Episode
How to Enhance Your Gut Microbiome for Brain & Overall Health
1:52:19
Published: Mon Feb 28 2022
Description
In this episode, I discuss the profound effect the gut has on the nervous system. I cover the structure and function of the gut-brain axis and the role of the gut microbiome in the brain and overall health. I describe how the gut controls hunger or satiety by affecting neurons in our brain. I also contrast the many pathways by which the gut influences the brain: direct vs. indirect pathways, chemical vs. mechanical, and fast vs. slow signaling. Additionally, I discuss what defines a healthy microbiome and how your lifestyle impacts the gut microbiome, including the effects of stress, fasting, antibiotics, pets, environment, prebiotics and probiotics. I address how different foods shape the gut microbiome, in particular, the emerging data that fermented foods can increase the diversity of healthy gut microbiota. Throughout the episode, I explain peer-reviewed and textbook findings that reveal the critical role of the gut microbiome in supporting mental and physical health and I outline simple tools that anyone can use in order to enhance their gut microbiome health. For the full show notes, visit hubermanlab.com. Thank you to our sponsors AG1 (Athletic Greens): https://athleticgreens.com/huberman LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/huberman Thesis: https://takethesis.com/huberman Supplements from Momentous https://www.livemomentous.com/huberman Timestamps (00:00:00) Gut Microbiome (00:03:19) Sponsors: AG1, LMNT, Thesis, Momentous (00:06:55) Your Gut-Brain Axis (00:09:44) Gut-Brain Anatomy (00:15:32) Microbiota vs. Gut Microbiome (00:20:01) Roles of Gut Microbiome (00:23:03) Neuropod Cells: (Subconscious) Tasting with Your Stomach (00:34:13) Ghrelin: Slow Modulation of Your Brain in Hunger (00:38:02) Glucagon Like Peptide 1; GLP-1 (00:42:22) Tools: ‘Free Will’ & Food Cravings (00:44:46) Mechanical Cues from Gut to Brain (00:49:05) Dopamines, Vomiting (00:52:06) Indirect Signals from Gut Microbiota (00:59:30) Gut Microbiome “Critical Periods” (01:03:08) How Gut Health Controls Overall Health (01:12:25) What is a Healthy Gut Microbiome? (01:15:00) Tools: Enhance Your Gut Microbiome (01:23:49) Foods to Enhance Microbiota Diversity; Fermented Foods (01:37:07) High-Fiber Diets & Inflammation (01:40:58) Artificial & Non-Caloric Sweeteners (01:44:27) Structure & Function of Gut-Brain Axis (01:49:47) Zero-Cost Support, YouTube, Spotify, Apple Reviews, Sponsors, Supplements, Instagram, Twitter, Neural Network Newsletter Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac Disclaimer
Chapters
This podcast discusses how your gut communicates with your brain directly and indirectly, ultimately changing the chemistry of your body that affects various aspects of brain function.
00:00 - 02:55 (02:55)
Summary
This podcast discusses how your gut communicates with your brain directly and indirectly, ultimately changing the chemistry of your body that affects various aspects of brain function. The gut microbiome and its impact on metabolism, immune system, and brain function are also explored.
EpisodeHow to Enhance Your Gut Microbiome for Brain & Overall Health
PodcastHuberman Lab
InsideTracker provides personalized recommendations to improve nutrition and lifestyle factors, while focus on single-ingredient supplements allows for cost-effective and effective supplementation protocols.
02:55 - 08:02 (05:06)
Summary
InsideTracker provides personalized recommendations to improve nutrition and lifestyle factors, while focus on single-ingredient supplements allows for cost-effective and effective supplementation protocols.
EpisodeHow to Enhance Your Gut Microbiome for Brain & Overall Health
PodcastHuberman Lab
The gut communicates with the brain by way of nerve cells that reside in the digestive tract and the central nervous system, which influences our thoughts and emotions, affecting our motivations, desires, and behaviors related to food and interactions with others.
08:02 - 17:57 (09:55)
Summary
The gut communicates with the brain by way of nerve cells that reside in the digestive tract and the central nervous system, which influences our thoughts and emotions, affecting our motivations, desires, and behaviors related to food and interactions with others.
EpisodeHow to Enhance Your Gut Microbiome for Brain & Overall Health
PodcastHuberman Lab
Special types of neurons present in or near the gut track nutrients and microbes in the gut and send signals to the brain that can influence our food choices and mood.
17:57 - 28:55 (10:58)
Summary
Special types of neurons present in or near the gut track nutrients and microbes in the gut and send signals to the brain that can influence our food choices and mood. The chemistry of our gut, which is determined by the foods we eat, plays a crucial role in the balance of microbiota in our gut that can impact our mood.
EpisodeHow to Enhance Your Gut Microbiome for Brain & Overall Health
PodcastHuberman Lab
Neuropod neurons in the gut detect sweet foods, fatty acids, and amino acids and communicate with the brain via the vagus nerve to create the urge to seek out more of those nutrients.
