THE PCCA BLOG

The Gut-Brain Connection, Part 2

Wed, 11 Jan 2023 12:00:00 GMT

by Don Bottoni, RPh, PCCA Clinical Compounding Pharmacist

What Affects Our Gut Affects Our Brain

We have all heard of a “leaky gut,” where partially digested food and microbes enter the bloodstream, but how does this happen? A disruption of the microbiome caused by stress, poor diet and antibiotics can cause the junctions between the epithelial cells to widen, allowing partially digested food and microbes to enter the bloodstream. The outcome of these particles entering the bloodstream is inflammation that can affect the entire body. What affects the gut will affect the brain. A leaky gut can be a factor in autoimmune diseases and neurodegeneration. How many times have we heard that we should first heal the gut before we start other therapies when treating autoimmune diseases?

So how do we support and improve the gut-brain connection and heal the gut?

It all starts with proper food selection and digestion. If every time we eat a certain food we have acid reflux, or indigestion or diarrhea, perhaps this means we should not eat that food. That seems too obvious, but rarely do we listen to our bodies. Inflammation can also cause malabsorption syndrome and a litany of neurological conditions. Brain fog, memory issues, depression, anxiety, autism and schizophrenia can be made worse by inflammation in the gut. We should start to heal the gut by making dietary and lifestyle changes. We should remove gluten, dairy, processed foods, trans fats and alcohol from our diet as much as possible. We should start a simple exercise program. We should realize that digestion only occurs in a resting state. Take a few deep breaths, eat while sitting down and not in the car or rushing to the next meeting, and staying off cellphones during meals will go a long way to help digestion. Give yourself some time to digest your meal before you exercise. Regular exercise can help us deal with stress more effectively. Having regular bowel movements daily is essential. Some people think that having a bowel movement every two or three days is normal, but it is not. Certain conditions affecting thyroid function can cause constipation. These issues should be addressed so that we maintain a healthy gut.

Restoring Gut Health

There are some supplements in our Wellness Works nutritional supplement line that may potentially help maintain a healthy gut and aid in proper digestion. We are told we are what we eat, but in reality, we are what we digest and absorb from our food. Anyone over the age of 40 should consider taking a digestive enzyme with the larger meals of the day if they have digestion issues. Wellness Works Digestive Enzymes with Betaine (WW #10315) is an excellent choice. The betaine in this supplement helps increase stomach acidity, which is crucial for digesting proteins. If one is vegan, we provide a Digestive Enzymes (Vegetarian) option (WW #10292). If one is concerned about hidden gluten in a meal, we offer Gluten Digestive Enzymes (WW #10324). Wellness Works provides an array of probiotic formulations hat may possibly help restore the normal flora in the gut. The probiotic formulations contain specific strains of friendly bacteria that have been shown to re-populate the gut.

Wellness Works Probiotic Daily Support (WW #10310) is a dairy-free supplement that contains 5 billion beneficial organisms. As its name implies, it might be useful as a daily support supplement. We also carry Probiotic Mega Blend (WW #10296), which contains 15 billion organisms and is suggested for more acute intestinal issues. Another useful probiotic, SporeBiotic Max (WW #10396), contains a mixture of the spore forms of several strains of beneficial organisms. The spore forms of these bacteria are resistant to antibiotics, stomach acid and bile salts. They are unique in that they promote the formation of short-chain fatty acids that help reduce inflammation of the lining of the gut. The use of spore-form probiotics is increasing because of this unique contribution to gut health.

For those who need additional healing of the lining of the gut, we offer Gut Restorative PRP (WW #10361). This product contains immunoglobulins from bovine colostrum, a milky fluid that comes from a cow’s udder the first few days after giving birth, and aid in supporting immune health and reducing inflammation of the lining of the gut. Bovine colostrum contains milk and may not help diary intolerant individuals. Glutamine (WW #10097) is one of the most useful gut healing substances available. It aids in healing the irritated tissues in the gut. It can be beneficial for treating diarrhea or constipation, useful for boosting immune function, proven to decrease sugar and alcohol cravings, as well as reducing anxiety in some people.

Yeast overgrowth in the gut is a major health problem. Although use of the above-mentioned probiotics can help, Saccharomyces Boulardii (WW #10356) may better control yeast in the gut. Strangely, saccharomyces boulardii is a yeast that works to irradicate harmful bacteria and yeast in the gut. It has been shown to be useful in treating C. difficile diarrhea and other types of diarrhea and disappears on its own three to five days after cessation of dosing.

As we have seen, the gut-brain axis is extremely complex, and the health of this axis is a key component to healthy living.^1-8

A version of this article originally appeared entirely in PCCA’s members-only magazine, the Apothagram.

References

Karpa, K.D. (2003). Bacteria for Breakfast. Traford Publishing
Mayer E. A. (2011). Gut feelings: the emerging biology of gut-brain communication. Nature reviews. Neuroscience, 12(8), 453-466. Accessed July 2022 at https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn3071
Carpenter, S. (2012, September). That gut feeling. Monitor on Psychology,43(8). Accessed July 2022 at https://www.apa.org/monitor/2012/09/gut-feeling
Appleton J. (2018). The Gut-Brain Axis: Influence of Microbiota on Mood and Mental Health. Integrative medicine (Encinitas, Calif.), 17(4), 28–32. Accessed July 2022 at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6469458/
Mayer, E. (2018, June 18). The Mind-Gut Connection. Harper Wave Publishers.
Physiopedia contributors. (2021, February 3). Gut Brain Axis (GBA). Physiopedia, 06:31 UTC. Access July 2022 at https://www.physio-pedia. com/index.php?title=Gut_Brain_Axis_(GBA)&oldid=266373
Rege, S., Graham, J. (2017, June 27). The Simplified Guide to the Gut-Brain Axis. Psych Scene Hub. Updated October 27, 2021, accessed July 2022 at https://psychscenehub.com/psychinsights/the-simplified-guide-to-the-gut-brain-axis
Attica, P. The Gut Brain Connection. The Drive Podcast #215

The Gut-Brain Connection, Part 1

Wed, 04 Jan 2023 12:00:00 GMT

by Don Bottoni, RPh, PCCA Clinical Compounding Pharmacist

The gut-brain connection, also known as the gut-brain axis, is one of the most studied systems in our body. This connection consists of a two-way communication between our gastrointestinal (GI) tract (the gut), our brain and trillions of intestinal floral living in our human microbiota.

