Recent research suggests more tangible evidence of a gut and brain connection.
Our gut is a tube that is full of many living organisms. These organisms shape how we interact with the world, how our body functions, and overall who we are as a person. Oregon State University did a study looking at gut bacteria that showed how they are influenced by what we eat, and how that affects the host (us). They did their study on mice feeding them a diet high in sugar and fat, and found that there is a cognitive decline as well as impairment to the memory of the mice.
There has been a lot of research, lately, looking at the gut and bacteria relationship as well as the gut and body relationship. In fact, just a few weeks ago I addressed this same topic. The gut and mind connection can be altered, of course, by what we eat either in a good way, or not. The saying “you are what you eat” never rang more true than it does now, but now we can add to that because what you eat influences who you are. The study showed that the mice, fed the above diets, had high percentages of bad gut bacteria in comparison to the mice with healthier diets.
Think about kids as they are in school, and how what they eat will influence how well they can learn as well as their retention of what they have learned. If they start their morning with a sugary meal then they, and by extension you, are setting them up for failure; especially if their diet options/choices throughout the day match their morning ones. And vice versa too as the kid who can start their morning with an antioxidant rich, nutrient dense, and protein filled breakfast is going to have an easier time throughout the day. Scientists are still learning how the gut truly does influence the mind, but there is the thought that the bacteria will release inflammatory cytokines into the system which will then go to the brain, and alter how the neurotransmitters are functioning. This is just another reminder that our body is interconnected. What happens in one part of the body affects another, and so on.
So we know that there is a gut-brain connection, and a gut-immune system connection, but there are also many other connections that I think we have not quite explored enough yet. When it comes to eating, also remember that your mind state will affect how digestion happens just as much as the gut bugs will affect it. To use another saying, eat what you love, and love what you eat.
Source: Huffington Post