How gut bacteria influence mental health
It's fascinating how our gut bacteria and mental health are interconnected? It's almost like having a cosmic buddy system! Our trillions of microbes in the digestive system are like tiny friends who impact our emotions and mood swings - all without us even realizing it. Did you know that certain gut bacteria produce short-chain fatty acids that help produce serotonin, the ultimate mood-booster? On the flip side, when we eat too much, are stressed, or pop antibiotics like candy, our microbiome can go haywire, leading to anxiety and mood disorders.
And it gets even more interesting! Our gut health plays a crucial role in keeping our bodies from going into full-blown inflammatory overdrive. A healthy gut microbiome acts like the ultimate bodyguard, shielding our blood-brain barrier from harm and preventing potentially brain-damaging substances from sneaking into our bloodstream. Mind. Blown. Research has discovered that people with depression or anxiety often have a distinct gut microbiota compared to those with mental well-being. No wonder we're seeing a surge in exploring gut-boosting methods like diets, probiotics, and prebiotics as potential mental health game-changers.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10384867/
I find the topic this article discusses so interesting! However, it does raise one question for me: does the gut microbiome influence our mental health, does mental health influence our microbiome, or possibly, is it both in a bidirectional relationship? I ask this because, from prior knowledge as well as experience, stress can significantly negatively affect the microbiome in our bodies. Stressors can increase the amount of harmful bacteria in our gut, while doing this, the beneficial bacteria decrease, adjusting the body's natural biome composition, which can lead to health problems. Or, as you suggested, do the gut bacteria in our biome control and affect our bodies, resulting in mental and physical health struggles? I personally believe it is a bidirectional system between both our microbiome and our mental health, but it definitely makes me wonder!
ReplyDeleteOne of the biggest challenges in supporting mental health through gut health is the quality of food in America. A large majority of the affordable food is processed and filled with additives, so it's no wonder our gut microbiome struggles to stay balanced. Addressing this issue would require a shift in how we approach food production and consumption, which is something that will likely never happen in the corporate world of food production. That obviously being because it would cut into corporate profits to make high-quality and healthy foods affordable.
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