Our gut and microbiota — collectively known as the enteric nervous system (ENS) — are often referred to as the “second brain.” The ENS lies in the top layers of our intestinal tract and contains more than 100,000 neurons, about the same number of neurons in our spinal cord. The surface area of our intestinal tract is about the size of a tennis court and contains more than 100 trillion organisms that weigh about six pounds.

To say our intestinal tract is a very complex system is an understatement. Our GI tract is more than a food processing machine. The microbiota is not only associated with the assimilation and absorption of nutrients, but also with the health of our immune system and emotional health.

Second-Brain Signals

We have all heard of sayings such as “gut feeling,” “butterflies in the stomach,” or “nervous stomach.” These descriptions, in layman’s terms, describe how emotions affect our GI tract. We all have had our stomach “grumble” when it is mealtime or when we see or smell food. Have you ever wondered why we experience diarrhea when we are stressed out? How would we know we are hungry if our brain and gut did not communicate? These are all internal signs of our gut-brain connection activity.

Another gut feeling is a feeling of being full. This feeling is stored in the brain and accessed later for making future food decisions. Ivan Pavlov won a Nobel Prize back in the early 1900s for his work with dogs and their responses to food stimuli. Our ENS communicates with our brain via the vagus nerve (parasympathetic signals sent to the brain), and the peripheral nerves of the spinal cord (the sympathetic signals) sent from the brain to the intestinal tract.

So how do the two organs communicate? The bacterium in the gut produces more than 20 different hormones and many neurotransmitters. Those transmitters include tryptophan, serotonin, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), norepinephrine and many more signaling substances. Over 90% of the serotonin in our body is found in the gut. Certain bacteria have been associated with the production of some of these transmitters. A deficiency of certain bacteria can be associated with schizophrenia. Certain bacteria in the phyla of firmicutes help promote the formation of short-chain fatty acids that aid in reducing inflammation in our gut which, in turn, improves our mood.

Beneficial Bacteria

Certain bacteria in the gut help produce serotonin in enterochromaffin cells in the lining of the gut. If approximately 90% of the serotonin found in the body is produced in the gut, then one can understand how conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome, depression, cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis are affected by our intestinal health. Having the proper flora in our microbiota is key to healthy living. The serotonin produced in our gut is essential for normal intestinal functions such as the peristaltic contractions that move food through the gut. It is also key to other body functions such as sleep, mood, pain sensitivity and overall well-being.

Lines of Gut Defense

There are more immune cells living in the lining of our gut than are circulating in our blood or are found in our bone marrow. The food in our gut is the outside world within us. It makes sense that we were created with a special system to protect us from potentially lethal organisms in our food.

Stomach acid is the first line of defense against potentially harmful organisms. The acidic environment of the stomach will kill many pathogens. The next layer of protection is the bile salts. The bile salts also have a germicidal effect on pathogens in our food. The immune cells in the gut are the third layer of protection. We have what is called the gut associated lymphoid tissue (GALT), which is found in organized lymphoid tissue such as Peyer’s patches, and in the mesenteric lymph nodes that are found in the epithelial layer that lines the gut. This system contains activated T-cells, plasma cells, mast cells, dendritic cells and macrophages.

These protective mechanisms come into play when harmful pathogens and material are sensed to be present in the gut. Our epithelial tissue that lines the gut is one cell thick, and it is a protective barrier against microbe penetration.^1-8

Visit the PCCA Blog on January 11, 2023, to read Part 2 of The Gut-Brain Connection: Bidirectional Signals for Health & Disease .

A version of this article originally appeared entirely in PCCA’s members-only magazine, the Apothagram.

References

Karpa, K.D. (2003). Bacteria for Breakfast. Traford Publishing
Mayer E. A. (2011). Gut feelings: the emerging biology of gut-brain communication. Nature reviews. Neuroscience, 12(8), 453-466. Accessed July 2022 at https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn3071
Carpenter, S. (2012, September). That gut feeling. Monitor on Psychology,43(8). Accessed July 2022 at https://www.apa.org/monitor/2012/09/gut-feeling
Appleton J. (2018). The Gut-Brain Axis: Influence of Microbiota on Mood and Mental Health. Integrative medicine (Encinitas, Calif.), 17(4), 28–32. Accessed July 2022 at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6469458/
Mayer, E. (2018, June 18). The Mind-Gut Connection. Harper Wave Publishers.
Physiopedia contributors. (2021, February 3). Gut Brain Axis (GBA). Physiopedia, 06:31 UTC. Access July 2022 at https://www.physio-pedia. com/index.php?title=Gut_Brain_Axis_(GBA)&oldid=266373
Rege, S., Graham, J. (2017, June 27). The Simplified Guide to the Gut-Brain Axis. Psych Scene Hub. Updated October 27, 2021, accessed July 2022 at https://psychscenehub.com/psychinsights/the-simplified-guide-to-the-gut-brain-axis
Attica, P. The Gut Brain Connection. The Drive Podcast #215