Gut also known as the digestive tract or gastrointestinal (GI) tract is the main “portal” for taking in and processing nutrients, but it also serves as a communication centre and disease fighter due to the microbiome.
In your small and large intestines, you host trillions of microbial cells. These microorganisms make up the microbiome. Think of the microbiome as the environment inside your gut which has microbial cells more than there are stars in the Milky Way. The 100 trillion microbes that make the GI tract their playground are critical to health.
Our gut has approximately 100 million nerve cells lining your gastrointestinal tract, making up the Enteric Nervous System (ENS) which takes care of digestion. But these nerves in your gut also communicate with the brain, relaying the health of the gut and immune system. In addition to this, the ENS can also produce neurochemicals, like dopamine and serotonin, which can impact mood and mental health.
An imbalance of the gut microbiome can cause you to gain or lose weight, affect your sleep and skin. It may increase health risks like obesity, diabetes, irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, depression, and cardiovascular disease and also may be linked to many mental problems like anxiety and depression.