Psychological problems and their relationship with food

Modern nutrition

Decades ago, families often ate very simply. No biscuits, candy, cake, pizza, chips, soft drinks or anything of the sort were seen in the cupboards of homes around the world. There was often no money for the luxury of extra food or snacks. Industrialized nutrition, in particular, had not yet made an appearance. In epigenetics and lifestyle medicine, the relationship between nutrition and psychological problems was established years ago.

As mentioned in the introduction to this topic, scientific research teaches us that there is a significant relationship between the functioning of the brain and the gut microbiome. An improperly functioning intestinal microbiome, with an incorrect composition of the trillions of bacteria that live in it, can be the cause of a number of disorders. These range from burn-out to ADHD, ADD, autism, depression, psychiatric disorders, dementia, neuroinflammation, MS, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease, and many other brain- or psychological-related illnesses and disorders.

The enteric nervous system

The enteric nervous system is the nervous system within the intestines and is so important that it is often given the moniker of our “second brain”.

A nervous system consists of elongated cells that are connected to each other. They transmit electrical and chemical signals through the synapses that are located at the end of these nerve cells. In this way, the nerve cells can communicate with each other and create a communication network throughout the entire body. The chemical signals that these synapses transmit are the neurotransmitters.

Neurotransmitters have a dampening or stimulating effect. Dopamine is a stimulant and gives us a lot of energy, while GABA has an inhibiting effect. But more about that later.

What’s going on in the gut

The enteric nervous system senses what is going on in the gut and how it should respond. The brain does communicate with the intestines, but only via the Nervus Vagus, and that communication is a one-way street. The intestines also communicate with the brain and for this they have about 100 million nerve connections! You can conclude from this that the intestines are much more meaningful than the brain, and not the other way around. The fact that the brain can’t function without food that is firstly properly digested by the intestines also highlights their importance. That alone proves that psychological problems have a relationship with food.

So, the food choices we make and how “nutrient-rich” that food is determines how our brain works. If the food we eat doesn’t contain the nutrients required for our brain to function properly, the brain will simply start to fail. Compare it to a diesel car that is suddenly loaded with petrol. Everything will get stuck, and so things get stuck in your body.

The enteric nervous system in the intestine has as many as 200 to 600 million nerve cells, which is as many as the spinal cord. It regulates everything that happens in the gastrointestinal tract.

Intestinal bacteria

Intestinal bacteria (gut microbiome) can also transmit signals. How is it that these intestinal bacteria, which actually digest our food, have such an influence on our brain and character? Intestinal bacteria make signal substances with which they send out messages in your body. The good intestinal bacteria make the signal substances that have a favorable effect. If there is a surplus of gram-negative bacteria, parasites and molds in your gut, signal substances are produced that have a negative effect. These signal substances enter your body through the brain-intestinal nerve and the blood, with all its consequences. Negative intestinal bacteria can in this way develop all sorts of physical and emotional problems such as depression, fatigue, skin issues, hormonal imbalances, irritability, over stimulation and/or being unfocused.

The intestines also produce many hormones

In addition to signaling substances, the intestines also produce many hormones. The intestines also produce many hormones, including brain hormones and neurotransmitters. As mentioned, these determine how the brain works. Scientific research has shown that the intestines produce far more brain hormones and neurotransmitters than the brain itself. In our bodies, hormones are produced by the endocrine glands, namely the pituitary, thyroid and adrenal glands. The hormone-producing cells in the intestines are estimated to be 1% of the intestinal cells, and they produce more hormones than all the endocrine glands put together.

In the article about the gut microbiome, you wil see that hormones have a major role in the brain, but also in the functioning of the immune system.

One hormone, adrenaline, activates your body and immune system, but also creates stress. Other hormones, such as cortisol, dampen stress and deactivate the immune system, which is a very important function. Many autoimmune diseases arise because the immune system is constantly functioning, where cortisol fails to deactivate the immunity (low grade inflammation).

So, the functioning of your brain is determined by the composition of your microbiome, the food you eat and the functioning of the immune system. If, for whatever reason, not enough hormones and signaling substances are produced in the intestines, or the “wrong” ones, then this has a major effect on your psyche.

A leaky gut is very common

A leaky gut is very common, we often have it without knowing it. Is your intestinal wall not completely covered by a properly functioning intestinal microbiome? If so, this has a major effect on your immunity and the hormones that regulate it. But also on the production of signaling substances needed for the brain. The composition of the intestinal microbiome is therefore very important for your mental and physical health.

The most important (brain) hormones are serotonin, dopamine and melatonin. In addition, insulin and the cholecystokinin or CKK also have a strong effect on the brain. The exorphins from food and endorphins made by the body also have a great effect on the functioning of the brain. Read more about this fascinating subject in part 3 of this series.

Search for an epigenetic specialist

Contact an epigenetic specialist if you have any psychological problems. Do you suspect that a leaky gut could be the cause of your psychological and physical symptoms? Do you have emotional problems after eating certain types of food? Do you get a bloated feeling, a lot of gas or suffer from burping, farting and/or heartburn, or sharp abdominal pain with a changed bowel movement? Then it might be useful to contact an epigenetic specialist. Even if you do not have any psychological problems, but other issues as mentioned above, they can definitely help you with this. An easy way is to take psychological medications, but they may not find the right balance in your brain chemistry.