What is the connection of the bowels and the brain and why is so important – BBC News in Serbian
More than 100 million nerve cells live in the human bowels and they are responsible for producing as much as 95 percent of serotonin, neurotransmitter, which is crucial for the feeling of well-being and pleasure.
Recently, new evidence indicated a huge importance of intestinal microbiotes (flora), a community consisting of trillion bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other microorganisms, for health as bodies and minds.
This clearly shows how connected brains and guts are and how they affect each other.
You probably used to have a « stomach feeling », felt nausea before an important meeting or you were irritable during the prison period.
And how does this connection actually establish and can we strengthen her to live healthier and happier?
The connection of the bowels and the brain
These two bodies communicate with each other in three key ways, explains Dr. Saliha Mahmud Ahmed, gastroenterologist and ambassador medical research charitable organizations Bowel Research UK.
The first communication channel is nervous vagusie a wanderer or pneumigastric nerve, which is a very important structure of a nervous system that directly connects the brain with numerous bodies, including the heart and guts.
Another mechanism of communication between the brain and the hoses are hormones.
These substances, such as a hormone grill and glucagon, similar to Peptide-1 (GLP-1) secreted from glands and transmit signals around the body, enabling harmonized communication between organs.
The third channel is the immune system.
« Many think that immune cells are present only in the blood and lymph nodes, but actually huge number of them are in the intestines, where they play a mediator between the brain and the whole organism, » he states Dr. Ahmed.
Dr. Pankaj J. Pasriša, an expert in the Majo Clinic in the United States (US), emphasizes that this special connection between the brain and intestines requires a large amount of energy to function, and the intestines are the main « energy drive » of our body.
He reminds that the brain makes only two percent of body weight, but consumes as much as 20 percent of the total energy, and the task of the bowels on the simple molecules and absorb them and the entire organism needs « fuel ».
But, it is two-way communication, because the brain affects the hoses, but also the bowels affect the work of the brain.
In everyday life there are several examples of that link that we can easily notice.
When we find ourselves in a dangerous or stressful situation, or in front of an important event like a business meeting, one of the first physiological reactions happens in the gut.
Then we can feel nausea, stomach cramps or even get a diarrhea.
Similarly, when we are in love, we often feel famous « butterflies in your stomach », or emotional sensation related to excitement when we are near someone who likes.
On the other hand, if we suffer from prison and we do not go to the restroom, it can cause irritability and enhanced stress.
In the stomach there is an entire microsvet
In human intestines, there are between 10 and 100 trillions of microorganisms, bacteria, viruses, fungi, protozoos and other microscopic agents.
Their number exceeds the number of cells in the body.
Experts explain that this diverse community lives in symbiosis with the body – they get nutrients from foods we enter and help in welding, but, they also decompose some ingredients that our body cannot process itself independently.
In the last two decades, knowledge of microbiotes and its impact on health has been significantly improved.
Doctor Ahmed explains that thanks to modern scientific tools and tests, researchers managed to measure microorganisms that inhabit intestines and better understand their role in the development of certain diseases.
« Changes in the balance of microbiotes, which we call disbiosis, today connect with almost every familiar disease, » Dr. Pasriša is added.
In 2011. Year, Doctor Pasriša led a pioneer study on rats, which showed that inflammation or damage to the stomach tissues in the first days of life could cause a long-lasting increase in behavior such as depression and anxiety.
Other studies have shown that disbiosis, ie the violation of intestinal flora, is associated with obesity, cardiovascular diseases, and even carcinomas.
Nevertheless, Dr. Pasriša warns that there is still insufficient evidence that it is clearly determined that the disorders in the intestinal flora are causes several diseases.
« There are certain indicators, both from research on animals, and in limited studies in humans, that problems can start in the intestines, and to cause anxiety or depression later.
« But do these diseases really arise because of the bowel, we don’t know yet, » he says.
Recipe for a healthy intestine flora
Given the new knowledge about microbios and brain and brain, the question arises, is it possible to achieve the perfect balance of microorganisms living in our digestive system?
Dr. Ahmed explains that it is difficult, because everyone has a unique combination of bacteria, viruses and other agents.
« Every man’s microbes is different.
« We don’t have all the same starting point, » she says.
However, experts agree that there are universal recommendations that can contribute to the health of the bowels.
For starters, it is a varied and balanced diet.
To support healthy microbiots, probiotics, foods containing useful bacteria such as natural yogurt, kefir or kombuha, and prebiotics, fibrous substances that feed such bacteria such as fruits and vegetables.
« I would say that it is extremely important diversity in the diet, especially the number of plant foods we enter, » he emphasizes Dr. Ahmed.
It recommends that we think about the amount of fruits, vegetables, integral cereals, legumes, nuts, seeds, and spices in every meal.
« I’m not vegetarian, but I believe we should increase the share of plant food foods, » she adds.
Doctor Ahmed is also invited to studies that show that people who average 30 different plants per week have a healthier intestinal flora.
But can a diet change to influence feelings and even help fight diseases such as depression?
On this question, they tried to respond researchers from Oxford University in Great Britain.
The researchers gathered 71 volunteers who suffer from depression and divided them into two groups.
The first group received probiotics for four weeks, while the other received PLACEBO.
The examination was randomly and twice blind, which means that neither respondents nor scientists know who he takes.
During the test, experts measured different parameters – mood, level of anxiety, sleep quality, cortisol, stress hormone, in saliva.
Professor Rita Bajao, Clinical psychological and research, explains that people who suffer from depression are more inclined to perceive negative feelings and facial expressions, but neutral and positive.
« We wanted to determine whether probiotics can affect the processing of emotional information in the brain, » says Professor Bajao, an extraordinary professor at the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Lisbon, in Portugal.
« In a group of probiotics, we noticed a smaller tendency to identify negative facial expressions and other emotional signals. »
He believes that probiotics can alleviate some symptoms of depression, but emphasizes that additional research needs.
« We need more information, but there are indications that probiotics have a positive impact with a good tillage and less side effects, » she concludes.
Dr. Pasriša says that a change in the composition of microbioma that can have some influence can take decades.
« And we know that most people have difficulty apply healthy habits in the long run.
« If it wasn’t like that, we wouldn’t have an epidemic of obesity, » he says.
« But we collect key parts of this puzzle, » Pasrisa concludes.
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