What is the gut-brain axis?

If there's one topic that truly gets me excited, it's the incredible connection between our gut and our brain – what we call the gut-brain axis. I've been diving deep into this fascinating area for over seven years, and for good reason!

What Exactly is the Gut-Brain Axis, and Why Does it Matter for ADHD?

Imagine a two-way communication highway between your gut and your brain. That's the gut-brain axis! Here's a mind-blowing fact: about 90% of the signals actually travel from your gut to your brain.

So, how does your gut "talk" to your brain? It's pretty clever! Your gut communicates using hormones, your immune system, and your nervous system. A huge part of this conversation happens along the vagus nerve, a long nerve that starts at the base of your brain and meanders throughout your body, connecting to various organs, including your gut.

We now understand that the gut's communication with the brain is heavily influenced by your gut microbiome. This refers to the trillions of tiny microbial cells that live in your large intestine – a bustling city of bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms.

The Latest Research: ADHD and Your Gut Bugs

So, what's the most recent research telling us about the gut microbiome and ADHD? Well, studies are increasingly showing that individuals with ADHD often have a gut microbiome that isn't as diverse as those without ADHD. This lack of diversity can mean missing out on many health benefits, such as short chain fatty acid (SCFA) production. This is important in ADHD because we make our neurotransmitters from SCFAs. I’ll speak more about what the gut microbiome does next week!

The really good news is that we can actively work to increase the diversity of our gut microbiome with some surprisingly simple dietary changes.

Boost Your Gut Diversity: Three Simple Steps

Here's how you can start supporting a thriving, diverse gut:

1. Aim for 30 Different Plant Foods a Week: This is easier than it sounds! Think about all the different fruits, vegetables, beans, lentils, nuts, seeds, and whole grains you eat. Look at your usual meals and see where you can make simple swaps or additions. For example, instead of just white bread, try a rye sourdough. If you usually have white rice, why not mix it with some brown rice, or even try some wild rice or black rice (they're surprisingly tasty and add great colour!). How about adding a handful of nuts or seeds to your breakfast or lunch plate? When you cook chicken, can you add a tin of chickpeas to the dish, or make a bolognaise with a tin of lentils?

   
   

2. Eat a Rainbow of Polyphenols: This fancy word simply refers to naturally occurring plant compounds known for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory powers. Foods rich in polyphenols are often colourful and include dark chocolate (I love this fact and have to have a couple of squares everyday!), pomegranates, cherries, blueberries, tea, coffee, citrus peel, and spices like turmeric. The goal here is to literally "eat a colourful diet."

   
   

3. Include Prebiotic and Probiotic-Rich Foods:

   • Prebiotic foods are like fertiliser for your good gut bacteria. Think onions, garlic, leeks, green bananas, and even cooked and cooled starches like rice and potatoes (I love cooking once but eating multiple times).

   • Probiotic foods are fermented foods that contain live, beneficial bacteria. These include kimchi, sauerkraut, kefir, yogurt, tempeh, and miso. Why not try adding just a tablespoon of one of these to a meal for a week and see how you feel?

   
   

If you know your gut isn't quite right, if you're tired of your symptoms, or if you're simply curious to know exactly how many species of bacteria are living in your gut, I'd love to talk to you! I use specialised functional gut testing in my clinic that can provide incredible insights, and I’ve done this now for countless people.