Introduction
Most of us are aware of the link between our state of mind and our gut – think butterflies in your stomach before a scary event…
The pathway of communication between our gut and brain, aka the gut-brain axis, has been found to work both ways. Not only does our state of mind affect our gut, but our gut health can also impact our mental health.
Research shows that when our gut is out of balance, it can lead to inflammation within the brain or neuroinflammation, which can trigger or worsen anxiety, stress, or even depression in those at risk. (1)
An intensely stressful situation may also lead to symptoms such as diarrhoea, constipation, stomach pains, and an inflamed gut.
So how can we use nutrition to nurture our gut and in turn our mental health?
The Gut
Gut health problems and intestinal inflammation are commonly associated with dysbiosis – an imbalance of the gut microbes in our large intestine. (2)
Our gut microbiome is made up of vast colonies of microbes in the trillions, outnumbering even our own body’s cells. It consists mainly of bacteria, such as Lactobacillus and Bacteroides. However, the range and composition of the species that make up our microbiome is highly individual.
There are beneficial bacteria that provide health benefits. These include, for example, species that:
- Produce mucus that protects our gut lining
- Make B vitamins or vitamin K
- Provide anti-inflammatory benefits
There are also gut bacterial profiles that are associated with diseases, such as: (3)
- Type 2 diabetes
- Heart disease
- Inflammatory bowel disease
The balance between our beneficial and harmful bacteria is finely tuned. It’s easily upset by disturbances such as: (2, 4)
- Stress
- Infections (bacterial, viral or fungal)
- Certain medications
- Inflammation
- Dietary changes
- High sugar
- Excess artificial additives
- Low fibre
- Unhealthy fats
- Over-exercise
- Excess alcohol
This loss of balance, or dysbiosis, can include loss of beneficial bacteria, overgrowth of harmful species, or loss of bacterial diversity. (5) All three often happen at the same time.
Luckily, evidence shows that the foods we eat can have a significant impact on the microbiome, and on our mental health.
Supporting Gut Health
Our gut microbiome is highly influenced by diet. A high-quality diet rich in plant fibres, omega 3 fatty acids, and some probiotic foods, has been linked to a reduced risk of stress, anxiety and depression. (6)
We only need small frequent amounts of foods that contain live bacterial cultures, such as yogurt, miso and kimchi, to seed our gut with beneficial bacteria. It’s more important to feed them with an abundant array of plant foods. This helps them to thrive and colonise our gut, crowding out harmful bacteria and keeping them in check.
We can help to support our gut health, and in turn our mental health by:
- Eating a balanced, diverse, and multi-coloured diet
- Eating plenty of whole foods, and avoiding additives such as emulsifiers, sweeteners, flavourings and colourants
- Including some probiotic foods such as kefir, kombucha and sauerkraut
- Having plenty of prebiotic, fibre-rich plant foods such as apples, leeks and artichokes
- Limiting meat, particularly processed meat, trans fats and fried foods
- Limiting alcohol, and sugary foods and drinks
- Avoiding overuse of proton pump inhibitors (used for acid reflux) and artificial laxatives, and only using antibiotics when necessary
- Finding out which foods we’re allergic or intolerant to, and addressing these issues with the help of a dietitian
- Practising deep breathing before meals to activate our parasympathetic nervous system, which shifts us from ‘fight or flight’ into a ‘rest and digest’ state
- Managing our stress levels, for example by setting boundaries, avoiding overwhelm, and making time for self-care
- Getting enough rest and sleep, practising good sleep hygiene
- Exercising regularly, but in moderation
- Spending time in nature, which has been found to increase our microbial diversity, as well as being a great stress-reliever
As well as taking care of our gut microbiome, it’s also important to have enough of the right nutrients such as vitamin D and magnesium, and to keep our blood sugar well-balanced.
Conclusion
Our body has an amazing ability to heal itself, given the right care and conditions. The gut-brain axis provides us with a powerful way to influence our gut health and our mental health.
Finding the root causes of our stressors and dealing with these, as well as learning to manage our stress responses, will go a long way towards supporting our gut health.
The good news is there’s plenty we can do to nurture our gut health. And as the research shows, this can make an important impact on our mental health.
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References
- Clapp, M., Aurora, N., Herrera, L., Bhatia, M., Wilen, E., & Wakefield, S. (2017). Gut microbiota’s effect on mental health: The gut-brain axis. Clinics and practice, 7(4), 987. https://doi.org/10.4081/cp.2017.987
- Lobionda, S., Sittipo, P., Kwon, H. Y., & Lee, Y. K. (2019). The Role of Gut Microbiota in Intestinal Inflammation with Respect to Diet and Extrinsic Stressors. Microorganisms, 7(8), 271. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms7080271
- Zhang, Y. J., Li, S., Gan, R. Y., Zhou, T., Xu, D. P., & Li, H. B. (2015). Impacts of gut bacteria on human health and diseases. International journal of molecular sciences, 16(4), 7493–7519. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms16047493
- Hrncir T. (2022). Gut Microbiota Dysbiosis: Triggers, Consequences, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Options. Microorganisms, 10(3), 578. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms10030578
- DeGruttola, A. K., Low, D., Mizoguchi, A., & Mizoguchi, E. (2016). Current Understanding of Dysbiosis in Disease in Human and Animal Models. Inflammatory bowel diseases, 22(5), 1137–1150. https://doi.org/10.1097/MIB.0000000000000750
- Taylor, A. M., & Holscher, H. D. (2018). A review of dietary and microbial connections to depression, anxiety, and stress. Nutritional Neuroscience, 23(3), 237–250. https://doi.org/10.1080/1028415X.2018.1493808