Your Gut Health and Stress

It has become widely known that stress directly impacts health. This is true for many aspects of health, and the healthy bacteria within the gut are no exception (research report here). This study in the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition also helped confirm a connection between stress, inflammation of the colon, and the gut bacteria.

Ross Maltz at Nationwide Children’s Hospital explains, ”Part of the microbiome is bacteria lining the GI tract. The bacteria break down food and produce many metabolites, which have the ability to communicate with the intestines and immune system, and we believe disruption of this mechanism is contributing to the inflammation seen in inflammatory bowel disease.”

How Does Stress Affect The Gut?

When present over a long period of time stress hormones such as cortisol can reduce the number of protective bacteria in the intestinal walls. Another factor is that during stress, the body routes blood away from the intestines, depriving the area of oxygenation as well as nutrients. This can contribute to the weakening of the bacterial population.

These studies indicate, for example, that if an infection happens along with chronic stress, the amount inflammation seen in the colon is much worse. This linkage between gut health and stress may help uncover mechanisms of action for Irritable Bowel Disease and Leaky Gut Syndrome.

The bottom line is that it is absolutely key to take mindfulness seriously.