Mental Health & The Gut
What actually is gut health?
Often thought of as just the stomach, or something to do with poop, however, gut health in fact refers to the functioning of our entire gastrointestinal tract (GI).
The GI tract includes everything from our mouth, all the way to the exit at the other end.
The GI tract’s main functions are:
To absorb nutrients from the food we eat
To rid solid waste (poop) from the body
What about the gut microbiota?
The gut is also home to our gut microbiota- the trillions of microorganisms living inside our large intestine.
The gut microbiota’s main functions are:
Defend against harmful microorganisms (bacteria, fungi, etc)
Digest dietary fibre that we otherwise cannot break down
Shave our mood and behaviour via the gut-brain axis (keep reading for more on this)
Defining good gut health.
There is no universal definition for ‘good gut health’ but a good functioning gut is when there are no server or ongoing gut symptoms such as:
Abdominal bloating
Abdominal pain
Diarrhoea
Constipation
Excess farting
Why is gut health important?
As well as an absence of symptoms, a healthy gut contains a wide diversity and a healthy balance of bacteria.
A healthy gut communicates with the brain through nerves and hormones, which helps not only improve gut health, but also control blood sugar levels, blood cholesterol, hormonal balance, to name a few, and maintain general health and well-being.
Can diet impact mental health?
Yes!
The gut and the brain are constantly communicating with each other via a pathway called the gut-brain axis.
Studies have shown that a diet rich in plant diversity and healthy fat can positively impact our mood and improve depression.
How?
The SMILES Trial was the first of its kind to investigate this very question:
The smiles trial was a 12 week randomised control trial that recruited people with major clinical depression. These people were then randomly assigned to one of two groups:
Social support/ counselling
Mediterranean diet
The dietary support group made gradual positive changes to their diet by increasing their intake of:
Fruits and vegetables
Wholegrains
Beans, pulses and lentils
Nuts and seeds
Fish and healthy fats
Whilst reducing their intake of processed and unhealthy foods.
The results:
8% of people in the social support group achieved full remission of their depression.
32.3% of people in the diet group achieved full remission of their depression.
Full remission meaning they were no longer depressed!
Also, the degree of dietary changes correlated with the degree of improvement in depression- meaning the more they changed their diet, the more their depression improved.
How does stress impact gut health?
The gut and brain are constantly communicating to each other via a pathway called the gut-brain axis.
This communication is through the:
‘Rest and digest’ (parasympathetic) nervous system and the…
‘Fight or flight’ (sympathetic) nervous system
The parasympathetic nervous system communicates with the gut via the vagus nerve.
When we are stressed, our brain sends signals to our body to tell us that we are stressed.
The ‘rest and digest’ nervous system slows down, and the ‘fight or flight’ nervous system switches on.
All the blood rushes to our muscles to get them ready to fight.
This can lead to several different things…
Constipation:
With less blood flow to the gut muscles, some can find it more difficult to poop.
The speed at which food passes through the gut can decrease, leaving more time for water to get reabsorbed from your poop, leaving you with dry hard poop.
Due to the decreased time at which things move through the gut, you may not pass a bowel movement at all.Diarrhoea:
For some, stress can also increase the speed at which things move through the gut, and also increase fluid secretion. This leads to frequent and loose bowel movements.Stomach pain:
Stress can also cause increased sensitivity of your intestine, a term called visceral hypersensitivity, which is seen particularly in those with functional gut disorders like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
This can lead to abdominal pain and bloating through the connection between the gut-brain axis.
Diet isn’t the only thing that can impact gut health!
How to manage stress to improve your gut health.
Breathe
Inhaling (breathing in) is associated with your ‘fight or flight’ (sympathetic) nervous system. Whereas exhaling (breathing out) is associated with your ‘rest and digest’ (parasympathetic) nervous system.
Deep breathing can help you feel more relaxed.
Try this…
Inhale for a count of 4, breathing deep into your stomach…
1...2...3...4…
Exhale for a count of 6…
1...2..3...4...5...6…
Repeat 4x…
2. Meditate
You already know the impact stress can have on gut symptoms.
Stress can also impact gut barrier function, more commonly known as ‘leaky gut’.
Meditation helps regulate the stress response, by activating the ‘rest and digest’ (parasympathetic) nervous system.
This can help to suppress the stress response and help maintain a healthy gut barrier function and alleviate digestive symptoms.
Mediation is also beneficial for the gut microbiota which plays an important role in the communication between the gut and brain via the gut-brain axis.
The gut microbiota can help regulate essential neurotransmitters in the gut-brain axis, such as the feel-good hormone serotonin.
Try this…
Just sit and give undistracted attention to your own breath, the sounds around you, the sensations in your body, or the thoughts that are arising in consciousness in each moment.
Or, if you have trouble doing it on your own the app Waking Up - Sam Harris. This is my favourite way to meditate.
For meditation to have a significant impact on gut health, you need to aim for at least 10 minutes of meditation every day.
3. Yoga
Physical movement like stretching and compression can help trapped gas, it’s like giving your gut a little massage. Yoga is about mindfulness allowing you to learn to embrace uncomfortable feelings in the body, which can be applied when you experience stomach aches and pain.
Breathing is at the core of yoga practice and activates the ‘rest and digest’ (parasympathetic) nervous system.
Activating the parasympathetic nervous system helps us to relax, improving the connection between the gut and brain via the gut-brain axis.
Try this…
Jump on YouTube and search for relaxing yoga sequences, my favourite to follow is Shona Vertue.
Or go one better and eliminate all distractions by going to a local yoga class.
