How does our gut health affect our Mental Health?

Free quiz on Gut Health from “Ask the Scientists”: Gut Check!

Researchers say controlling the bacterial population may help improve symptoms of mental disorders.

Our microbiome is our diverse population of microbes (bacteria) that live in our GI tract. The GI tract consists of the Esophagus, Stomach, Large intestine, Small intestine, Colon, Rectum and Anus. (Picture)

Our GI tract has millions of different types of “Good” and “Bad” bacteria that populate it. They normally exist in a balance that helps prevent the bad bacteria from over growing. It is well documented that having an imbalance can cause inflammation, skin disorders, obesity, thyroid issues, rheumatoid arthritis, IBS, constipation, diarrhea, heartburn, bloating, fatigue, sleep issues, sugar cravings, weight gain/loss, or allergies.

Isn’t that such a long list? It is almost like the saying “we are what we eat” holds some truth. Our grandparents weren’t just trying to get us to eat our veggies for no reason.

According to Dr. Tracey Marks a well known psychiatrist on YouTube, there are studies that show the effect of processed foods, stress, over sanitation, and lack of sleep on both our microbiome AND our Mental Health. People who are suffering from Depression, prolonged grief disorder, or Anxiety have DRASTICALLY different bacteria compared to individuals whose mental health is considered controlled. A video from her:  Dr. Tracey Marks, Psychiatrist on how Gut Bacteria controls your Mood & PSYCHOBIOTICS

It seems our gut microbiome potentially affects every part of our lives. This includes direct impacts on our mental health. Unsurprisingly, the top three ways to manage your gut health also happen to overlap with how we can to manage our mental and physical health. (1) Change your diet. (2) Reduce stress by any means (3) Supplement where our diet lacks. Many people don’t have the ability to easily change their immediate circumstances. While we can’t always manage every symptom or issue with our mental health (especially after a major event in life), we CAN start with little steps.

Another interesting video on our Guts: Your Gut Microbiome: The Most Important Organ You’ve Never Heard Of | Erika Ebbel Angle

How do we begin to change? Below is a list of things we can do to begin reducing stress

How To Manage Stress & Perform Self-Care!
Physical	Emotional/Spiritual	Financial
-Exercise -Reduce screen time -Reduce processed food intake -Learn to cook something new -Go on a Hike or walk -Breathwork -Yoga -Swimming -Weight training	-Read a sacred text -Attend a service -Pray -Cultivate gratitude -Ask for help -Seek therapy -Seek and give compassion -Listen to new or comforting music -Spend time in meditation -Call your mom, dad, or any other family member you care about just to say hi	-Donate to a charitable organization -Skip take out for a few days and get something nice for yourself after -Make a note of any mindless purchases -Look into your subscriptions -Set spending boundaries

Other than reducing stress, changing up our diets, or adding additional supplements, we can start talking about mental health and the issues people face when dealing with a major life change. Word of mouth is a common way that stigmas/stereotypes start AND the way they stop. Contact one of the counselors or therapists at TLC to give yourself some TLC.

References:

Alignprobiotics. (n.d.). Microbiome myths and facts. Align. https://www.alignprobiotics.com/en-us/probiotic-101/microbiome-myths-facts/?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwnqK1BhBvEiwAi7o0Xy6xRRgmjL_s_aQHFnQ6eFe6jTMjIpjh_KAg4iIEZ2Yj3aNZ4OmHoRoCr6wQAvD_BwE

Angle, E. E. (2019, December 12). Your gut microbiome: The most important organ you’ve never heard of | Erika Ebbel Angle | tedxfargo. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9RruLkAUm8&t=184s

Bull, M. J., & Plummer, N. T. (2014, December). Part 1: The human gut microbiome in health and disease. Integrative medicine (Encinitas, Calif.). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4566439/

David Baker. (2022, July 4). Gut check: See what you score on the digestive health quiz. Ask The Scientists. https://askthescientists.com/digestivehealth/

Silberner, J. (2023, July 8). Studying the link between the gut and mental health is personal for this scientist. NPR. https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2023/07/08/1186092825/studying-the-link-between-the-gut-and-mental-health-is-personal-for-this-scienti

Stone, W. (2024, June 25). Your gut microbes may influence how you handle stress. NPR. https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2024/06/24/nx-s1-5018044/gut-microbiome-microbes-mental-health-stress