How does happiness arise? There are many answers to this question. Our mood is controlled and changed by a number of external influences. Mood is fundamentally something very volatile and unpredictable, because it changes more or less, positively or negatively. Whether it is the weather, the work environment, family and friends, lifestyle, health, relationships, etc. (this list could go on forever). But it is important that all of these things can influence and change our mood. The mood we display is therefore dependent on a number of variables and influences. The most important mood-influencing aspect of this list is the food we eat every day. It has long been known that our diet has an influence on our mood - what we eat has a significant impact on our mood - whether positively or negatively.
But what has now become the focus of science is the connection between our diet and our intestinal microbiome, or more precisely the microbes in our intestines and our mental health. Various studies have shown that, for example, dysbiosis (an imbalance of "good" and "bad" bacteria in the intestines) can contribute to various mental illnesses and thus lead to bad moods, anxiety and even depression.
This means that when we eat, we should not only pay attention to what makes our taste buds happiest. Rather, we should also keep the health of our gut microbiome in mind and thus satisfy the trillions of microbes inside us! And why exactly is that? What we eat can positively and negatively affect the relationship we have with the little microbes inside us. This means that the food we eat every day can influence, shape and change that relationship.
You can imagine it like this: your microbes are your partner (like in a human relationship) - aren't you happier when your partner is happy? So the motto is - happy, good, happy mood!
Basically, our gut is a significant part of who we are and also has a major influence on how we feel. Find out exactly why this is the case now!
Neurotransmitters - Feelings of happiness produced by microbes
The microbes in our intestines have a whole host of impressive abilities. They help us digest our food and thus ensure the optimal absorption of nutrients into our organism - provided they are healthy. They also act like tiny bodyguards inside us, because they can even neutralize or kill various pathogens! But that's not all, because various microbes can produce various vitamins and also produce neurotransmitters such as serotonin or dopamine. Incidentally, it is believed that around 90% of the happiness hormone serotonin is produced in our intestines! This impressive number alone shows how closely our mood is entangled with our intestinal health, doesn't it?
The neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), which is responsible for reducing anxiety and stress and also has a positive effect on our nighttime sleep, is also produced in our intestines. The latest studies show that eating probiotic, fermented whole foods can even help to alleviate anxiety symptoms. This shows us even more that our diet can have a major impact on our mood and that we should do our best to provide the trillions of small microbes in our intestines with the best nutrients possible.
Leaky Gut & Lethargy
What exactly is a leaky gut? Our intestines are lined with a protective barrier on the inside. If this is working properly, it prevents pathogens, bacteria and toxins from entering our bloodstream. If this is not the case, the intestinal mucosa usually has cracks or holes - this allows intruders to easily enter our bloodstream and cause havoc. This in turn can trigger inflammation and changes in the intestinal flora, which can lead to problems within the digestive tract and beyond. This inflammation can also lead to symptoms such as headaches and lethargy, i.e. mental sluggishness or sleepiness.
This means, in turn, that an out-of-balance gut can have a negative impact on your mood. But what can you do to bring your gut back into balance? Probiotics are of course a good start, because they provide your gut with a whole host of little helpers that get your gut microbiome back on track. A good example of this is our Dailybacs® - with them you consume a full 60 billion "good" gut bacteria every day and actively support the health of your microbiome! As a perfect complement to this, we have also developed the Mood Up Addons, which take your mood to the next level with natural ingredients such as Ashwagandha and Saffron.
Stress and the gut
You can imagine our intestines as a beautiful garden made up of a variety of organisms and plants that can only thrive in balance and with loving care. If they are neglected, weeds will sense their opportunity and spread quickly and uncontrollably. The beautiful flowers and herbs are displaced by the weeds. Our "garden" in the intestines is home to a wide variety of thousands of different species and strains of bacteria. If our intestines are in balance, it affects our well-being on a variety of levels. If this is not the case, health problems can arise, which in turn can have a negative impact on our mood.
However, there is a fairly simple way to influence our gut health and thus the bacterial composition in our microbiome. This can be done through a healthy, fiber-rich diet and a healthy and balanced lifestyle. The gut actively communicates with the brain through the so-called gut-brain axis. This connection shows that the gut is negatively affected by stress on the one hand. On the other hand, it shows that an "unhappy" unbalanced gut can also lead to stress for the entire body.
This is exactly why it is extremely important to learn to manage stress in order to protect your body from it in the long term. There are a lot of ways to do this - be it meditation, breathing exercises, yoga or a walk. Do what feels best for you and promises to relax you even in tense situations. Regular exercise and a nutrient-rich diet have been proven to contribute to improved microbial diversity and thus take your mood to the next level! Find out more about gut health and your mood here !
Microbes & Mood
We have already clarified in this blog post that your gut health can affect your brain and your mood, which can result in anxiety and stress reactions in the body. One point that should not be overlooked is that gut health also affects digestion and can change it positively or even negatively! If the population of "bad" gut bacteria in your microbiome is too large, there is not only the risk of unpleasant symptoms such as diarrhea or constipation. It can also lead to your body being less able to absorb nutrients and vitamins. And this is exactly what can lead to various deficiencies in various vitamins and minerals. Vitamin B12 and vitamin D in particular are less able to be absorbed by a non-intact gut - they are also important nutrients for mood and energy levels. This is exactly why they are included in our Mood Up AddOns to take your mood to the next level! Because if the level of these nutrients in your body is low, this can often lead to symptoms such as fatigue, anxiety and tension!
Ups and downs of blood sugar
It is well known that fluctuations in blood sugar levels can affect mood and also cause fatigue, irritability, headaches, difficulty concentrating and a drop in energy. Of course, there are a lot of factors that affect the balance of blood sugar levels, but our gut bacteria also play a significant role. If our microbiome is no longer in balance, it can be difficult for the body to keep blood sugar levels at a consistent level. And what exactly can you do to keep your blood sugar levels in balance? A healthy, balanced microbiome helps with this. You can easily support this by reducing refined sugar and highly processed foods. You should also replace simple carbohydrates with whole grain products.
We hope that we have been able to give you an interesting insight into the symbiosis of the gut and mood and, in conclusion, we only have our well-known motto for you:
Happy Gut, Happy You!
