The influence of the intestine on human thinking and behavior

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

Modern psychiatry erroneously claims that psychological problems are caused by an imbalance of chemicals in the brain. Research around the world has linked gut problems to brain damage …

From Dr. Mercola

Most people do not understand that the gut is, in the literal sense of the word, your second brain, which can indeed have a significant impact on:

• Mind
• Mood
• Behavior

While modern psychiatry still misleadingly claims that psychological problems like depression are caused by chemical imbalances in the brain, researchers continue to find evidence that depression and various behavioral problems are actually related to the imbalance of bacteria in the gut!

Sterile mice are more prone to high-risk behaviors

A study published last month in the journal Neurogastroenterology and Motility found that mice lacking gut bacteria behave differently from normal mice - the former are more prone to what is called "high-risk behavior." This altered behavior was accompanied by neurochemical changes in the brains of the mice.

According to the authors, the microflora (intestinal flora) plays a role in the communication between the intestines and the brain, and:

The neurotransmitter serotonin activates the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis by stimulating certain serotonin receptors in the brain. In addition, some neurotransmitters, such as serotonin, are also present in the gut. In fact, the highest concentration of serotonin, which is responsible for controlling mood, depression and aggression, is found in the gut, not in the brain!

So it really pays to nourish your gut flora to optimize serotonin function as it can significantly affect mood, mental health, and behavior.

The authors conclude:

This finding is supported by another recent animal study that also found gut bacteria influence early brain development and behavior in mammals. But that's not all. The absence or presence of intestinal microorganisms in infancy has been found to permanently alter gene expression.

Using gene profiling, the researchers found that the absence of gut bacteria alters genes and signaling pathways associated with learning, memory, and motor control. This suggests that gut bacteria are closely associated with early brain development and subsequent behavior.

These behavioral changes could be reversed during an early age when the mice were exposed to normal microorganisms. But once sterile mice reached adulthood, bacterial colonization no longer affected their behavior.

According to Dr. Rachelle Diaz Heyitz, lead author of the study:

Likewise, probiotics have been found to affect the activity of hundreds of genes, helping them to express them in a positive, disease-fighting manner.

The gut-brain connection

Given that the gut-brain connection is recognized as a basic tenet of physiology and medicine, and there is ample evidence of the involvement of the gastrointestinal tract in various neurological diseases, it is not hard to see that the balance of gut bacteria also plays an important role in psychology and behavior.

With this in mind, it is quite clear that nutrition of the intestinal flora is a matter of utmost importance, from the cradle to the grave, because in the truest sense of the word, you have two brains: one inside the skull and the other in the intestines, and each needs its own vital food.

It is interesting to note that these two organs are created from the same tissue type. During fetal development, one part develops into the central nervous system and the other into the enteric nervous system. The two systems are connected by the vagus nerve, the tenth cranial nerve that runs from the brainstem down to the abdomen.

This is what connects the two brains and explains things like the feeling of butterflies in your stomach when you're nervous, for example.

Your gut and brain work in tandem to influence each other. This is why gut health can have such a profound effect on your mental health, and vice versa.

It is now evident that your diet is closely related to your mental health. Plus, it's not hard to imagine how a lack of nutrition can negatively affect your mood and your behavior afterwards.

Are we too disinfected for peace of mind?

Another study, published last year in the Archives of General Psychiatry, looked at evidence for signs that mental problems could be caused by a lack of naturally occurring microorganisms in soil, food, and intestines.

And such a connection was found.

The incidence of depression among young people is growing steadily, outnumbering depression in older populations, and one reason for this may be the lack of exposure to bacteria, both outside and inside the body.

Simply put, modern society is perhaps too disinfected and pasteurized for its own good.

In most cultures, fermented milk was a traditional staple food, but the modern food industry, in an effort to kill ALL bacteria in the name of safety, has eradicated most of these foods. No, of course, you can still find traditionally fermented foods on the market, such as natto or kefir, but they are no longer part of the diet, as they once were, and most people who try them for the first time in adulthood do not like these foods. taste.

