MHME 008: How Your Gut Health Affects Your Brain and Memory Health with Scott C Anderson

You’ve no doubt sat in your science classes ( gosh that feels like a long time ago) and learned about the theory of evolution. 

Quick refresher: It’s about how the fittest survive the harsh changes in the environment and comes out as the victor.

But we regularly hear about new diseases, giving us more reasons to be vigilant about our overall health. How are we supposed to get through life as healthily as we could? With the spread of contagious diseases and health risks, our body needs a line of defense that would keep us immune and protected.

Hold up, don’t get too stressed about it! We do have ways to protect our health, and it’s not just through supplements.

Presenting... the armada of teeny-tiny microbiomes in our gut!

That’s right! These microorganisms stand at the vanguard of all the dangerous battles that we face every day! 

Did you know that aside from shielding us from potential harm from our environment, they can also affect our cognitive processes? They do so much of the heavy lifting to break food down into body building, brain nourishing information.

Yes, that’s right. And knowing more about how it all works can definitely help us all have sharper minds and better memory health.

Let’s put your battle gear on as we learn from the National Geographic science communicator, Gut Bug Pioneer and author, Scott Anderson. He’ll tell us how to build on our natural line of defense and train it to fight at its best. I’m sure you’re now also asking, “How can I keep their numbers growing?” No worries, we got you.

 In this show you’ll learn about: 

• The role of the gut microbes in your immune system 
• How gut microbes affect your mental health
• How your diet plays a significant role in maintaining a healthy level of good microbes inside your body. 

In today’s show, you will learn how to optimise your health and cognitive fitness though the power of your microbiome! 

Let’s now power up our body’s line of defense and boost the bugs for brain power! 

Listen To The Podcast Now. 

About Our Guest

Scott C. Anderson is a scientist who specialises in health and technology. He is the author of several science books, including Human Embryonic Stem Cells and co-authored multinational best selling The Psychobiotic Revolution.

The Role of Microbes and Our Brain Health 

Why Do We Have These Bacteria? 

• We can never get away from bacteria. They are ubiquitous and coat every surface of the earth.
• Certain bacteria grew with us, and we grew up with them in a way that was beneficial to both of us. A lot of them are unique to humans.
• These bacteria have become used to us. They help in protecting us from pathogens.

Two Forms of Human Immunity 

• First, the innate immune system is fighting bacteria in our environment. 
• Second, the adaptive immune system helps us deal with things our body has never encountered before. This system functions more like hit or miss. 

How Can Bacteria Build Our Adaptive Immunity

• It takes a bacterium to fight a bacterium.
• We need to live together with our gut bacteria and recruit them to fight the pathogens of the outside world. 
• It can be good or bad, depending on who is in charge. 
• A lot of those bacteria are what makes a good set of microbes in our gut called microbiota. 

The Human Gut and Its Microorganisms

• The gut consists of the whole alimentary canal, starting from our mouth all the way to the anus.
• Our microbiome is composed of a broad variety of microorganisms that have specific roles to play within the alimentary canal.
• There are situations when some of the harmful bacteria, microorganisms and their metabolites can get into our blood system, especially when our immune system is down. That’s when we get inflammation, the immune system’s alarm bells are starting to ring.
• They can also get into the brain through the blood and cross the blood brain barrier. Bacteria associated with gingivitis have been found in people's brains living with dementia on autopsy. 

How Bacteria Can Affect the Brain 

• First, it can affect the brain through the vagus nerve.
• The second way is through the immune system.
• The third is through the hormonal system through the HPA axis (hypothalamus, pituitary and adrenal gland).
• Now, researchers are looking into whether bacteria can get to our brain through the metabolites they produce.

Drugs and Our Immune System

• Recent studies would show that some medications we are taking are fighting the bacteria; in the process, they are also killing our own cells.
• There is collateral damage when we try to fight bacteria and end up damaging our cells as well.

How Can We Create a Healthy Relationship with Our Microbiome?  

• One of the challenges is not knowing enough about probiotics. Some of the available supplements in the market cannot be trusted.
• However, we can get probiotics without resorting to supplements. We can do this by consuming probiotic foods like kimchi, yoghurt and sauerkraut. 
• Changes in diet can lead to a more diverse microbiota. The more different species you have, the better. 
• The Mediterranean diet has been strongly associated with reduced inflammation. Fish, the main protein source in the diet, has high omega 3 ( DHA= docosahexaenoic acid), and EPA = eicosapentaenoic acid) which is a key fatty acid for the brain. Several studies associate higher omega-3 intake with decreased age-related mental decline and a reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease
• You can also lower inflammation by feeding your gut bacteria fibre. Fibre! Fibre! Fibre! Oi! Oi! Oi! 
• Almost every known chronic disease like cancer, Alzheimer’s, diabetes and Parkinson’s have their roots in systemic inflammation. Many systemic inflammation comes from the gut. 
• Aim to keep a robust balance of bacteria, as one pillar to supporting your memory health. There’s almost a upside for every single organ in your body,  especially your beautiful brain.
• It’s a win - win game really. Happy Bugs = Happy Life 

Bacteria and Protein Build-Up

• Our immune system tracks down and identifies some of the building blocks of the proteins involved with bacteria.
• The immune system may be in charge of the goodness or badness that comes as a consequence. 
• Our immune system may react differently depending on the medicine that will be given to a person. 

Food Recommendation 

• Avoid foods which contain preservatives and emulsifiers and those that come farther than the source. 
• Avoid foods with pesticides, herbicides and fungicides. These chemicals can be poisonous to your microbiome gut citizens.
• Try the Mediterranean, Nordic or Japanese diet.
• Eat whole foods and whole grains.
• Have as much fibrous food as possible. 

Resources

• The Psychobiotic Revolution by Scott Anderson with John Cryan and Ted Dinan
• Healthy aging and dementia: findings from the Nun Study: The Nun Study is a longitudinal study of 678 Catholic sisters 75 to 107 years of age who are members of the School Sisters of Notre Dame congregation. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12965975  

 

• How You Eat Directly Impacts Your Mood: 

New Scientist article: https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg24332460-500-how-what-you-eat-directly-influences-your-mental-health/ 

 

• Gut and Mood

Valles-Colomer, M., Falony, G., Darzi, Y., Tigchelaar, E. F., Wang, J., Tito, R. Y., … Raes, J. (2019). The neuroactive potential of the human gut microbiota in quality of life and depression. Nature Microbiology, 1. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-018-0337-x 

 

You can reach out to Scott on his website, Facebook, and Twitter account. You may also want to check out Psychobiotic Revolution to learn more about how microbes can affect your mood and help maintain your brain health.

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FREE Guide To Help Prevent Memory Loss

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Of course you can reach me, David Norris, here on the website and connect with me on LinkedIn or Twitter.

 

To better memory health, 

David

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Disclaimer: The purpose of Memory Health Made Easy Podcast is to educate and to inform. It is no substitute for professional care by a doctor or qualified professional. This podcast is provided on understanding that it does not constitute medical or personal professional advice or services. Instead, we would encourage you to discuss your options with a health care provider who specializes in your particular needs.