Gut Health May Affect Brain Function!

[Narkissos]

More studies prove your gut bacteria control your brain functioning

(NaturalNews) Research proving the importance of gut bacteria for the immune system and mental and emotional health has gone viral lately. It started as a ripple slightly over a decade ago, and now it's becoming a tsunami of evidence.

The ancient concept established in Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) that all health or disease begins in the gut has piqued enough interest to cause some mainstream medical researchers to seriously look into intestinal flora's true health effects beyond digestion.

So far, the research has confirmed gut health precepts held by ancient traditional health systems, which the medical monopoly has ignored by pushing antibiotics that destroy all microbes, both bad and beneficial.

Let's add the food industry's callous disregard for intestinal flora health by pushing GMOs and processed foods with deceptive labeling. They also have profound adverse effects on the intestinal flora balance required for immunity, mental health, and DNA integrity (http://www.naturalnews.com/031825_GMOs_threat.html).

Your friendly bacteria are among your best and most important friends for many reasons. This article covers the gut-brain connection.


A Recent University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) human study
This study, published recently in the June 2013 journal Gastroenterology, was at least partially inspired by earlier animal testing on mice that demonstrated less physiological stress indicators when fed probiotics. Another factor for this study was offered by UCLA associate professor of medicine Dr. Kirsten Tillisch who said, "Time and time again, we hear from patients that they never felt depressed or anxious until they started experiencing problems with their gut. Our study shows that the gut-brain connection is a two-way street."

A group of 36 women aged 18 through 35 were divided into three groups. One group ate a what they termed a "fermented milk product with probiotic" (FMPP) or yogurt that actually contained four major probiotic bacteria twice daily for a month.

The second or control group was fed the same amounts of yogurt devoid of probiotics over the same period, while the third group ate neither. All three groups were put through the same emotional task testing and received MRIs (magnetic resonance imaging) of their brains before, during, and after the study.

According to Dr. Tillisch, "The researchers were surprised to find that the brain effects could be seen in many areas, including those involved in sensory processing and not merely those associated with emotion."

Note: Three members of Danone Research, a fermented food product development group, were involved with setting up the study but were not permitted to interpret the results.


Unheralded probiotic mind-body importance known before this study
One wonders why the UCLA people didn't review Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride's patient medical records. After curing her son's autism, she established a UK pediatric practice that specializes in restoring intestinal flora balances to heal gut inflammation diseases, food allergies, and mental or emotional disturbances.

Dr. McBride reveals her revolutionary dietary approach to restore proper intestinal flora balance in her book Gut and Psychology Syndrome or GAPS (http://www.gaps.me/).

What's important is that we take in as much probiotic and prebiotic material as possible. Powerful probiotic supplements are pricey, but may be necessary temporarily after being subjected to antibiotics and other harsh medical interventions.

Avoiding processed foods, refined sugar and HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) is a foundation for inhibiting further probiotic destruction or intestinal flora imbalances. Fermented Asian foods, such as miso, natto, or nattokinase supplements and kefirs can be used for maintenance.

[mad_mervyn]

Interesting read.

[003]

The healthier gut, the healthier brain, the more functional one. I believe this for a long time ago. I just don't have something to support it until I read this. Now, it's not just merely a belief by intuition. It's not a belief by information. So how could one have a healthy gut? Of course it boils down on the proper diet and the foods one is eating. You want a healthy gut? Then eat healthy!

[HealthCraze]

Wow, I really would love to find out more about the connection between our brain's performance, and that of our stomachs! Now I have greater insight into why I feel a bit "shoddy" each time I'm hungry for more hours than I usually practice going without food .
Bob Marley has a song that proclaims, "A hungry man is ah angry man," so I think he was way before his time, reflecting a depth of thought that not only speaks to man's need to be satisfied in terms of his food take , but also, to the need for this food intake to be such that it inspires good performance, which in turn, inspires a positive, and more "agreeable" attitude towards others.
I love that this research also speaks to the importance of filling our stomachs with the right nutrients , because ever so often, we confuse "eating to our fill", to "filling ourselves with wholesomeness", which are not mutually interchangeable!
It is our duty to not only "eat", but to "eat well", putting in foods that contain effective probiotics and "the good bacteria" that is contained in certain yogurts and other products, so that our body will feel balanced , and so that this fact can be positively regulated throughout our system, and reflected in the positiveness that defines our attitudes .

[Narkissos]

Originally Posted by HealthCraze

Bob Marley has a song that proclaims, "A hungry man is ah angry man,"

Being from the Caribbean, this made me smile.

Thanks :)

[seatones]

I've done a good amount of research into this, and I would have a hard time being convinced other wise. It makes perfect sense that different aspects of the body are related. On a much simpler scale, think about how you feel mentally when you are sick. It's easy to be upset at the way that you feel when you have the cold or a flu, right? It's perfectly plausible to think that even slight imbalances in the body can effect the mood and general brain chemistry.

[ellisers]

Thank you for the information, will be following your blog with a greatest interest