When you deprive your child of all these bacteria, his immune system - the primary defense against inflammation - is essentially weaker, not stronger. And higher levels of inflammation are a hallmark of not only heart disease and diabetes, but depression as well.

The authors explain it this way:

Research around the world links gut problems to brain damage

Brain disorders can take many forms, one of which is autism. Again, in this particular area, you can find compelling evidence for a link between the brain and gut health.

For example, gluten intolerance is often a sign of autism, and for many children with autism, a strict gluten-free diet improves their condition. Many autistic children benefit from taking probiotics in the form of fermented foods or probiotic supplements.

Dr. Andrew Wakefield is one of many who have studied the link between developmental disorders and bowel disease. He has published about 130-140 peer-reviewed articles investigating the mechanism and causes of inflammatory bowel disease, and has extensively examined the brain-gut link in the context of children with developmental disabilities such as autism.

Other researchers around the world have conducted a large number of repeated studies that have confirmed a curious link between brain disorders such as autism and gastrointestinal dysfunction.

Other health benefits of probiotics

The body contains about 100 trillion bacteria - 10 TIMES more than cells. The ideal ratio of bacteria in the gut is 85 percent good and 15 percent bad.

In addition to the psychological implications described above, a healthy ratio of beneficial to harmful bacteria is essential for aspects such as:

• Protection against overgrowth of other microorganisms that can cause disease
• Digestion of food and absorption of nutrients
• Digestion and absorption of certain carbohydrates
• Production of vitamins, minerals, absorption and elimination of toxins
• Preventing allergies

Signs of an excess of harmful bacteria in your gut include flatulence and bloating, fatigue, sugar cravings, nausea, headaches, constipation, or diarrhea.

What's Stopping Good Gut bacteria?

Gut bacteria in your gut do not live in the bladder - rather, they are an active and integral part of your body, and therefore vulnerable to your lifestyle. If, for example, you eat a lot of processed foods, your gut bacteria are at risk because those foods generally destroy healthy microflora by feeding on harmful bacteria and yeast.

Gut bacteria are also very susceptible to:

• Antibiotics
• chlorinated water
• antibacterial soap
• agricultural chemicals
• pollution

Because of these latter points, which almost everyone is exposed to, at least from time to time, it is a good idea to re-inoculate your gut with beneficial bacteria by taking high quality probiotic supplements or eating fermented foods.

Tips for Optimizing Your Gut Flora

I want to return to the issue of inflammation for a second: it is important to understand that somewhere 80 percent of the immune system is actually in the gut, so it is necessary to regularly repopulate the gut with beneficial bacteria.

Also, when you consider that the gut is your second brain AND the location of the immune system, it is not hard to see that gut health affects brain function, psyche and behavior, as they are interconnected and interdependent in various ways, some of which are discussed above.

In light of this, here are my recommendations for optimizing your gut flora.

• Fermented (fermented, dairy) foods are still the best route to optimal digestive health, as long as traditionally cooked, unpasteurized versions are consumed. Healthy dishes include lassi (an Indian yoghurt drink traditionally drunk before dinner), sauerkraut or kefir, various pickled vegetables such as cabbage, turnips, eggplants, cucumbers, onions, zucchini and carrots, and natto (fermented soy).

  If you regularly consume such fermented foods, but, again, unpasteurized (after all, pasteurization kills natural probiotics), then the beneficial intestinal flora will flourish.

• Probiotic Supplements … While I'm not a big believer in many supplements (as I believe nutrients should come primarily from food), probiotics is certainly an exception.

  I have tried many different brands in the last 15 years - many of them are good. I also spent a lot of time researching and developing them myself and called the supplement "Complete Probiotics" - in it I included everything I learned about this important tool over the years.

  If you don't eat fermented foods, then taking a high quality probiotic supplement is definitely recommended.