Mental health and the gut
Mental health is even more relevant today than ever before. From health, finances, family, employment, and many more, a large number of people struggle with mental health issues. In fact, by the time Canadians reach 40 years of age, one in two will have or have had a mental illness.1
While we think it is all in our heads, a lot of it is actually in our guts. When you have “gut feelings,” a “gut reaction,” or butterflies in your stomach, you are most likely receiving signals from your second brain, the one in your gut.
This second brain is also called the enteric nervous system (ENS) and it contains more than 100 million nerve cells that line the gastrointestinal tract from the esophagus to the rectum. The ENS includes neural circuits that control motor function, local blood flow, mucosal secretion, and transport. It modulates immune and endocrine functions and has extensive bi-directional connections with the central nervous system.2
This gut brain does not work like the brain in your skull. “Its main role is to control digestion, from swallowing to the release of enzymes that break down food to the control of blood flow that helps with nutrient absorption to elimination,” explains Jay Pasricha, M.D., director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Neurogastroenterology, whose research on the ENS has garnered international attention. “The ENS doesn’t seem to be capable of thought as we normally understand it. But, it does communicate with our big brain—with profound results.” The ENS can trigger big emotional shifts in people coping with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and functional bowel problems such as constipation, diarrhea, bloating, pain, and upset stomach.
“For decades, researchers and doctors thought that anxiety and depression contributed to these problems. But, our studies and others show that it may also be the other way around,” Pasricha says.
Researchers are finding evidence that irritation in the gastrointestinal system may send signals to the central nervous system (CNS) that trigger mood changes. “These new findings may explain why a higher-than-normal percentage of people with IBS and functional bowel problems develop depression and anxiety,” Pasricha says.1
With this understanding, let’s look at the bacteria in our gut. Bacteria have been shown to produce and/or consume a wide range of neurotransmitters, including dopamine, norepinephrine, serotonin, and GABA. Serotonin is the neurotransmitter that plays a big role in emotions and happiness. It is estimated that 90% of the body’s serotonin is made in the gut, and nearly 95% of the body’s serotonin resides in the gastrointestinal tract.1,2 By keeping the gut happy, we can keep the brain happy.
Calm from Within
For many, one of the first signs of stress is gastrointestinal discomfort, including abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and loose stools. Renew Life® Ultimate Flora Probiotic Plus Mood & Stress is formulated to help reduce GI discomfort in people experiencing mild to moderate stress resulting from life events, and to moderate feelings of anxiety. The product includes 6 unique probiotic strains that provide 30 billion active cultures in a convenient once-daily dose without the need for an additional probiotic supplement.
Renew Life® Ultimate Flora Probiotic Plus Mood & Stress is formulated not only to support good digestive health, but it also contains the clinically studied probiotic strains Lactobacillus helveticus R0052 and Bifidobacterium longum R0175 to help moderate feelings of anxiety and reduce GI discomfort associated with mild to moderate stress.1