How does my gut impact my moods?

There are many new scientific insights into how the brain, and the gut (aka, the digestive system) communicate with each other and how it relates to your overall health. The links between your “gut health” and your overall mood, heath, are just recently being understood.  At Kaufman Health and Hormone Center, we are keeping a close eye on all the exciting findings.

Your digestive system has it’s own nervous system that is communicating within the gut as well as sending messages to the brain! It transmits many different signals between the over 100 million nerve cells lining your gastrointestinal tract to various receptors in your brain. The gut communicates to the brain in two ways. One is via a nerve cable that can transfer information to and from the brain and gut; the second way is a communication path through the bloodstream.

The lining contains over 100 million cells; some of these are specialized endocrine cells that composed of up to twenty different types of hormones that can be released into the bloodstream. Interestingly, the gut contains the largest storage facility for serotonin in the body! As you might know, seratonin is important in regulating sleep, appetite, pain sensitivity, mood and overall well-being.

Can my gut health impact my weight?

Given the current understanding of our mind-gut connection, there are exciting new treatments for bowel problems, intestinal inflammation, autoimmune disorders, depression & anxiety, metabolism & weight loss/obesity.

New research demonstrates that the digestive bacterial composition affects metabolism and the ability to convert carbohydrates and fats. This has implications for diseases such as Type 2 diabetes and it has major implications for insights into the cause of obesity. As more research results become available, you can be sure that we keep on the cutting edge of all these exciting new discoveries. It’s truly an amazing time to be involved in this field!

What can I do to improve my health?

To sum it up, the gut is one of the largest sensory organs in the body and it is crucial for us to understand the brain-gut connection and how it affects our overall health and well-being. At Kaufman Health and Hormone Center will help you explore what all the discoveries mean to you and your continued well-being.

Call or e-mail to to schedule a consultation with Dr. Kaufman and take control of your health.