Image via TheWell.Northwell.edu

The wonderment of the gut

By S.A. Tripi

Last year, we wrote about the gut and how it is called our second brain. Since then, I have come across many articles and podcasts that emphasize that connection. There are books for children as well as adults. You can’t start early enough, emphasizing the care and nurturing of your entire body.

Our gut microbiome is home to trillions of microorganisms that include bacteria, fungi and viruses that live in our digestive system. Our brain is coated with neurons, and that is where the connection comes in. Brain and gut, working together. This connection, if taken care of properly, can lead to better health and a longer life.

Our intestines are like a very long, winding road. If it were put in a straight line, it would be ten times as tall as each of us. There are more than one hundred million brain cells in our guts. That is the two brains: One in our head and one in our gut.

The vagus nerve is the direct line between head and gut. It goes from the brain stem to the trachea, larynx, heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, spleen, pancreas and intestines. It is the direct link between mood and digestion.

Like a garden, you can grow and support your gut’s microbiome. A diet high in fiber helps us cultivate a healthy gut microbiome and that, in turn, influences your brain health. Beans, legumes, nuts, seeds, whole grains, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, carrots and artichokes are fuels that allow gut bacteria to flourish.

Individuals who consume higher rates of fiber each day had lower rates of dementia. Surveys were conducted that showed people with an average daily intake of 20 grams of fiber a day displayed the lowest rates of dementia, and those consuming the lowest amount of fiber intake, eight grams a day, had the highest dementia rates. (These experiments being done show some hope for an answer to dementia; they are not a definitive answer to dementia at this point).

Our Standard American Diet (SAD) is more than sad ever since our food pyramid was turned on its head. It is full of foods rich in sugar, fats and salts. We don’t need that any more than we need a diet full of processed foods. I know that they taste good but are not really the types of food we should be eating. I realize that a bag of chips or a Snickers bar and a Coke aren’t going to kill us, but what we eat is becoming more and more important — not only to our bodies but to our minds, also.

Hippocrates, the father of medicine wrote: “All disease begins in the gut,” and “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”

Take pride in yourselves and have a wonderful Pride month.

Sources: Your Brain-Gut Connection, a 360 Media Publication; Nutritional Neuroscience.com

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