Why You Should Trust “Your Gut”

Don Colbert, MD — Thu, 18 Feb 2021 13:29:00 +0000

Your Second Brain

Have you ever had a “gut feeling” about something? Well, it turns out you may want to pay attention to that feeling because researchers now consider the gut to be the “second brain” of the human body!

It turns out there are more than 100 million neurons in your intestinal system. Referred to as the “enteric nervous system,” this brain in the gut acts very similarly to the brain in the head. The gut can receive impulses, record experiences, and respond to emotions.

The Micro-Biome and Neurotransmitters

The 100 million neurons in the gut interact with chemicals that control their function called neurotransmitters. It turns out that a large portion of the neurotransmitters in the body are produced by bacteria in the gut! These bacteria make up what is called the micro-biome. This refers to the ecosystem of bacteria in your gut.

The micro-biome is responsible for creating up to 90% of the body’s serotonin and about 50% of the body’s dopamine. Moreover, the intestines produce and co-regulate 30 other neurotransmitters that are utilized by the central nervous system to regulate mood, stress levels, sleep patterns, mental functioning and a number of other essential body processes.

Obviously, the second brain is responsible for much more than just digestion. So maybe those gut feelings actually are giving you some valuable information! However, the true nature of this incredibly complex system is still under research.

Your Gut Affects Your Mind

A study published in Gastroenterology showed that women who were given probiotic yogurt twice a day for 4 weeks had a calmer and more controlled reaction when shown images of various facial expressions.

The bacteria in the yogurt included Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium strains which are found in Dr. Colbert’s Zone Biotics Probiotic formula.

Other research in mice has correlated certain strains of gut bacteria with anxiety. Mice specifically raised to have no bacteria in their gut were inoculated with bacteria from the guts of anxious mice. The inoculated mice then proceeded to exhibit anxious behavior. This has huge implications in how powerfully the bacteria in our gut can affect how we feel.

Heal Your Gut, Heal Your Mind

If you or your loved ones suffer from mental disorders such as anxiety or depression, then this research is incredibly promising. By taking steps to balance and improve the health of your gut you can make positive changes in how you feel on a day-to-day basis.

Here are a few tips to help you heal your gut:

Reduce Your Added Sugar Intake – Pathogenic bacteria thrive on high sugar diets

Eat More Fermented Foods – This includes sauerkraut, yogurt, kefir, kombucha, kimchi, kvass, and raw cheese.

Use a High Quality Probiotic – Zone Biotics Probiotic and Fermented Green Supremefood are both good options.

Eat More Healthy Fats – Coconut oil, olive oil, avocado oil, and Maximum MCT Oil all help subdue pathogenic bacteria. Eat your fats away from your probiotics so that you do not kill off the good guys!

Implementing these simple changes will help balance the bacterial diversity in your gut making you more mentally and physically resilient so that the next time you get a “gut feeling” you will know that you can trust it!

More and more, science is proving that a healthy digestive system is the key to a healthy brain and body—and the power to keep your gut healthy lies directly with you! Get Dr. Colbert’s Healthy Gut Zone book today to help you understand the connection between your gut and your health. You will learn that whatever inflames your gut will eventually inflame your brain and the rest of your body. Making the right food choices will become the medicine in which you will walk and live in divine health.

References

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Improve Your Mood With Fermented Food

Don Colbert, MD — Thu, 08 Jun 2017 22:21:06 +0000

Have you heard of the “microbiome?”

The microbiome is the ecosystem of microorganisms, including bacteria, yeast, fungi, and parasites, that live in and on the human body. These microorganisms can be found on your skin, in your mouth, and in your digestive tract.

Over the past few years more and more research has begun to come out showing the importance of the microbiome for health and wellbeing.

This happens through the ratio of “good,” “bad,” and “neutral” organisms. Yeasts and bacteria that have a net beneficial effect on the organism are referred to as “probiotics.”

Fermented Foods

Bacteria are on everything all of the time. Even if you douse the toilet with antibacterial cleaner, within a couple of hours it is repopulated with bacteria from the air. There is no avoiding the little buggers!

Fortunately we don’t need to completely avoid bacteria. We just need to ensure a healthy balance between the helpful and the harmful bacteria. One way of doing this is by fermenting foods.

Fermented foods have been used for generations to preserve food through the winter. Fermented foods are made by “culturing” a food with a probiotic starter. This allows the probiotics to consume the sugars in the food thereby increasing in numbers and producing vitamins and minerals. Fermented foods are loaded with probiotics.

Probiotics and Depression

In a study published in March of 2017, researchers from the University of Virginia School of Medicine revered the symptoms of depression in mice by feeding them a strain of a probiotic bacteria found in fermented food called Lactobacillus. Additionally, they identified a particular mechanism through which this happens.

In the study it was observed that when mice were subjected to stress they lost lactobacillus bacteria in the gut and subsequently exhibited symptoms of depression.

A little over two months later in May 2017 another study was published with research from McMaster University. This team of researchers studied irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) patients who experience depression. The participants were either given probiotics or a placebo. Shockingly, the participants who received the probiotics were twice as likely to see improvement in depression symptoms!

How Does it Work?

When the researchers investigated how it was that probiotic bacteria could influence depression, they discovered something interesting.

The bacteria in the digestive tract eat food that our bodies don’t digest. The byproducts of the bacterial metabolism are called metabolites. The researchers realized that the bacteria affect levels of certain metabolites in the blood which in turn have an influence on depression

The Future of Medicine

This is particularly interesting because we know that every single thing we eat encourages some types of bacteria to grow and discourages others. This means that as this research progresses we may eventually be able to pinpoint what fermented foods are most likely to promote certain strains of bacteria that favorably influence metabolites to help treat depression.

Even more reason to let food be thy medicine!

For an easy and delicious way to ensure you get fermented foods in your diet, you can supplement with Dr. Don Colbert’s delicious Fermented Green Supremefood!

References

The post Improve Your Mood With Fermented Food appeared first on Dr. Don Colbert, MD.

Microbiome - Dr. Don Colbert, MD Dr. Don Colbert, MD

Why You Should Trust “Your Gut”

Improve Your Mood With Fermented Food