- Valerie Taylor studies the link between our intestinal health and mental health.
- She said that intestinal microbes, brain and central nervous system can influence each other via “the intestinal brain axis”.
- His advice for taking care of intestinal health understand the consumption of a nutritional diet that suits you best.
A psychiatric teacher shared three ways to take care of our intestinal health could improve our mental health.
Valerie Taylor, who is based at the University of Calgary, studies the relationship between the intestinal microbiome – billions of microorganisms in the digestive system – and the brain.
The intestinal microbiome is a rapidly growing field of search, with more than 40 times more funding for related research In the United States in 2016 as there were in 2007.
Research suggests that intestinal microbes, brain and central nervous system can influence each other via what is called “the axis of the intestinal brain”, including the production of certain chemicals.
For example, when people are stressed, their bodies release more cortisol from “stress hormone”, which can make the gastrointestinal system digest foods faster, leading to diarrhea or stomach upset, said Taylor.
Although research is promising, Taylor does not think that the fight against intestinal health can “cure” mental health problems such as depression and anxiety.
But a better understanding of the intestinal axis could encourage people to make lifestyle changes that could improve their intestine And mental health, said Taylor. Experts are increasingly questioning the idea that depression, for example, is only caused by low levels of serotonin, believing rather that it is linked to a combination of biological, genetic, environmental and psychosocial factors – Y including the axis of the intestinal brain.
Taylor said, Based on his research, the lifestyle changes that follow the following people could help people with mental health problems maintain a more stable mood after their symptoms have improved – with therapy, drugs or the time – and could prevent particularly serious symptoms in people who are predisposed to them.
1) Eat a nutritious diet that corresponds to your lifestyle
The addition of Kimchi to meals can be ideal for intestinal health. 4kodiak / Getty Images
Some diets and foods can make your brain and your intestinal bacteria “very happy,” said Taylor.
These include the Mediterranean diet and vegetarianism, and fermented foods such as kefir, kimchi, sauerkraut and stored stored using natural processes instead of vinegar.
Look for the words “naturally fermented” on labels and bubbles in the liquid when you open the pot, which indicates that there are living organisms inside, said Taylor.
“At the end of the day, as long as you eat healthy and you get the right balance in essential nutrients, there is no magic diet, as long as it is a reasonable diet that people feel good When they eat it, “she says.
A review in 2020 studies published in the BMJ journal suggested an anti-inflammatory diet, which means rich in fiber, polyphenols and unsaturated fatty acids, could help reduce depressive symptoms, but that does not mean that poor diet causes depression.
Bi previously reported how to start eating healthy.
2) Consider taking probiotics
After improving someone’s mental health, Emerging evidence suggests that probiotics could help maintain the intestinal flora and prevent other symptoms, said Taylor – although it is difficult to measure the way treatment prevents something.
According to the National Center for Commentary and Alternative Medicine, although probiotics have proven to be promising for the treatment of gastrointestinal problems, we still do not know what specifications are useful, how much to take or that could benefit from it.
But Taylor said that she knew the anecdote of people feeling better and having more stable moods with probiotic use. “In the end, there is probably no harm,” she said. “And if it helps, it helps.”
3) Avoid ultra -processed foods
Taylor said that trying to avoid ultra-adjigden foods could be useful for people predisposed to conditions such as depression and anxiety.
A meta-analysis of 2022 published in the journal Nutrients revealed that in 17 studies involving 385,541 participants, those who ate more UPF were more at risk of feeling depressed symptoms.
Researchers suggested that this could be due to the fact that the additives found in UPFs, such as emulsifiers and artificial sweeteners, could disturb the way the body does and releases chemicals that regulate mood, including dopamine and serotonin.
They also suggested that the UPFS could change the functioning of the intestinal microbiome and cause inflammation, which has also been linked to mental health problems.
Bonus advice: do not take antibiotics unless a doctor prescribes them
You should take antibiotics when prescribed by a doctor, Taylor said.
But it is useful to know that they can strip the intestine of essential bacteria. When there is “nothing else in your system which reproduces what these particular bacteria do”, this can cause gastrointestinal problems, said Taylor.
“We have become a company that really likes to take antibiotics for everything,” said Taylor. Antibiotics can help treat bacterial infections, but sometimes people take them when an infection could disappear alone.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention encourage health care providers to use antibiotics sparingly to prevent antimicrobial resistance and an unbalanced intestinal microbiome.
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