How Gut Health Affects Your Behavior And Mood | The Gut-Brain Connection

edited by: Mark Stapleton

 

People for a long time now have been wondering if there is a direct correlation to gut health and one’s mood.

Fortunately, many people are becoming more aware of leaky gut and gut disorders.  In this article we will discuss just how important gut health is for both mental and physical health.  We will also discuss what causes leaky and how we can correct it.

 

Gut Health And Sickness

More research shows that gut health does have a direct correlation to a person’s mood. During the research, gut microbiome is dealt with in depth. Evidence shows how this really affects the brain chemicals and one’s mood in relation to how good or how poor their gut health is. (1) The natural conclusion is that if one is suffering from the presence of leaky gut syndrome, then the person’s mood will not be the best. The person may feel tired, anxious, irritated, or depressed (2).

Leaky gut seems to be related to a whole host of unrelated health concerns and chronic diseases, which one would not normally associate with leaky gut. But research has indicated that they are related (3)(4)(5)(6)(7). In fact, here are some of the diseases that have been discovered to be associated with leaky gut:

 

• asthma

 

• autism

 

•  allergies

 

•  eczema

 

•  autoimmune disease

 

•  inflammatory bowel disease

 

•  psoriasis

 

•  rheumatoid arthritis

 

•  type 1 diabetes

 

•  system inflammatory response syndrome

 

Therefore, when people have these various diseases, they certainly will not feel well. And when one does not feel well, it only stands to reason that their mood will not be the best. It’s hard to be happy and smiling when one feels sick and is in pain. These diseases, according to research, are affected by the condition of the gut via leaky gut syndrome (8)(9). Therefore, the conclusion is that gut health and mood are tightly interconnected.

 

Processed foods, serotonin And Gut Health

More and more people tend to eat poor diets these days. They also seem to be experiencing higher levels of seemingly unending chronic stress, heavy overloads of toxins and extremely high levels of bacterial imbalance. All of these factors mentioned here are key players that lead to the production of leaky gut syndrome.

In order to try to reduce the impact and risk of leaky gut syndrome, it is best advised for people to eat better, reduce stress as much as possible, detoxify their body of toxins and restore bacterial balance to their gut. See, serotonin is produced in the gut (10). But a healthy gut is needed to produce serotonin. Serotonin is responsible for muscle functioning, nerve transmissions, and even for your mood and overall sense of well being. But if the gut cannot produce it because of bad gut health, such as leaky gut syndrome, then a person will feel terrible and not be able to function well. In fact, a person’s health will be severely affected (11).

Therefore, be aware of your mood and how you feel physically. If you feel tired, down, depressed and not well, make sure to talk to your doctor. In order to prevent leaky gut or to minimize it, it is recommended that you eat a healthy diet that includes lots of fruit and vegetables, reduce stress, get lots of rest, and take good quality probiotics to ensure proper bacteria balance in the gut.

My Adrenal Fatigue Diet eBook is great for those looking to improve their eating patterns and improve the gut microbiome.

 

Correcting Gut Microbiome Imbalances

There are various food supplements that can help tremendously with leaky gut.  If you haven’t done so already be sure to check out my post The Benefits Of Ghee: A Powerful Super Food And Ancient Yogi Secret.  Ghee is great for those with gut imbalances and has been shown to reduce inflammation in the intestines (12).  Many individuals suffering from leaky gut and gut imbalances often times have high levels of inflammation in the gut.

It’s also highly advisable to start eating more cultured foods.  These foods will provide the gut with the necessary probiotics it needs in order to achieve a healthy balance of bacteria.  Try to eat as many different cultured foods as possible;  this will give you a diverse and hardy gut microbiome (13). I personally favor good nutrition over supplements. However, for those looking for a probiotic supplement, I recommend the one below.

Axe Nutrition’s SBO Probiotic Supplement, 60 Count – 50 Billion CFUs* per serving, Soil-Based Organisms and Prebiotics

 

This is a SBO (soil based organism) probiotic, or simply put, organisms from the dirt.  The microorganisms found in the dirt are extremely beneficial when it comes to gut repair and gut maintenance.  The over washing of produce is one of the worst things we have done for health. Don’t be afraid to incorporate more dirt into your diet…Your gut will thank you!

 

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Sources:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4228144/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22109896

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4036413/

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https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2694720/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3215354/