.
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