28:55 - 42:40 (13:45)
Summary
Neuropod neurons in the gut detect sweet foods, fatty acids, and amino acids and communicate with the brain via the vagus nerve to create the urge to seek out more of those nutrients. People have a selective preference for sweet foods even when they can't taste them, as shown by experiments with tastes infused into the gut.
EpisodeHow to Enhance Your Gut Microbiome for Brain & Overall Health
PodcastHuberman Lab
The mechanics and chemistry of our gut sends signals to the brain to stop eating or activate the vomit center to eject food, as well as communicates with the hypothalamus and other areas of the brain to influence decision-making.
42:40 - 51:33 (08:52)
Summary
The mechanics and chemistry of our gut sends signals to the brain to stop eating or activate the vomit center to eject food, as well as communicates with the hypothalamus and other areas of the brain to influence decision-making.
EpisodeHow to Enhance Your Gut Microbiome for Brain & Overall Health
PodcastHuberman Lab
Certain gut microbiota can create dopamine in our gut, which can make changes to our baseline levels of dopamine within the brain and other areas of the body.
51:33 - 1:00:29 (08:55)
Summary
Certain gut microbiota can create dopamine in our gut, which can make changes to our baseline levels of dopamine within the brain and other areas of the body. This highlights the importance of the gut-brain connection, including the role of microbiota in controlling behaviors such as the desire to consume more or the desire to get rid of everything that has been consumed.
EpisodeHow to Enhance Your Gut Microbiome for Brain & Overall Health
PodcastHuberman Lab
Gut microbiota established during the birth process and in the first weeks after birth can have long-term outcomes on brain to gut signaling and the immune system.
1:00:29 - 1:15:50 (15:20)
Summary
Gut microbiota established during the birth process and in the first weeks after birth can have long-term outcomes on brain to gut signaling and the immune system. Exposure to diverse microbiota in the first three years of life can greatly impact the overall diversity of microbiota carried within the body.
EpisodeHow to Enhance Your Gut Microbiome for Brain & Overall Health
PodcastHuberman Lab
Probiotics and prebiotics can be useful in supporting the gut microbiome under conditions of stress or dysbiosis, such as due to antibiotics, stress, or radical changes in diet, but under normal conditions, it's best to focus on quality nutrients through diet and ingest probiotics and prebiotics at a low to moderate level on a consistent basis
1:15:50 - 1:23:33 (07:42)
Summary
Probiotics and prebiotics can be useful in supporting the gut microbiome under conditions of stress or dysbiosis, such as due to antibiotics, stress, or radical changes in diet, but under normal conditions, it's best to focus on quality nutrients through diet and ingest probiotics and prebiotics at a low to moderate level on a consistent basis
EpisodeHow to Enhance Your Gut Microbiome for Brain & Overall Health
PodcastHuberman Lab
A study found that while both increasing fiber and consuming fermented foods improved gut health, the duration of time consuming fermented foods was a stronger predictor of improvements in inflammation and microbiota diversity.
1:23:33 - 1:30:02 (06:29)
Summary
A study found that while both increasing fiber and consuming fermented foods improved gut health, the duration of time consuming fermented foods was a stronger predictor of improvements in inflammation and microbiota diversity.
EpisodeHow to Enhance Your Gut Microbiome for Brain & Overall Health
PodcastHuberman Lab
Ingesting more fermented foods is a great way to improve the gut microbiome, leading to better brain and body health and reduced inflammation, but cost is always a consideration, with kombuchas and other high-quality refrigerated fermented foods at a premium.
1:30:02 - 1:38:20 (08:18)
Summary
Ingesting more fermented foods is a great way to improve the gut microbiome, leading to better brain and body health and reduced inflammation, but cost is always a consideration, with kombuchas and other high-quality refrigerated fermented foods at a premium. There is also a link between the immune system and brain when there are healthy genes and markers of inflammation in the gut.
EpisodeHow to Enhance Your Gut Microbiome for Brain & Overall Health
PodcastHuberman Lab
Eating fermented foods can have a positive effect on microbiome diversity and gut-brain function.
1:38:20 - 1:50:17 (11:56)
Summary
Eating fermented foods can have a positive effect on microbiome diversity and gut-brain function. Fermented foods contain live bacteria that can help synthesize neurotransmitters that regulate bodily functions and have an impact on brain function.
EpisodeHow to Enhance Your Gut Microbiome for Brain & Overall Health
PodcastHuberman Lab
The Huberman Lab podcast discusses science and science-related tools, some of which overlap with supplements and protocols for the gut-brain axis.
1:50:17 - 1:52:08 (01:50)
Summary
The Huberman Lab podcast discusses science and science-related tools, some of which overlap with supplements and protocols for the gut-brain axis. livemomentis.com/huberman provides information on these supplements and protocols, as well as actionable protocols and summaries from the podcast.