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Today’s edition is about the gut-brain connection and new evidence linking bowel movement frequency to cognitive performance.

About two weeks ago, I was severely constipated. It was painful, especially the first night when I barely slept because it hurt so much. I also had several days without any bowel movements.

Apart from the physical pain, I noticed how much it affected my mental well-being. And once my digestion went back to normal, I felt more like myself again.

That’s not an isolated observation: Science is increasingly uncovering the link between gut health and brain health. Gut and brain communicate through several pathways, including the nervous system, immune signaling, microbial metabolites, and hormones. Even though your brain sits ‘at the top’ of everything, what happens in the rest of your body affects your brain and vice versa.

And there’s a new study suggesting a link between bowel movement frequency, gut-brain communication, and cognition.

First of all, the study is so new that it hasn’t been peer-reviewed yet, which warrants some caution, but I wanted to cover it in this newsletter anyway.

76 women aged 45 to 65 participated in this study. Half of them reported daily bowel movements (10 per week on average), while the other half were also within the healthy range but didn’t have daily bowel movements (4 per week on average).

Here’s what the researchers measured:

They also measured BMI, physical activity, sleep quality, menopause symptoms, psychological symptoms, and quality of life for control purposes to ensure the two groups weren’t fundamentally different in these aspects (which they weren’t).

There was a significant difference between the two groups: compared to the group with less frequent bowel movements, the group with daily bowel movements showed:

The researchers also found a direct relationship between short-chain fatty acid levels and gut-brain coupling, suggesting a link between gut function and gut-brain communication. However, there were no significant effects of short-chain fatty acid levels or gut-brain coupling on cognitive performance. In other words, the study found group differences in cognitive performance but did not show that short-chain fatty acids or gut-brain coupling caused them.

The study suggests a link between gut and brain function, although the authors note that the exact mechanism remains unclear, as neither short-chain fatty acid levels nor gut-brain coupling explained the improved cognitive performance in participants with daily bowel movements.

Gut-brain communication is complex and occurs through multiple pathways that are not yet well understood.

First of all, there’s no need to panic if you don’t have daily bowel movements: All participants in this study did well in the cognitive tasks and reported high emotional well-being scores, and their bowel movement frequency was within the healthy range. Also, the study design cannot establish cause and effect; in other words, it does not show that daily bowel movements cause better cognition.

But it adds to a growing body of research suggesting that the gut plays a role in how your brain works. Evidence from the last few years shows an important link between gut health and brain health, so it definitely makes sense to take care of your gut. I wrote more about this in a previous newsletter issue.

Some of the tips include:

For the full list and explanations, here’s the link again.

This new study adds another piece of evidence to the general idea of ‘what happens in the rest of your body affects your brain and vice versa’. And that’s why taking care of your gut isn’t just good for your digestion. It’s also beneficial for your brain.

What else I’ve been up to:

My new article on Medium covers a substance that could help your brain work better when you’re sleep-deprived (and it’s not caffeine):

There’s a friend link at the beginning of the article, so you can also read it if you’re not a Medium member.

Today’s newsletter comes with an exclusive offer from HEALBRIGHT - The Mindful Business Advantage:

That’s it for today!

And now?

Until next time!

Best wishes,

Patricia (Dr. Patricia Schmidt) from creatorschmidt.com

P.S.:

Disclaimer:
1) This newsletter is for educational and informational purposes only. It does not constitute medical or mental health advice and is not a substitute for professional healthcare. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional regarding any medical condition, medications, or supplements, and before making any changes to your health routine.
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