Respected Reader, get ready, this isn’t easy reading, but it is profound and has implications for optimal brain health. As you know the “brain runs the train.” It is the computer generating thoughts, feelings and behavior. Here is some solid research that says how the brain can be influenced by what is in your gut.

Jordan Davidson has collected some interesting research on this topic and shares it in an interesting article entitled “The Psychobiotic Revolution.” I share some of it along with my own commentary.

Davidson states “ninety percent of what we lug around with us is not human. It’s microbial, and it’s vital to our health, our moods, even the decisions we make. There are roughly 15 trillion cells in our body – and over 100 trillion bacteria, most them in the gut and most of them supporting such essential functions as digestion, immunity, metabolism, even mental health in ways that are only now being understood.”

Psychiatrist, Ted Dinan, says ”the body is an ecosystem of interdependent parts relaying messages to each other. Because of the influence of the thousands of species of gut flora on health Dinan aims to harness the power of microbes to treat depression. He has coined the term psychobiotics for the live organisms in the gut that are psychoactive and of potential benefit to those suffering from a variety of psychiatric illnesses.

Researchers are now capable of discerning which strains of gut bacteria affect the nervous system, they can also map the exact pathways through which specific gut bacteria influence the brain.

Examples of probiotic impact are Lactobacillus helveticus and Bifidobacterium longum, which have been found to reduce the stress hormone cortisol. These gut microbes also secrete GABA, which when it is deficient in the brain, can cause depression. For you chocolate lovers, eating dark chocolate leads to an increase in both bacterial families. The rich reservoir of polyphenols in chocolate act as a prebiotic enhancing the growth of beneficial bacteria already in the gut.

Other microbes that positively impact the brain are Bifidobacerium infantis, which alters levels of serotonin which mimic such antidepressants like Prozac. Lactobacillus reuteri improves mood, appearance, and general health by increasing levels of oxytocin, which is the hormone that kicks in when you cuddle, hug, or have sex.

Psychobiotics affect the brain through several distinct pathways. The primary route is via the vagus nerve, a central conduit that relays messages from the intestines to the brain and touches many organs in between. Neurotransmitters produced by the gut microbes activate the vagus nerve. Lactobacillus rhamnosus, a strain of bacteria that reduces anxiety and depression, acts on the brain only via the vagus nerve. In the brain it beefs up production of GABA receptors.

Truly therapeutic psychobiotics are not very available at this time, despite the claims of a few charlatan marketers who are using the lingo but their products have limited or no value. However, eating certain foods such as yogurt that can reduce anxiety and fear and fermented foods such as kefir and sauerkraut which supply psychobiotics.

In summary, Respected Reader, I have tried to alert you to some forward advances developing that have health implications for you. Know more about your gut — what goes into it and how it affects your overall health.

On a personal note my wife Sherry and I both take a probiotic that we believe in every day as part of the supplement package we take from our well-researched company. Contact me if you want more info about it.

Dr. Stathas can be reached at 706-473-1780. Email: Stathas@plantationcable.net. Web site: drstathas.googlepages.com. Blog: drstathas.com