The importance of gut health
The inflammatory model of mental health has helped us appreciate the importance of the gut–brain connection. It’s actually through the balance of the gut microbiome and the integrity of the gut lining, that the brain receives signals from our external environment. If this goes awry, the brain is affected. The gut microbiome refers to the communities of microorganisms that live in your gut, and the balance of these communities is profoundly important for health and wellbeing.
Our gut microbiome starts off as the colonisation of flora from the mother’s birth canal as we pass through it. Then colostrum given during the first feed, and later breast milk from the mother, adds more bacteria to the growing tribe of microbes. We then pick up microbes from contact with people and animals (and the odd pacifier dropped on the ground). Germs are generally good because they add to the diversity of flora in our gut throughout our lives. Exposure to different types of bacteria from birth develops gut immunity.
Toxins, exposure to antibiotics, and processed foods create havoc for the poor little guys living in our gut. Because the microbiome has a fundamental role in absorbing nutrients, creating neurotransmitters and providing immunity, any dysregulation (or what we call dysbiosis — bad bacteria outweighing the good), will impact the connection between the gut and brain — referred to as the gut–brain axis.
Most research on gut health and depression involves rodents being injected with Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), an endotoxin which that is supposed to stay in the gut. Endotoxins make up the outer membrane of the cell wall in a gram- negative bacteria. Gram- negative bacteria include most of the bacteria found in the gastrointestinal tract, which cause infection and disease. If the gut lining is compromised in any way, LPS is often detected in the blood circulation indicating that inflammation is present and causing an immune response. And in many cases when LPS and inflammation are present, illness of the mind follows.
When we have discomfort in our gut, it can create discomfort in our mind. Therefore, the importance in regards to the gut microbiome and its importance in mental wellness cannot be overstated.
There are more organisms in our gut than the number of people roaming the planet, and more than half of the human body is not human, rather microbial. We used to believe that everything was coded in our DNA. Back when the human genome project started we thought that the human genome would have around 250,000 functional genes to cover the complex range of processes that the human body is capable of. It turns out we may have fewer than 20,000 functional genes. This is amazing when you compare a human to an insect, as an example. We have so little genetic material, and we are about half as sophisticated as an earthworm in regards to functional genes. In fact, the microbial genes that live in us account for most of our biological and metabolic activity. Most of our function is dictated by our microbiome, so we must take care of it.
Let’s explore some different ways of caring for our microbiome.