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In the gut's 'second brain,' key agents of health emerge

quantamagazine.org

21–30 of 233 posts

Re: In the gut's 'second brain,' key agents of health emerge

#21
post #18

Breaking down food requires coordination across dozens of cell types and many tissues — from muscle cells and immune cells to blood and lymphatic vessels. Heading this effort is the gut’s very own network of nerve cells, known as the enteric nervous system... One of the things being studied is the involuntary contractions that move food through the gut.

That's not wrong, but it's so obvious that I'm wondering what you're trying to say?

A lot of the comments here are about "the second brain" framing as if we think in our gut, which doesn't appear to be what this research is about at all.

You are what you eat and gut health certainly impacts your brain. "A sound mind in a sound body."

But that's not really what this article seems to be about.

Re: In the gut's 'second brain,' key agents of health emerge

#22
post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> not gluten obviously that’s a crock of shit Celiac disease [1] is a real and potential serious autoimmune disorder. Whether non-celiac gluten intolerance is a real thing is another question, though there's some evidence for it. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coeliac_disease

Celiac is real, but very rare. I think GP was referring to gluten intolerance where there’s not much evidence to support it.

Celiac isn't that rare. Global prevalence is estimated to be 1.3-1.8% [1].

[1] https://www.gastrojournal.org/article/S0016-5085(20)35165-9/...

Re: In the gut's 'second brain,' key agents of health emerge

#23
post #5
post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We do not have "gut checks" and "going with our guts" because of some ancient wisdom about physiology that only left remnant traces as idioms in English. Also, Kahnemann talked about conscious and unconscious thought, not about "gut thought" and "brain thought." You can teach yourself to behave in certain ways, to just react. That doesn't mean you have a smarter stomach than the next person!

It feels like you're just being contrarian without actually putting in the effort to understand. To imply that somatic experience has no influence whatsoever on worldview and by extension on language seems like a very radical position to take given all we know and continue to learn about psychology and neuroscience. I don't think layering on "smarts" onto this discussion is warranted either. Kahnemann's framework map…

This is not that far from my area of expertise and that's mostly nonsense.

Re: In the gut's 'second brain,' key agents of health emerge

#24
post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's not wrong, but it's so obvious that I'm wondering what you're trying to say?

A lot of the comments here are about "the second brain" framing as if we think in our gut, which doesn't appear to be what this research is about at all. You are what you eat and gut health certainly impacts your brain. "A sound mind in a sound body." But that's not really what this article seems to be about.

I'd say that there is some information processing happening in the gut, but I'd also say (in agreement with you) that these other comments border on irrelevant and are for the most part nonsense.

Re: In the gut's 'second brain,' key agents of health emerge

#25

I've noticed that my 'first' brain acts faster and better if my 'second' brain is feeling good. Probiotic foods, plenty of water and movement have been key factors there.

what kind of probiotic foods have you successfully included in your daily life?

Re: In the gut's 'second brain,' key agents of health emerge

#27

I've noticed that my 'first' brain acts faster and better if my 'second' brain is feeling good. Probiotic foods, plenty of water and movement have been key factors there.

what kind of probiotic foods have you successfully included in your daily life?

L Reuteri supplements made the biggest difference for me after about 3 months.

Re: In the gut's 'second brain,' key agents of health emerge

#28
I really don't understand why it has taken health research this long to focus on the digestive system. Obviously, it's all hindsight - but the system that controls processing the entirety of our nutrients seems like it would clearly be a lot more important than it has been treated.

Re: In the gut's 'second brain,' key agents of health emerge

#29
post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What was the breakthrough and what have we learned? I'm interested in reading more about this

There have been thousands of breakthroughs in the field. The pace of research and progress is incredible.

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Re: In the gut's 'second brain,' key agents of health emerge

#30

I've noticed that my 'first' brain acts faster and better if my 'second' brain is feeling good. Probiotic foods, plenty of water and movement have been key factors there.

what kind of probiotic foods have you successfully included in your daily life?

I have a high powered blender. I try to get the fiber and the probiotics at the same time. Fruits and vegetables have probiotics inside the flesh, not just on the skin. The science is less clear on supplements. [1]

The night before I soak:

* chia seeds (1 tsp)

* psyllium husks (1 tsp)

* quick oats (1 tsp)

* almonds 17g

In the morning I add in:

* a frozen banana

* kefir / fermented yogurt drink (1/2 cup)

* frozen berries

* protein powder

* kale / spinach / broccoli

* cinnamon (a lot)

* creatine

* collagen

* water

1. https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2019/08/probitoic...

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