As new research has circulated throughout the scientific world, the topic of gut health has become a popular topic of discourse on social media, with differing sources claiming that fixing your gut health will ultimately fix everything else. Though it can be dangerous to place one singular aspect of a person’s overall wellness as the one magic elixir, having an exceptionally healthy gut biome will impact virtually every aspect of your health, and most surprisingly, your brain and hormonal health.
The microbiome is a complex, dynamic community of trillions of microorganisms, this includes bacterial viruses and fungi. All of which reside primarily in the large intestine. Though it serves as common knowledge that this system — the one linking your gut and brain axis — is shaped by the quality of food that you consume, what seems to be the biggest shock is how much your food choices can impact your appearance and brain function.
Our anatomy teacher and the head coach of our track team Mr.White affirm this, sharing that things such as refined and processed food, soda, and foods with high sugar content can cause an imbalance in the gut.
“ …more refined sugars can lead to a certain bacterial microbiome [that] isn’t healthy, and they can actually proliferate within the gut, [ultimately] causing what’s called dysbiosis.”
Dysbiosis is a very common imbalance within the gut, with up to 40% of the worldwide population suffering from chronic gastrointestinal problems. Roughly four in ten adults in the US experience gut-brain interaction related disorders .
This can cause a laundry list of significant disruptions to the Gut-Brain Axis:
- Reducing Metabolites: A decrease in beneficial, short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) like butyrate affects cognitive function and impairs the blood-brain barrier
- Hippocampal Impairment: Studies show that Dysbiosis causes reduced neurogenesis (birth of new neurons) and synaptic damage in the hippocampus, which is essential for memory
- Neurodegenerative Diseases: imbalances in the gut bacteria are often associated with Alzheimer’s Disease and Parkinson’s through increased Amyloid-beta and tau accumulation
More commonly, gut Dysbiosis can result in chronic inflammation, bloating, and IBS or IBD. Luckily, these side effects are reversed easily by eating more intentionally.
Implemending more fermented items in your diet like yogurt and kefir, high-fiber staples like spinach, kale and legumes directly correlate to a healthy gut-brain acid. Probiotics — which are supported by prebiotics — are needed to balance your gut. However, in order for these items to truly shift your gut biome, they must be consumed on a regular basis.
