Needless to say, having a healthy, smoothly functioning gut is crucial. Good health is directly connected to various other processes in your body. Dr Dimple Jangda, to Ayurveda and Gut Health Coach, explained why the gut is called “the second brain”, along with facts you may not know about the gut. In the video shared on Instagram, she stated that an unhealthy gut/colon is responsible for 90 per cent of the diseases we could have, including clinical depression and cancer.
“There are more neurons lining the gut wall than there are neurons in the brain. That’s why the gut is called the second brain. Your intuition comes from the gut,” she added
Emphasizing on the connection between gut health and mental health, she wrote, “Your gut is where emotions and memories are created and stored — when you feel anxious, scared, excited, happy or nervous, you first feel it in your gut. 75 percent of serotonin is released in the gut. At any point in time, a healthy adult has 1 kg of bacteria — which is trillions of bacteria in our gut flora causing a direct impact on our mental state.”
The expert was quick to add that the gut also impacts your skin and hair, gynaecological health, gastrointestinal health, musculoskeletal health and bronchial health.
“Your gut is the most central organ, the fuel tank of your body, upon which all your other organs depend for the supply of life-supporting nutrition. It is where food is digestednutrients are absorbed and assimilated and waste is segregated and eliminated,” she explained.
Garima Goyal, a dietician, also emphasized the importance of focusing on your gut health to promote better mental health. “Your gut microbes produce lots of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) such as butyrate, propionate and acetate. SCFA affect brain function in various different ways and play an important role in things like appetite suppression. By improving your gut health, it is possible to improve your brain health and vice versa,” she explained.
According to Harvard Medical School, many people with functional gastrointestinal disorders perceive pain more acutely than others because their brains are more responsive to pain signals from the GI tract. Thus, if you continually suffer from problems such as heartburn or loose motions, it might also be a good idea to assess the amount of stress in your life, and try to alleviate the stressors.
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