Stress is an invincible part of our life. While a little bit of stress is important for our growth, too much of it can harm both our mental and physical health.
Have you ever experienced indigestion after a stressful episode? Have you had stomachaches and ulcers, and realized that it could be due to mental reasons than physical? This is because the brain and the gut interact through what is called the gut-brain axis. This interaction goes beyond ulcers and indigestion. Digestive disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) are comorbid with mood disorders and often reflect together an imbalance in gut microbiota and chronic inflammation (Madison & Kiecolt-Glaser, 2019).
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Stress and gut
Through different types of stress
The effect of stress on your gut also depends on the duration of your stressful experience. Considering this, stress could be categorized into three types – short-term, long-term and chronic stress.
- Short-term stress can make you lose your appetite, thereby slowing down the digestion process.
- Long-term stress can trigger and lead to various gastrointestinal (GI) issues such as constipation, diarrhoea, and indigestion.
- Chronic stress over extended periods could result in more serious issues such as irritable bowel syndrome and other gastrointestinal disorders.
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Through inflammation, dysbiosis and leaky gut
We are aware that stress affects our health. One possible way is through its impact on gut bacteria. Distress signals are carried to the gut by the autonomic and circulatory systems. Recently, immune cells were also discovered to be messengers in conveying distress to the gut. This increases inflammation and shifts the gut bacteria. Further, stress also increases the permeability of the gut barrier, resulting in a “leaky gut”. The shift in gut bacteria and increased gut permeability causes the gut bacteria to leak into circulation, further promoting inflammation (Madison & Kiecolt-Glaser, 2019).
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Through unhealthy food choices
Diet is an important factor in the interaction of stress and gut microbiota. Think about the last time when you were stressed. Did you crave specific types of food? Did you crave coffee? Chips? Chocolate and/or cake, maybe? If you answered yes to any of those choices, or if your choice was more of an unhealthy food option, this is proof that we make unhealthy food choices when we are stressed. As a result, our digestive system suffers the consequences of our poor mental health (Madison & Kiecolt-Glaser, 2019).
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Gut and stress
There is growing research in the field of health psychology aimed at developing a better understanding of gut-brain interaction. The gut microbiota includes an estimated 39 trillion microbial cells including bacteria, fungi and viruses, that influence various aspects of our bodily functioning such as metabolism, weight, immune function and even our mood. Studies show that the routes of communication between microbiota and the brain include the vagus nerve, signalling of the gut hormone, the functioning of the immune system, tryptophan metabolism and the role of microbial metabolites like short-chain fatty acids (Foster et al, 2017). When our gut microbiota is out of balance, they could also disrupt our neurochemistry.
The gut is known as the “second brain” and goes by the term “enteric nervous system”. This is because this system also runs on neurons and neurotransmitters that are found in the central nervous system. These neurons in our gut are instrumental in initiating intestinal contractions that aid digestion and egestion. However, it is also interesting to note that the enteric nervous system, particularly the intestine produces 95% of serotonin in our bodies (Terry & Margolis, 2017).
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The interaction between stress and the gut is not merely unidirectional. This implies that if we take care of our gut, our mental health is likely to improve. The gut microbiota plays a role in our response to stress as it communicates with the vagus nerve and helps in the release of relevant neurotransmitters (Madison & Kiecolt-Glaser, 2019). Using diets targeting the gut microbiota positively modulates the interaction in the gut-brain axis and could potentially help reduce the effects of stress and disorders associated with psychological distress (Berding et al, 2022).
Strategies for healthy gut and brain
The interaction between the gut and brain is bi-directional. This means that your gut could cause stress and vice versa. Here are some strategies for a better and healthy gut and a stress-free you:
- Avoid foods that negatively affect the health of your gut microbiota, such as sugar, artificial sweeteners, refined carbohydrates, red meat and fried foods.
- Eat a balanced diet. You could also include foods that improve gut health such as yoghurt, sauerkraut, almonds, kefir, apple cider vinegar, kimchi, green tea, avocado and green leafy vegetables.
- If necessary, take prebiotic and probiotic supplements. Make sure you consult with your physician before taking supplements.
- Manage stress by engaging in activities such as yoga, meditation, journaling, breathing exercises and other stress management techniques.
- Take care of your mental health by going to therapy and seeking professional help when necessary.
- Avoid unhealthy behaviours such as smoking and heavy drinking.
- Engage in moderate physical activity (as necessary).
- Make sure you get at least 6 hours of sleep every night.
- Get regular physical health checkups.
In conclusion, the bi-directionality of the gut-brain axis is a growing theme of interdisciplinary research that holds promising potential for interventions facilitating better physical and mental health. Nevertheless, we need to maintain a healthy lifestyle with less stress and a better diet to steward the gut microbiota and enjoy the benefits of good psychological health.
