From the previous post on the human microbiome, we discussed that far from being sovereign; we are actually host to a multitude of bacteria with whom we largely enjoy a mutualistic symbiotic relationship. Living in harmony with our microbiomes and reaping the greatest rewards is what helps us thrive as human beings, and much of this hinges on the stability of the microbiome.
There are many different channels through which the stability of our microbiomes can be affected, and the gut-brain axis is one such channel. Simply put, the gut-brain axis refers to the relationship between the gastrointestinal (GI) tract – or gut – and the brain, and involves a ton of two-way communication between the two (just think of hunger….this comes from the gut, and you are aware of it in the brain).
Of course, our gut microbiomes that are part of the GI tract also play a huge role in this relationship, to keep our internal body environment in equilibrium. Let’s consider inflammation: more research is starting to indicate that disruption of the gut microbiome can lead to flares of a wide range of diseases, including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.[1] This is all because the microbiome has lost its stability and has gone out of control!
STRESS and the Microbiome
Recognizing that STRESS has a strong hold over us is the first essential step if we want to minimize the chances of that. What happens when STRESS sets in upon us? First off, blood levels of STRESS hormones – adrenaline, noradrenaline, and cortisol – get elevated. At the same time, other neurochemicals that the regulate our mood and brain functions (e.g. GABA, serotonin, dopamine, and melatonin) start to swing out of their normal levels. These neurochemicals also exert their effects on our gut bacteria.[2] As much as possible, we want to maintain a dynamic but balanced microbiome that will in turn stabilize the gut-brain axis.
Complex changes in our microbiomes cannot be predicted easily. On top of that, these changes are not uniform across all human beings but instead vary from individual to individual. [3] Our research into understanding the gut microbiome is a huge endeavor. We see that people entering our pilot study have very diverse colonies of gut bacteria (despite sharing IBD), but after following the IBD-AID, these colonies shift toward a more beneficial (i.e. anti-inflammatory) pattern that is similar across participants.
We have so much more to learn. Thank you for being part of our journey!
References
[1] Rea, K., Dinan, T. G., & Cryan, J. F. (2016). The microbiome: a key regulator of stress and neuroinflammation. Neurobiology of stress, 4, 23-33
[2] Foster, J. A., Rinaman, L., & Cryan, J. F. (2017). Stress & the gut-brain axis: Regulation by the microbiome. Neurobiology of stress.
[3] Zaneveld, J. R., McMinds, R., & Thurber, R. V. (2017). Stress and stability: applying the Anna Karenina principle to animal microbiomes. Nature microbiology, 2(9), 17121.
