What the heck is the Gut Brain Axis anyways?

Let’s start with this fun fact, did you know that the human body is composed of 90% micro organisms? Little microorganisms working in unison compose more of our body tissue then what meets the eye. Bacteria compose 30% of our DNA, they thrive in the skin, eyes, hair, inside our organs and so much more. Keeping them alive and well is to keep this human organism alive and well. Therefore, one has to imagine there is a lot of communication going on in there amongst these colonies.

This is where the gut brain axis comes into play. The Micorbiome (aka: the microorganisms that live in our digestive tract) communicate directly with our central nervous system. What does that mean exactly? Well, that is what science continues to uncover and is astounding by. By how much influence they have over the foods we crave or hate. Depending on the microbiome colonies you house depends on your moods, cravings, behaviors, motor skills and so much more. Fascinating isn’t it? Let’s give a simplified version of what’s going on here. When we eat whole clean foods we produce healthy bacteria that crave those healthy food sources and keep inflammation down, however when we consume large amounts of sugar and processed foods in walks “Bacterium Darko” who is pro inflammatory and will continue to send cravings for sugar to the brain.

Now in walks coffee:

We grab our cup of delicious “get the day started” and it tantalizes our taste buds, inspires our digestive enzymes in the stomach and they start flowing to make a touchdown into the liver and finally the digestive tract.

What effect does coffee have on this increasingly important colony of microorganisms in the gut?

Like I mentioned early, it is important we keep the microbiome balanced and happy, happy gut equals a happy mind and functionality. Studies still have a lot to uncover on this subject, but so far they are seeing that coffee helps to keep the healthy colonies of bacterias healthier by fueling them with anti-inflammatory constituents they can consume as well as antioxidants. It aids in muscle flexibility and mobility which could mean better assimilation of nutrients and detoxing of bi products. There are mind blowing studies that go into much more detail if you want to grab a cup of coffee and geek out, I have attached a link below to get you started.

If anything I hope you learned some new terms and appreciate this complex organism that breathes life into us every day… and your daily cup o’ joe that is feeding the process.

Coffee and Gut brain access link