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Gut microbes could drive brain disorders

nature.com

1–10 of 88 posts

Re: Gut microbes could drive brain disorders

#2
I've dealt with colon cancer in 2016 and again now in the present. I don't what the hell is driving it, but the gut biome is fascinating. It's definitely made me look at my diet and food variety much more seriously. I've started taking probiotics, drinking kombucha from time to time and adopting a more whole food / plant based diet. Does it have an affect? who the heck knows.

Re: Gut microbes could drive brain disorders

#3
About five years ago, after experimenting with some diet changes, I started having some pretty terrible digestive issues, like extremely bloating and indigestion. The issues would fluctuate, sometimes being much worse than others. Along with it came personality changes, like apathy, and they would also fluctuate along with the digestive issues. It's actually pretty scary how much it affected my brain. There are times when the apathy is so extreme I feel like a psychopath, and that comes from someone that once upon a time was vegan due to ethical reasons, so I am (or was) an empathic person. It really is mindblowing. The thoughts I have had and sometimes have would put me in a psychiatric hospital, thoughts I would have never imagined I would have.

Re: Gut microbes could drive brain disorders

#4
Serotonergic Mechanisms Regulating the GI Tract: Experimental Evidence and Therapeutic Relevance (2017) - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5526216/

> Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine; 5-HT) is best known as a neurotransmitter critical for central nervous system (CNS) development and function. 95% of the body’s serotonin, however, is produced in the intestine where it has been increasingly recognized for its hormonal, autocrine, paracrine, and endocrine actions.

--

Here's this chemical that we use to run our brain... where is it produced? Not in the brain, but rather in the gut.

Re: Gut microbes could drive brain disorders

#5

About five years ago, after experimenting with some diet changes, I started having some pretty terrible digestive issues, like extremely bloating and indigestion. The issues would fluctuate, sometimes being much worse than others. Along with it came personality changes, like apathy, and they would also fluctuate along with the digestive issues. It's actually pretty scary how much it affected my brain. There are times…

did you track causation? like what diet changes led to the behavioral changes?

Re: Gut microbes could drive brain disorders

#7

About five years ago, after experimenting with some diet changes, I started having some pretty terrible digestive issues, like extremely bloating and indigestion. The issues would fluctuate, sometimes being much worse than others. Along with it came personality changes, like apathy, and they would also fluctuate along with the digestive issues. It's actually pretty scary how much it affected my brain. There are times…

Sorry if I'm reading into this too much, but did the symptoms you described above ultimately lead to you abandoning veganism? Also, what were the dietary changes that caused those symptoms?

Re: Gut microbes could drive brain disorders

#9
post #4

Serotonergic Mechanisms Regulating the GI Tract: Experimental Evidence and Therapeutic Relevance (2017) - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5526216/ > Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine; 5-HT) is best known as a neurotransmitter critical for central nervous system (CNS) development and function. 95% of the body’s serotonin, however, is produced in the intestine where it has been increasingly recognized for its…

> 5-hydroxytryptamine; 5-HT

5-HTP*

Re: Gut microbes could drive brain disorders

#10
post #6

How does one know one has a healthy gut? Is it possible to have the wrong gut micro biome but not have any gastrointestinal symptoms?

There are companies who will sequence your gut microbiome and give you actionable insights - full disclosure I work for one https://joinzoe.com/
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