Gut microbiome and Plant-based diets (Part 2): Your mental health is intimately influenced from your gut, fermented foods, kefir and vagus nerve - with guest Marcel van de Wouw, PhD

In Episode #11 I continued my interview with MarceI van de Wouw, PhD and we discussed the gut-brain connection. We discussed how the complicated pathways from your gut to your brain, whether it's the vagus nerve, intestinal hormones, or otherwise, can influence your mental health, for better or worse. 

In this conversation we also discussed:

- Short chain fatty acids (SCFA) and they communicate to your brain

- Vagus nerve pathways from your gut to your brain

- The microbiota-gut-brain connection and how stress can negatively impact your microbiome (and vice versa!)

- Strategies to improve your gut microbiota with fermented foods and other plant foods

- What water kefir is, how  to make it, and how it can positively impact your mental well-being

Resources:

- University of Calgary Psychobiology Developmental Lab:  https://cumming.ucalgary.ca/labs/developmental-psychobiology/people/current-team

- Research on the Gut-Brain Connection: A review on the topic: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27259147/ and a very cool data paper: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32521538/

- Marcel's original research on Mental Health and Gut Microbiota: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34654024/

- Kefir grains have some really cool properties from a microbiology perspective, where the kefir grain itself is essentially this community of bacteria and yeasts that work together very closely. This teamwork between microorganisms is one of the things that makes kefir unique when it comes to fermented foods: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33398099/
- Much research is still needed on fermented foods, such as kefir. Some things that we do know. 1) Not all kefir (grains) are the same, even to the extent that some may have beneficial properties that others don't have (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32423436/). 2) Generally, the effects of kefir in human research indicate beneficial effects for human health: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31487797/ and https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27199969/ and https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27199969/ and  https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34822204/

- Finally, making your own water kefir is quite easy and cheap. More importantly, many "kefirs" that you find in a store are often made with a generic probiotic bacterial strain, and are therefore very different from "home-made" kefirs. To some extent, this is because a "traditional kefir grain" consists of these various bacteria and yeasts that closely work together (as mentioned 2 points ago). Please note that it does not mean that store-bought kefir-products don't have beneficial effects, it's just different. Plus many store-bought kefir products are milk-based, while you can make water kefir at home.

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About your host: Dr. Travis Cox - BA, DC, MSc is a Doctor of Chiropractic with a focus on Functional Medicine and plant-based nutrition. He is the creator of PBandHealthy.com and host of the Plant-B