Are you sure you know what you think with? Gut, brain and neurodegenerative diseases: the hidden link!

We are used to giving great importance to our brain and believing that all our ideas and thoughts come from there, yet we are forgetting a small detail: the brain, although it is very important, is responsible for sending signals throughout the body, depending on the stimuli and information it receives from the environment through the body itself. One could say that it is an encoder!

What we often don't know is that the bacteria in our gut (read the previous article) are the reason why we think in a specific way.

But how is this possible?

Let me explain: certainly the functioning of our organism is extremely complex and my aim is not to belittle it, but I intend to bring attention to an aspect that is often ignored.

First of all, there is a direct link between our brain and our gut called the ‘gut-brain-axis’, ‘GBA’ for short, through which information that is released from our gut ends up in our brain and vice versa. The HPA (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal) also contributes to the brain-gut correlation as does the autonomic nervous system with several nerves, including the vagus nerve.

It must be said that the gastrointestinal tract is recognised as the largest endocrine organ in our body. Indeed, it produces numerous hormones that regulate physiological functions such as nutrient absorption, insulin production and appetite. The intestinal cells that produce these hormones react differently to different stimuli, releasing a specific combination of hormones. For example, they can produce serotonin (one of the hormones that affect good mood) and somatostatin (known for its ability to block abnormal growth and proliferation of cancer cells). In addition, the intestinal tract is involved in regulating our immune and metabolic systems.

At this point, I think we would agree that the gastrointestinal tract does a lot of work to regulate all our functions.

But how does the connection with thoughts work in practice?

Our body picks up information from the environment through the senses and this information is reprocessed by the brain, but often, the gut also sends information to the brain, through specific hormones, triggering thoughts or desires.

How come I mention neurodegenerative diseases?

Actually, we can also talk about situations such as depression, which we know may be due to a lack of binding between serotonin and its receptor. Thus, in cases of dysbiosis (a situation of imbalance between probiotic and pathogenic bacteria), serotonin production, like that of other hormones, may be impaired. Indeed, it has been shown that in the majority of subjects affected by depression, or autism, epilepsy and Alzheimer’s, a situation of dysbiosis is diagnosed.

For diseases of this type, I should also talk about oxidative stress and if you are interested, I might do so in another article.

To sum up, our mood and our way of thinking, but also our long-term health, depend on the well-being of our gut.

All the latest research shows the extreme importance of nutrition and it has been shown that paying attention to one's diet can bring real benefit in cases of neurodegenerative diseases or even in cases of depression and anxiety.

Did you know about this fascinating aspect of our bodies?

Let me know by commenting on this article.

If you have any doubts, feel free to contact me at my email or by filling in the form on the website.

I wish you a good day.

See you soon,

Arianna

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