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https://www.bulletproof.com/gut-health/second-brain-in-gut/ article-19679 You Have a Second Brain In Your Gut, Scientists Say. Here’s How It Keeps Your Colon Moving https://www.bulletproof.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/bulletproof-second-brain-in-your-gut-300x160.jpg 1 USD InStock Gut Health Brain Gut article
Home / Gut Health
|May 9, 2023

You Have a Second Brain In Your Gut, Scientists Say. Here’s How It Keeps Your Colon Moving

By Julie Hand

You Have a Second Brain In Your Gut, Scientists Say. Here’s How It Keeps Your Colon Moving

You may be surprised to learn that you have a second brain… in your gut. The enteric nervous system (ENS) is made up of millions of neurons that keep the colon moving. How does it do this? Scientists didn’t know, until now. Researchers in Australia discovered that the neurons in your digestive system fire synchronized electrical charges, which helps to pass waste out of your body.[1]

How does the enteric nervous system (ENS) work?

To fully understand how the ENS works, researchers from Flinders University analyzed the large intestines of euthanized mice, each housing more than 400,000 individual neurons. They used high-resolution neuroimaging technology, as well as electrodes to measure electrical impulses. The researchers found a rhythmic electric pulsing in the rodents’ intestines that caused gut contractions, which then moved waste through the intestines and out of the body.

There’s science behind ‘gut feelings’

“This represents a major pattern of neuronal activity in the mammalian peripheral nervous system that has not previously been identified,” the study authors noted in the journal Neuroscience.

This neuronal activity is linked to a larger system called colonic migrating motor complex (CMMC). More commonly known as that rumbling in your gut that occurs when you’re not eating, CMMCs move indigestible material like fiber through your body. CMMCs also help shuttle bacteria around to different parts of the bowels, allowing the good bacteria to do their housekeeping and the bad bacteria to vacate the premises, so to speak.

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Exploring the gut-brain link

What is exciting about these findings on gut motility — the electric movement of your second brain — is that the gut-brain connection is now more concrete. “Now that we know how the ENS is activated under healthy conditions… we can use this as a blueprint to understand how dysfunctional neurogenic motor patterns may arise along the colon,” say the researchers. “Chronic constipation affects a large proportion of the community worldwide, and often arises because of improper colonic transit.”

Since your primary brain’s neurotransmitters or feel-good chemicals like serotonin are synthesized in the gut[2], it’s clearer how backed-up bowels affect your mood. While your two brains are entirely distinct, they are both wired electrically. So constipation — a slowing of the bowel movements — signals dysregulation in your gut, which affects your neurotransmitter levels. So the key to your happiness? It may be in keeping the electrical circuits of both brains moving.

Toning up your digestive system will keep both brains healthy, happy, and in sync. This way, waste will pass out of your body efficiently and your gut will make those chemicals like serotonin that keep you feeling good.

How to improve digestion and keep your two brains happy

Everybody poops, and you’ll know when you’re backed-up. To combat constipation, follow these steps:

  •    Drink plenty of water: Aim for at least half a liter or water each day and double that if you’re on the keto diet.
  •    Up your salt intake: Consume 2 to 2 ½ teaspoons of pink Himalayan salt a day.
  •    Supplement with magnesium and potassium: Take 150 to 600 mg of magnesium citrate, and 200 to 800 mg potassium citrate a day.
  • Try resistant starch: The least toxic source of resistant starch is from plantains (Barry’s is a recommended brand.) You can work your way up to 4 tablespoons (48 grams) of plantain flour per day, for about 32 grams of resistant starch.
  • Take low-histamine probiotics: You can find a good multi-strand probiotic in your local health food store. Look for one containing bifidobacterium longum and lactobacillus helveticus — these are specifically mood-related.

Read next: This Poop Chart Tells You What’s Happening in Your Gut

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Statements made on this website have not been evaluated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Products sold on this website are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Information provided by this website or this company is not a substitute for direct, individual medical treatment or advice. It is the responsibility of you and your healthcare providers to make all decisions regarding your health. Bulletproof recommends that you consult with your healthcare providers regarding the diagnosis and treatment of any disease or condition.

About Julie Hand

Julie Hand is a certified holistic health and nutrition counselor (Institute for Integrative Nutrition ), personal fitness trainer (National Personal Training Institute), and yoga teacher (Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health). For over 15 years, Julie has penned creative and captivating content for publications both international and local in scope; from the international editions of National Geographic Magazine to Vermont’s sustainable food magazine From Field to Table. Though she can’t resist trying every science-backed health tip, she also has a penchant for crystals and astrology (don’t judge). You can find her walking the beach (coffee in hand, of course) and practicing the ukulele on weekends.

References

[1] http://www.jneurosci.org/content/early/2018/05/28/JNEUROSCI....
[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9360553

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