To understand our own gut microbiome, lets look at where it comes from. When we’re just little blobs in our mother’s womb our brain’s are exposed to our mother’s microbes and when we are born, our gut microbiota is shaped by our mother’s vaginal microbiota. How healthy our microbiome is depends on how healthy our mother was during pregnancy and birth. This means that you may be more susceptible to gut conditions that your mother has eg. diarrhoea, constipation, reflux, bloating and other digestive issues.

Did you know that our intestines are home to nearly 100 trillion bacterial organisms, that is 10-100 times more bacteria in our gut than in all of our cells in the body! With all of our bacteria friends to keep happy, it’s common for an imbalance to occur. When our gut microbiome is a little out of whack, it’s known as dysbiosis, which is associated with digestive symptoms like bloating, flatulence and diarrhoea.

These helpful little friends of ours contribute to the break down of foods, a healthy immune system and have the ability to influence our moods and brain activity.

So how does our gut microbes influence our brain? These two different parts of the body are intrinsically connected, communicating through the immune system, vagus nerve, tryptophan metabolism and the enteric nervous system – which creates the gut-brain axis.

Alterations to the gut microbiota influences brain function and interactions between the gut-brain axis. This alteration is believed to be involved in various conditions, such as:

• Irritable Bowel Syndrome
• Functional gastrointestinal disorders
• Chronic pain
• Autism
• Anxiety
• Obesity
• Schizophrenia
• Parkinson’s disease
• Alzheimer’s disease

What our gut-brain axis can affect in daily life:

• Stress –  Stress has a significant impact on our gut-brain axis in all stages of life. Stress influences the composition of our gut microbiota affecting the communication pathways between our microbes and the central nervous system. This may lead to feelings of more stress and anxiety.
• Immune system – Our gut microbiota aids in a healthy immune system and immune responses. When this is altered inflammation can occur, contributing to anxiety like behaviours. Probiotics can help with decreasing inflammation in the intestines, thus decreasing or resolving anxiety like behaviours.
• Anxiety and depression – GABA is a major inhibitory neurotransmitter and when GABA signalling is disrupted, it can lead to anxiety and depression. It is demonstrated through clinical trials that Lactobacillus and  Bifidobacterium bacteria produce GABA and help to normalise gut microflora. Thus, probiotics have anti depressive and anti-anxiety affects.
• Our feel good hormone, Serotonin – 90 – 95% of serotonin, also known as our happy hormone, is produced in the gut. Happy gut = Happy you.

Ultimately, our gut microbiome is an important part of our health, not only does it influence our digestive function but also our brain function. 

If you would like further support along your health and wellness journey, please don’t hesitate to reach out and book an appointment with our very own qualified naturopath, Emma. Visit the bookings page for more information.