Brain or bacteria: who controls us?
Why can’t everyone lose weight, quit smoking, or start a business? For some, success is a lifestyle, for others — an unattainable dream and an object of envy. Where do confident, active, optimistic people come from? How to be among them? And what role does food play in this? A sensational discovery by scientists from Oxford could forever change our understanding of the human body and its personality.
Do you think the brain is the most influential organ in our body? Definitely. But he, like any ruler, has advisers, ministers, and allies who pull the strings at the right time. And in this game, the gut has the most trumps: it is home to about a trillion bacteria of 500 species and a total weight of 1 kg. There are more of them than there are stars in the galaxy, and everyone has a say.
Oxford scientists John Bienenstock, Wolfgang Koons, and Paul Forsyth studied the human microbiota (a collection of intestinal microorganisms) and made a phenomenal conclusion: the bacteria living inside the intestine have an influence that we could not have suspected.
You’ve probably heard of emotional intelligence more than once. The cornerstone of self-improvement training, emotional intelligence is the ability of a person to correctly understand their own and other people’s emotions and, as a result, manage them. So, its level depends entirely on the composition of the microbiota! Gut bacteria directly affect the nervous system, they are able to change human behavior and even inspire desires, programming to meet the needs of microscopic residents. The symbiosis of a person with bacteria can go sideways: an aggressive microbiota makes a person inhibited, withdrawn, depressed, and therefore unsuccessful and unhappy. However, it is not so difficult to show who is the master in the body and make the bacteria work for themselves.
On June 20, 2016, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor Andrey Petrovich Prodeus and psychologist Victoria Shimanskaya discussed the latest research on the relationship of emotional intelligence with the intestinal microbiota during the talk show “Charming Intestine” in the framework of the scientific cafe.
The organizers borrowed the unusual name from the physician and biologist Julia Enders, who published a book of the same name in 2014, dedicated to the influence of the intestine and its inhabitants on our lives.
Together with the audience, the experts of the event found out: a healthy intestine increases emotional intelligence and the quality of life of a person, and the key to a healthy intestine is in functional nutrition. “You are what you eat” is now a scientific fact. The composition of the microbiota in each person is different and depends on the diet. Food activates various types of intestinal bacteria. And if some cause stress and anxiety, then others speed up the reaction, improve attention and memory, and help manage emotions. According to the expert of the scientific cafe, Professor Andrey Petrovich Prodeus,”the microbiota depends on the lifestyle, nutrition, and genotype, but the microbiota also affects the development and functioning of a person, his organs and systems.”
The most” positive ” scientists called dairy products. Man’s best friends are yogurt and other probiotic foods. They support a healthy balance of the microbiota and have a positive effect on the work of the intestine and the state of emotional intelligence. “A well-developed emotional intelligence gives a person motivation, helps to realize oneself, and raises self-esteem. It’s amazing how much we depend on what we eat in this sense! Happiness and success become physiological indicators of the body, and, accordingly, it is possible to become happier and more successful thanks to the choice of functional nutrition and regular use of probiotics. These studies are making a revolution in psychology and medicine, ” – said the expert of the scientific cafe, psychologist Victoria Shimanskaya.