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The Gut-Brain Connection: How Probiotics Can Improve Mood
By: Brenda Kimble
While probiotics work solely in the intestines, thanks to the gut-brain connection, the work done there can impact your mental health as well.
Have you ever made a decision using your gut instinct? Felt butterflies in your stomach when you’re anxious? Lost your appetite after hearing or seeing something disturbing? Not had the stomach to do something difficult?
Those are idioms we use every day, but they’re based in science-old science. For over a century, researchers have theorized that there’s a connection between our brains and our digestive system. It’s called the gut-brain axis, or the gut-brain connection.
What Is the Gut-Brain Connection?
The gut-brain connection describes the neural network that links the brain, the stomach, and the intestines. For decades, scientists fretted over “what comes first” problems. Does the brain talk to the gut, they wondered, or does the gut talk to the brain?
Now, we know that the digestive system and the brain are connected through feedback loops that work in both directions. That means that when you’re nervous, your neurons send that information to your digestive system and potentially trigger an upset stomach. Likewise, when there’s…
