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Gut Health linked to Mood

Did you know that your gut bacteria can affect your mood?
For a long time, serotonin has been thought to be held in the brain, but up to 95% of serotonin is created in the gut!!
Not only that, but your gut microbiota can affect your energy levels, skin concerns and weight!

Our gut bacteria produce many of the chemicals that affect our mood

People usually assume that most of our serotonin, often known as the happy chemical, is housed in our brain. However, approximately 95 percent of our body’s serotonin is actually found within the gut. GABA, another neurotransmitter that improves mood, is also often present in the gut. And both are released from good bacteria, meaning that the gut has a tremendous effect on our overall health.

A large part of our immune system is also housed in the gut and it’s connected to the brain via the vagus nerve, which, in addition to the digestive tract, also has crucial functions in many other parts of the body. The vagus nerve acts like a highway of information between the gut and the brain, transporting inflammatory markers back and forth.

Inflammation, the body’s defence mechanism against injury or foreign invaders, is usually a healthy response. However, chronic inflammation — lasting months or even years — can slowly and subtly cause damage. It has been linked to countless chronic diseases and mental illnesses, including anxiety and depression.

Heightened inflammation alerts the central nervous system (CNS) to induce symptoms resembling depression, such as lethargy, sleep disturbances and changes in appetite. The two-way link between inflammation and depression promotes the idea that reducing inflammation through a healthier, balanced diet and by regulating stress can be beneficial to our entire health.

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