Have you ever had "butterflies in your stomach" when you're nervous or excited? What about getting that "gut feeling" when something doesn't feel quite right? These are both example of your gut-brain axis at work!
Communication between the gut and the brain works in both directions (from the brain to the gut, and from the gut to the brain). The connection is through the vagus nerve. To optimize your brain health, it is therefore important to optimize your digestive health. The connection is so strong that, according to the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry 2001, 50-90% of patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome also have a psychiatric disorder such as anxiety, depression or PTSD. Even head injuries can instigate problems in the gut. For example, a traumatic brain injury (TBI), also known as a concussion, can cause severe digestive problems!
"50-90% of patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome also have a psychiatric disorder such as anxiety, depression or PTSD"
If we haven't convinced you of the connection between these two critical areas of your body, consider that 80% of the serotonin in your body is located in your gut. Not only is it the "happy" neurotransmitter, but it regulates motility (explaining why constipation often accompanies depression). Also, the hormone ghrelin, produced primarily in the gut and most known for stimulating your appetite, also enhances memory and learning!
If your brain isn't functioning well, the rest of you won't function well either! Here are some basic tips to support your gut-brain axis.
Maintain steady blood sugar levels - Truehope OLE and Truehope Inositol can help.
Support your vagus nerve by singing loudly (in the shower, the car, on stage, wherever!) You can also gargle water three times a day to support the vagus nerve.
While many factors are not in your control, there's still a lot you can do to protect your brain from neuro-degeneration. Supporting your gut brain axis is a crucial part of that process!
Can the right balance of amino acids actually improve your moods?
It's easy to forget that what we eat affects our brain, and this is particularly true of amino acids. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein, and their balance in your food and your ability to digest them are of great consequence to your brain.
Your brain can't just absorb the nutrients it needs from your bloodstream. It can only get them once they've been transported across the blood brain barrier, the protective layer that prevents dangerous substances from reaching your brain.
Many of the amino acids transported across the blood brain barrier are precursors to your neurotransmitters. They thrive in a delicate balance, and if it's not optimal the amino acids can compete to cross into your brain. This could affect how your brain functions and how you behave.
Which amino acids help make neurotransmitters?
The amino acid tryptophan is a precursor to serotonin, which regulates mood, pain, and appetite. Serotonin converts to melatonin in the evening and helps you fall asleep.
The amino acid phenylalanine is converted to tyrosine, the precursor for the neurotransmitter dopamine. Dopamine is involved in motivation, motor function, and mood.
Tyrosine is also a precursor for norepinephrine and epinephrine which are involved in your fight or flight response.
The amino acid histidine is a precursor for histamine which has many roles including immune response, contraction of smooth muscle in organs such as the lungs, and digestion.
The amino acid arginine is a precursor to nitric oxide, which is important for cardiovascular health and memory.
All these amino acids affect how you behave, and when you're under stress your brain needs even more of these amino acids to work at its best.
That's where Truehope Freeminos is helpful.
Truehope Freeminos is a free-form amino acid supplement. It does not need to be digested before it can enter the body. The ingredients are easily absorbed and because it's so bio-available, and it nourishes your body and brain quickly. This is very helpful for anybody with suspected gut-brain axis issues, where protein digestion may be compromised.
Want to learn more about Freeminos? Click on the bottle!
Freeminos not only contains all the required amino acids, but also the nutrients needed for your body to use the amino acids. You'll also find nearly twice as much glutamine and glutamic acid than other amino acid supplements to help you cope with mental and physical stress, plus calming L-theanine.
Which Nutrients Improve your Brain Health?
We tend to take our brain for granted. Have you ever thought about all the things our brain does? Cooking, appreciating music, reading your favourite novel, feeling the sun on your skin, laughing at a joke, running around with your kids, and much more - It's all made possible by your brain! Today we're going to focus on the most important nutrients to optimize your brain health, and where you can find them.
Vitamin B12 plays multiple roles in the brain and nervous system. It aids in the production of myelin, the protective layer around nerves. Myelin is like the plastic coating around electrical wires in your home. It's a cofactor for methylation which is involved in gene expression, meaning it turns genes on and off. It's even a cofactor in the metabolism of neurotransmitters such as serotonin, dopamine, GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) and melatonin.
Where to find it: Liver and other organ meats, red meat, and shellfish. Vitamin B12 doesn't occur naturally in plant based foods but it can be found in fortified foods and supplements.
DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) is an omega 3 fatty acid that's crucial for brain cell function. Brain cell membranes are more fluid when they have enough DHA so nutrients can more easily enter the cells. It also supports the structure of the brain, makes it easier to release neurotransmitters, and improves memory by enhancing communication between neurons.
Where to find it: Cold water fatty fish such as sardines, mackerel and wild salmon, as well as shellfish. While plant based omega 3 rich oils such as flax or hemp can be converted to DHA in the body, the process is inefficient. Algae is the only plant based source of direct DHA.
Folate is another nutrient involved in methylation, lowering homocysteine and inflammation which are both involved in degenerative brain disorders such as Alzheimer's.
Where to find it: Dark leafy vegetables like kale and spinach, chicken liver, and lentils. If you decide to add this as a supplement, make sure it's folate and not folic acid (the synthetic form).
Vitamin B6 is another nutrient involved in methylation. Just like vitamin B12, it plays a crucial role in gene expression. It's an important nutrient for regulating mood and making hemoglobin (which carries oxygen to the brain).
Where to find it: Fish, chicken, sunflower seeds, and avocados.
One of choline's main roles is helping in the production of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which is involved in mental focus and learning.
Where to find it: Egg yolks, liver, and peanuts.
Iron is crucial to brain function. It's used in hemoglobin to deliver oxygen to the brain.
Where to find it: Heme based iron is the most absorbable and is found in organ meats, red meat, and shellfish like oysters. Non-heme iron is found in plant based sources like legumes, fortified grains, and green vegetables. You can help absorption by pairing vegetarian sources with vitamin C rich foods.
Vitamin D is important for cognitive function as we age. It protects neurons and reduces inflammation. Vitamin D deficiencies have been associated with multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, autism and dementia.
Where to find it: Fish eggs (roe) are an excellent food source, but you're not likely to have them at home! In the summer months, we recommend full body skin exposure (as much as you can bare) to the sun for 10-15 minutes a day without sunscreen. In the winter months, vitamin D supplementation is a necessity to avoid a deficiency.
You can get many of the nutrients needed to support brain function in whole food form from the grocery store. Our broad spectrum micronutrient supplement Truehope EMP is the final addition. With it's carefully balanced 36 vitamins and minerals, it delivers results far beyond other multi-vitamins.
For more information on EMP, Click the bottle!
Truehope EMP excels in helping with stress management and fluctuating moods, as well as more serious issues such as depression, autism, and bipolar disorder. Even though you can find nearly every ingredient in a well balanced diet, our special processing makes otherwise ordinary ingredients produce extraordinary results!
Type 2 diabetes and prediabetes have risen to epidemic levels in Canada. One in four of us either has diabetes, undiagnosed diabetes, or prediabetes. Diabetes Canada says this will rise to one in three by 2020 if we don't take action.
The numbers are concerning because diabetes is a major risk factor for heart disease. Unfortunately doctors find that people with type 2 diabetes often have a number of other risk factors for heart disease as well. These include being overweight, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and being inactive. People with diabetes are at risk of developing heart disease 15 years before those without!
Last week we talked about holistic approaches to reduce your risk of heart disease, and today we're going to focus on the blood sugar regulation piece of the puzzle.
Want more info on OLE? Click the bottle!
OLE is a powerful supplement to augment lifestyle approaches to managing diabetes and prediabetes. Studies show it acts as a hypoglycemic agent by slowing the digestion of starches by slowing their breakdown into simple sugars. It then slows absorption from the digestive tract into the body, while increasing the uptake of blood glucose into cells.
Chronically elevated blood sugar levels cause significant damage when free radicals outnumber antioxidants. This is oxidative stress. This triggers inflammation and damage from a process called glycation. Antioxidant-rich OLE and it's active ingredient oleuropein, however, can protect tissues from this damage.
We recommend taking one 500mg capsule of Truehope OLE twice a day to start.
Truehope Inositol helps the body use insulin, the hormone that signals our cells to take in blood glucose. It can also help with insulin signalling, which reduces insulin resistance (when the cells ignore insulin's request to take up sugar from the bloodstream).
When blood glucose can be moved into your cells, your body can make energy from it, lowering your blood sugar levels.
Want more info on Inositol? Click the bottle!
We recommend starting with 5g (1.5 teaspoons) of Truehope Inositol daily and increasing to a max of 25g/day.
Truehope OLE and Truehope Inositol are effective partners in managing blood sugar levels. Check on your progress by working with your doctor to monitor your blood sugar and hemoglobin A1c levels. This is the standard test showing long term exposure to elevated blood sugar over the last 120 days.
For more holistic approaches to reduce your risk of heart disease, make sure you check out last week's article.