138 | April 2019 BY ALYSSA SHAFFER ILLUSTRATIONS SILVIA BETTINI
BETTER HEALTH
YOUR GUT ACTS LIKE A
SECOND BRAIN
f the most
thought you give
to your gut is how
you feel after a big
meal, consider this:
Your gut is where
many aspects of
good health begin.
The trillions of
bacteria and other
microorganisms in
your digestive system,
aka your microbiome,
communicate with
cells throughout
your body. ”The
microbiome
influences the
immune, nervous,
and metabolic
systems in ways we
are just starting to
understand,” says
Sarkis K. Mazmanian,
Ph.D., Luis and Nelly
Soux professor of
microbiology at the
California Institute
of Technology in
Pasadena. Read on
for the oh-wow ways
your digestive system
affects the rest of
your body.
Your digestive system plays a key
role in your overall health, impacting
how you feel and function. Five
reasons to keep your gut healthy—
and what to eat to help.
to mood disorders
like depression
and anxiety.”
Some research has
found that eating
probiotics may
have similar effects
to antidepressants
in helping ease
symptoms of
depression and
anxiety.
on edge.) “The
gut and brain are
hardwired together,”
says Pankaj Jay
Pasricha, director of
the Johns Hopkins
Center for Neuro-
gastroenterology
in Baltimore, MD.
“Many studies have
linked changes in
your microbiome
A complex and
sophisticated
nervous system
(called the enteric
nervous system),
containing more than
100 million nerve
cells, lines your GI
tract. (No wonder
your stomach gets
the jitters when
you’re nervous or
IT CAN HELP
KEEP YOUR
SKIN
CLEAR
A healthy microbiome
helps regulate the
balance of bacteria
in other parts of your
body, including your
skin. When your gut
microbiome becomes
unbalanced, it can
cause inflammation
that affects the entire
body, including the
skin, which can lead
to breakouts, says
Joshua Zeichner, M.D.,
a dermatologist with
Mount Sinai Hospital
in New York City.
One study found
54 percent of acne
patients had impaired
microbiomes
compared to those of
the average person.
Also, there’s a wave
of skin products with
a strain of probiotics
extracts and
prebiotics that can
topically help ease
skin conditions like
eczema and acne,
Zeichner says.
BE GOOD
TO YOUR
TAKE NOTE Probiotics are microorganisms that are believed to
have health benefits and to help improve the good bacteria
in your body. Prebiotics are compounds that help keep a
healthy balance of microbes in your digestive system.
