The Gut: Our Second Brain
Have you ever wondered what function the gut serves? You might say, “it helps digest and absorb food.” But is that all? When we’re stressed, we often feel stomach pain, and when we’re in love, we say we have butterflies in our stomach. In these specific situations, you can clearly see the connection between our brain and our gut. How does this happen? You’ll find out in this article. 🙂
How does the gut-brain axis work?
Clinical studies have proven that there is a connection between the brain and the gut, known as the gut-brain axis. It turns out that the signaling pathway between these two parts of the human body is the vagus nerve. This is the longest of the cranial nerves, connecting the brain with the digestive system. 90% of signals are sent in one direction – from the gut to the brain. This means our gut plays a crucial role and has something important to communicate to our brain. As you learned from a previous article, we have a specific microbiota in our gut that plays a significant role in our body. It turns out that there is an autonomous enteric nervous system, our “second brain”! It consists of 100 to 500 million neurons and regulates the entire digestive system, responding to local signals sent by bacteria. Products of their metabolism in the gut travel through the vagus nerve directly to the brain. These include neurotransmitters, which the brain uses to “communicate” between neurons.
How do gut bacteria affect the brain?
Our nervous system has a complex structure in which gut bacteria play an important role. Yes, it’s no joke. But let’s take it step by step… The nervous system consists of gray matter and white matter. Gray matter is primarily in the cerebral cortex and is made up of the cell bodies of neurons. White matter is made up of the “tails” of these cell bodies, known as axons. These axons transmit information from one neuron to another. For our nervous system to function properly, the speed and quality of this transmission are crucial. Most of these “tails” are covered with myelin – a substance that forms a sheath around nerve fibers. It speeds up impulse transmission. Unfortunately, in diseases like multiple sclerosis or chronic insomnia, this sheath doesn’t function properly. And this is where gut bacteria come in. Research shows that gut microbes can influence the structure and function of the brain by regulating the process of myelination, the formation of myelin around axons in white matter. This means that gut bacteria affect both the function and anatomical structure of the brain. Some researchers even suggest that one day we may treat diseases involving myelination disorders by altering the composition of microbes that inhabit our gut.
Could insomnia be linked to gut bacteria?
As you’ve just learned, gut bacteria influence your brain, but that’s not their only function. They also regulate your sleep. Scientists claim that the gut microbiome likely changes our circadian rhythms, sleep-wake cycle, and hormones that regulate sleep and wakefulness. If you suffer from insomnia, wake up at night, or have poor sleep quality, try a diet rich in prebiotics, which feed your microbes. These include indigestible food components such as fiber, starch, and inulin (try BINULINA >> from my recipe), which reach the gut and serve as food for beneficial bacteria. You can also consider probiotics, but consult a specialist to choose the right product.
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How can we save gut bacteria?
For some time now, gut microbiota transplantation has been used to save our beneficial gut bacteria. But how? You can transplant a heart or kidney, but bacteria? Yes, you can, using… stool. Microbes isolated from the stool of healthy individuals are given to patients suffering from antibiotic-associated diarrhea. These are often very ill and exhausted people, for whom this is their only hope. Antibiotic-associated diarrhea is caused by the bacterium Clostridium difficile. It can live peacefully in our gut until we start taking antibiotics. Then it produces toxins that can damage the intestines, leading to severe diarrhea and abdominal pain. Through stool transplantation, bacteria from a healthy person destroy pathogenic microbes and then “colonize” the gut, creating a defense against future infections. This results in the relief of unpleasant gastrointestinal symptoms. Numerous clinical studies have demonstrated the remarkable effectiveness of fecal transplantation. To make it even more interesting, one study used stool from an athlete… a vegetarian. The results? First, athletes are the best stool donors (for obvious reasons: exercise and diet!). And second, fecal transplants are more effective in those who do not eat meat.
As you can see, gut bacteria have a significant impact on how we feel, sleep, and our overall health. So take care of them and avoid factors that can harm them! (read more in this article about microbiota >>) After all, you want your “second brain” to function at its best, right?
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