Ryan Crispino
Where Emotions Flow
November 19, 2024
Introduction
In the recent decades, medical and psychological health research has grown to revolve around the relationship between digestive health and mental well-being. When it comes to researching this specific relationship, one essential key concept is the gut-brain axis, which is a neurological system that allows the linking of emotional and cognitive centers of the brain with peripheral intestinal functions (Carabotti et al., 2015). This means that disruption in one’s gut health can potentially be detrimental to one’s mental and emotional well-being, including mood, cognition, and stress responses, which further raises issues of poor mental health. As this topic is being noticed, it becomes clear that digestive health plays a vital role in mental well-being. With that being said, we will discuss the mechanisms of the gut-brain axis, how mental conditions can be influenced by gut health, and potential treatment.
Overview Of The Gut-Brain Axis
The gut-brain axis is a very complex system that involves bidirectional communication between the central nervous system (CNS) and the enteric nervous system (ENS). In essence, the gut-brain system is the connection between the primary control center and the neurons governing the gastrointestinal tract (Carabotti et al., 2015). This links the brain's emotional and cognitive
centers with the functions of the digestive system through neural pathways, emphasizing its crucial role within various bodily functions. This includes, but are not limited to:
● Hunger
● Food Preferences/Cravings
● Food Sensitivities
● Muscle Movements
● Digestion
● Metabolism
● Mood and Behavior
● Stress Levels
● Pain Sensitivity
● Cognitive Function (Cleveland Clinic, 2023)
Another main component within the gut-brain axis is the gut microbiome, which consists of trillions of bacteria living in the digestive system. The microbiota plays an extremely active role in the body, interacting with the systems of the body through ways listed above and more (Cleveland Clinic, 2023). The nature of this microbiota-brain interaction, coupled with the two-way communication between the central and enteric system, proves that the gut can send signals to the brain, affecting one’s mental health.
How Mental Health is Influenced by the Gut-Brain Axis
Because the gut-brain axis is able to cover the ground of emotional states and more, the connection has the ability to erupt disruptions in mental health as gut health disruptions arise. For instance, an imbalanced gut microbiota, known as dysbiosis, can potentially lead to mental disorders like depression and anxiety. Neurological conditions can sprout from an imbalanced gut-brain axis, as the gut can be a vital contributor to the brain’s ability to regulate emotions and cognitive functions. Furthermore, an imbalance in the axis can likely ignite inflammatory processes, leading to not only autoimmune disorders but neurodegenerative disorders that can damage the central nervous system (Sherrell, 2023). This affects the brain’s ability to regulate emotions and cognitive functions.
Treatment and Prevention
In the midst of this medical situation, there are various things you can do to treat and even prevent diet-causing poor mental health.
To improve the gut-brain connection, the main ideas involve taking both probiotics and prebiotics! These supplements, consisting of live bacteria, have the ability to bring about a thriving bacterial community in the gut (Sherrell, 2023). To show this, in a 2017 study, patients with irritable bowel syndrome were all proven to have increased quality of life and reduced depression with Probiotic Bifidobacterium longum NCC3001 (Pinto-Sanchez et al., 2017). This is only one instance out of many studies of research that suggest that probiotics can be a major factor in alleviating poor mental health symptoms (Sherrell, 2023). Prebiotics also can positively impact your mental well-being, as shown by a 2014 study that proves how prebiotics, such as Bimuno-galactooligosaccharides, can decrease attention to negative information and cause reduced levels of cortisol (Schmidt et al., 2014)! With this stress hormone reduced, people can gain peace in life and embrace positivity.
From a more natural perspective, one can prevent mental health issues that sprout from a poor digestive system in the long term by sticking to a healthy diet. To start, one should consume natural probiotics and prebiotics, which are sourced from fermented foods such as kimchi, sauerkraut, yogurt, and kefir. These foods can promote a healthy gut microbiome for the microbiota to thrive. Another essential aspect of a healthy diet involves prioritizing fiber foods such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and more (Sherrell, 2023), as they can contribute to healthy bacteria growth. The type of foods you should limit or avoid, however, are processed foods and sugar, as it can negatively affect the growth of bacteria and decay the digestive system altogether.
Conclusion
Mental health has become a rising issue, especially in adolescents. However, not everyone takes into account the fact that their wellbeing can be a result of what you feed your body, as they may seem like two different aspects of the body. With this information in mind, it is important to take into consideration that in order to achieve a healthy mentality, it is essential for you to be able to take into account the health of your diet and gut, as they have a direct connection through the gut-brain axis. In other words, your digestive health can directly influence your mental health.
References
Cleveland Clinic. (2023a, August 18). What Is Your Gut Microbiome? Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/25201-gut-microbiome
Cleveland Clinic. (2023, September 20). What to know about the gut-brain connection. Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/the-gut-brain-connection
Marilia Carabotti, Scirocco, A., Maselli, M. A., & Severi, C. (2015). The gut-brain axis: interactions between enteric microbiota, central and enteric nervous systems. Annals of Gastroenterology : Quarterly Publication of the Hellenic Society of Gastroenterology, 28(2), 203. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4367209/
Pinto-Sanchez, M. I. Hall, G. B., Ghajar, K., Nardelli, A., Bolino, C., Lau, J. T., Martin, F.-P., Cominetti, O., Welsh, C., Rieder, A., Traynor, J., Gregory, C., De Palma, G., Pigrau, M., Ford, A. C., Macri, J., Berger, B., Bergonzelli, G., Surette, M. G., & Collins, S. M. (2017). Probiotic Bifidobacterium longum NCC3001 Reduces Depression Scores and Alters Brain Activity: A Pilot Study in Patients With Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Gastroenterology, 153(2), 448-459.e8.
https://www.gastrojournal.org/article/S0016-5085(17)35557-9/fulltext?referrer=https%3 A%2F%2Fpubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2F
Sawchuck, C. (2017). Find out how food and anxiety are linked. Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/generalized-anxiety-disorder/expert-ans wers/coping-with-anxiety/faq-20057987
Schmidt, K., Cowen, P. J., Harmer, C. J., Tzortzis, G., Errington, S., & Burnet, P. W. J. (2014). Prebiotic intake reduces the waking cortisol response and alters emotional bias in healthy volunteers. Psychopharmacology, 232(10), 1793–1801.
Sherrell, Z. (2023, September 8). The gut brain axis: What it is and how to improve it. MedicalNewsToday. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/gut-brain-connection
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