Gut Health

How Mental Health Starts in Your Gut

Surprising Mental Health Support That Starts in Your Gut

If you’re struggling with depression or anxiety, even getting out of bed every day can seem overwhelming.

Depression can drain all of your mental and physical energy, making even the smallest tasks feel like climbing Mt. Everest. Anxiety takes a different toll, filling your mind with worrisome what-ifs that spiral out of control, leaving it almost impossible to make plans and decisions.

When depression and anxiety team up (as they often do), they can be even harder to overcome – despite the many pharmaceutical “solutions” for these increasingly common health issues. 

The problem: These solutions try to take on depression and anxiety in your brain… but they should be starting with the probiotic population in your gut.

 

The Gut-Brain Connection Controls Your Mood

Your brain and your gut are even more closely connected than most people think. (see what Harvard has to say about it

But consider this: Have you ever had a “gut feeling” or gotten nauseous and anxious at the same time? And while scientists used to believe that this connection was a one-way trip, with your brain sending messages to your gut, it turns out that your gut has an enormous impact on your brain… and your mental health.

Your brain and gut are linked by something (not surprisingly) called the gut-brain axis (GBA), a two-way communication system that’s part of your central nervous system. 

The GBA is heavily influenced by your gut microbiome, the trillions of bacteria that inhabit your digestive tract. When your microbiome is in good balance, meaning many different types of beneficial bacteria – probiotics – outnumber bad bacteria, the lines of communication flow smoothly.

But when your microbiome is out of balance or doesn’t have enough diversity, the situation gets dicey, and your gut starts causing body-wide problems, such as:

  • Systemic inflammation
  • Toxic streaming (could link to toxic streaming post here)
  • Immune system overreaction
  • Reduced production of “feel-good” brain chemicals
  • Unhealthy stress response

All of those negatively affect your brain, leading to conditions like depression, anxiety, and other mental health disorders. (listen to this podcast from microbiologist Kiran Krishnan on probiotics and depression)

And when healthy gut balance and function is restored – such as with the introduction of a high quality spore probiotic supplement – improved mental health follows.

 

Healthy guts produce crucial healthy brain compounds

It’s no wonder scientists call the gut the “second brain.” Your gut is home to the enteric nervous system (ENS), home to more than 500 million nerve cells (neurons), including more than 100 million that line your gastrointestinal tract.

The ENS communicates with your CNS (central nervous system), letting your gut “talk” to your brain. The two send signals back and forth through the vagus nerve – but that conversation can get interrupted in times of stress. 

Your gut and brain are also connected by the production of valuable healthy compounds. Beneficial bacteria (probiotics) in your gut produce a wide variety of nutrients and chemicals that your brain needs to thrive. Those include:

Butyrate, a short chain fatty acid (SCFA) that helps strengthen the blood-brain barrier to keep LPS toxins out

Propionate, </