What The Bacteria In Your Gut Have To Do With Your Physical And Mental Health

HOW GUT BACTERIA AND AFFECTS THE BRAIN AND BODY We are more bacteria than we are human. Mounting research has suggested that the bacteria living in our digestive tract play a significant role in our overall health. Here are some of the physical and mental health conditions that have been linked to imbalances in gut flora. DEPRESSION • More than a third of depression sufferers have "leaky gut," or permeability of the gut lining that allows bacterium to seep ANXIETY Prebiotics can have anti-anxiety and antidepressant effects. Consuming beneficial bacteria can also positively change the way the brain responds to the environment. out into the bloodstream. • AUTISM Autism often co-occurs with SCHIZOPHRENIA Studies in mice have linked a lack of gastrointestinal issues like leaky gut or irritable bowel syndrome. normal gut bacteria with changes in brain development, but the genetics of the disorder are complex and not fully understood. PARKINSON'S DISEASE People suffering from this disease have different gut bacteria than healthy people. OBESITY & DIABETES • A number of studies have linked instability in the gut microbiome to obesity and obesity-related health problems. • CROHN'S DISEASE Abnormally high levels of certain bacteria strains may be present when Crohn's Disease developS, possibly triggering an atypical immune response. COLON CANCER • Sugar-loving microbes in the gut – along with the carbs that feed them, can fuel • ULCERATIVE COLITIS Imbalances in gut flora may be a main factor in both the onset and continuing symptoms of ulcerative colitis. colon cancer. High carb-diets may even be contributing to the rise of colon cancer. RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS Studies have found a link between low levels of certain good gut bacteria, high levels of unhealthy Prevotella copri bacteria, and autoimmune joint disease. • IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME There is a definitive link between IBS and an overgrowth of bacteria in the small intestines. There are thought to be more than 5,000 species of bacteria living in the gut. Here are a few of the main players: HELICOBACTER PYLORI Most common bad bacteria, METHANOBREVIBACTER SMITHII causes ulcers Responsible for the majority of methane production LACTOBACILLI May ward off stress and anxiety O GOOD BAD BIFIDOBACTERIA Effective at treating many intestinal conditions LACTOBACILLUS BIFIDOBACTERIUM HELVETICUS LONGUM Also associated with Associated with reduced anxiety and depression reduced anxiety and depression THE HUFFINGTON POST Sources: Psychopharmacology, Oxford University, UCLA Division of Digestive Diseases, Ahmanson-Lovelace Brain Mapping Center at UCLA, Scientific American, Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, The Atlantic, National Geographic, Cedars-Sinai, ScienceNews.org, The Scientist, Medical News Today, University of Helsinki Institute of Biotechnology, American Diabetes Association, Science Daily, U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, LiveScience.com, WedMD.com