The Gut-Brain Connection

Did you know that the gut has a mind of its own? The digestive system is one of the most important influencers of your health, and it impacts your body in tons of ways.

The direct connection that your gut has with your brain makes it essentially a secondary control system that influences your overall health and function of your body. Which is why so many people refer to the gut at the “second brain”.

Gut Health & Anxiety

Have you ever had a "gut-wrenching" experience? Do certain situations make you "feel nauseous"? Have you ever felt "butterflies" in your stomach? We use these expressions for a reason. The gastrointestinal tract is sensitive to emotion. Anger, anxiety, sadness, elation — all of these feelings (and others) can trigger symptoms in the gut, that is the gut-brain axis. The link between the two organs allow our body to decide what, when and how much to eat for optimal digestion. They also work together influencing your mood and your reaction to stress.

Research shows that there is a major link to stress, anxiety and depression and the state of your gut health. During times of stress you may get a stomach ache or change in mood after eating foods that don’t agree with you. A fun fact, the gut produces 90% of the body’s serotonin, the happy hormones that help to regulate your moods and emotions.

Microbiome and Immune System

One of the main reasons why the gut has such power is because it is also the home of your gut microbiome – the trillions of gut bacteria and other microbes living inside your digestive tract. While we have been taught that bacteria are bad, your gut microbiome plays an important role in your health and in fighting disease.

Your gut (digestive system) consists of the mouth, esophagus, stomach, pancreas, liver, gallbladder, small intestine, colon, and rectum and is the largest part of your immune system. In fact, 80% of your immune tissue is located in the gut. The healthful bacteria found within it work hard to support your body, from maximizing the amount of nutrients extracted from your food to protecting you from chronic diseases and fighting off infectious viruses.

Your gut bacteria are also able to fend off unwanted bugs, help keep inflammation at bay and reduce the severity of many health conditions, so it is important to do what you can to keep them healthy and treat them well.

Gut – Brain – Skin Connection

Your skin may also be directly affected by the type of bacteria in your gut and the state of your overall digestive health. Many scientists believe there may even be a gut-brain-skin connection.

The gut provides a barrier between the inside of the digestive tract and general circulation; all that separates the contents of your intestinal tract from the rest of you. Anything that irritates the lining of your gut can cause it to become inflamed. This could be anything like food allergens, alcohol, medications, antibiotics, food additives and artificial colouring, or diets low in fiber and high in sugar or the commonly overlooked culprit SIBO.

When the gut gets irritated and inflamed, several things happen.  The nerves that permeate the digestive tract are signaled to tell the body that war has been declared on the gut and it triggers the alarm bell; the body responds by ramping up the stress response to help ready the body to fight.

Other consequence of gut irritation and inflammation is the loss of the tight barrier that normally keeps unwanted gut contents out of the circulation – as a result unwanted bacteria and other micro-organism can enter the blood stream, all of which sets the stage for the immune system to go awry leading to systemic, or whole body, inflammation.

Turns out stress and systemic inflammation can impair the integrity and protective role of our skin. When this happens, the skin produces less of the naturally occurring antimicrobial peptides, weakening its defenses. Skin infections can occur, worsen and weaken defenses will further aggravate skin inflammation.

How to Achieve Gut Happiness

So what is the best way to look after your gut and enjoy the health benefits? Nourishing yourself with a wide variety of wholesome foods that are naturally full of goodness will check most of the boxes. However, some foods are definitely more beneficial than others, so if you are not sure where to start, click the contact me tab and send me a message or send me an email at nicolenugentwellness@gmail.com.