Did you know the food you eat could change the way your brain works? Some scientists think that certain types of food might be linked to our mood.
An international group of scientists at Monash University has just found more proof to support this idea.
The Protein-Gut-Mood Connection
Proteins are like the building blocks of our bodies. They are made up of smaller parts called amino acids. One such amino acid is called tyrosine.
This little guy is really important because it helps make special brain chemicals that control our mood, wakefulness, and even our motor skills, which are movements like walking and picking up toys.
The scientists’ research shows that if we eat too much of a certain type of protein that’s hard to break down, the tiny microbes living in our gut have to do the job.
When they ferment this protein, they might produce harmful substances. At the same time, they use up the tyrosine, leaving less of it available for the brain.
This situation can imitate what happens when we don’t get enough tyrosine from our diet. And not having enough tyrosine might make a person more likely to feel depressed.
The Gut-Brain Highway
On top of that, our gut microbes can also turn amino acids into the same brain chemicals that tyrosine helps produce.
These chemicals then act as messages in our gut’s nervous system and can potentially travel up to our brain. This path from our gut to our brain is often referred to as the “gut-brain axis.”
“The way diet, gut microbes, and mental health are connected is complicated to study because it’s a tricky pathway,” says Professor Louise Bennett, who led the research.
She also added, “We found that substances made in the gut when it ferments protein might be able to reach the brain and could affect its functions, including mood.”
How They Found Out
The researchers used special scientific tools to track how specific nutrients move in pigs. They picked pigs because pigs’ digestive systems work a lot like ours.
They discovered that a high intake of the hard-to-digest protein changes the available amino acids for normal digestion and metabolism.
Also, when the gut microbes digest the amino acids, they create unknown substances that might be able to reach the brain.
“This research shows, for the first time, a step-by-step connection between diet, gut microbes, and the brain,” says Professor Bennett.
“We found that a high intake of the hard-to-digest protein changes what’s available for normal digestion. It also produces unknown substances in the gut that might reach the brain.”
So, remember, the food we eat doesn’t just fill our tummies—it might also affect our feelings! The more we learn about this, the better we can take care of both our bodies and our minds.
If you care about nutrition, please read studies that whole grain foods could help increase longevity, and vitamin D supplements strongly reduce cancer death.
For more information about nutrition, please see recent studies about natural coconut sugar that could help reduce blood pressure and artery stiffness, and anti-inflammatory diet could help prevent fatty liver disease.
The study was published in Frontiers in Nutrition.
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