How Your Gut Health Is Connected to Depression

Our gut plays a significant role in all functions of our body, but one of the most important functions it runs is our body's mental health. Our gut is directly connected to our brain. Our brain sends hormones to signal for specific functions to be carried out while breaking down food or when we feel a particular emotion. When our gut health is out of balance, our mental health suffers, leading to anxiety, Depression, overstimulation, fatigue, and much more. In this article, I will discuss one of those mental health conditions, Depression, and how you can naturally get your gut health back on track.

**None of this is to be taken as medical advice; I am a holistic expert, not a doctor, so please ask your doctor before making any changes to medications or your lifestyle.

What Is Depression?

Depression is a debilitating mental condition that negatively affects the way you feel. Depression brings symptoms that make you not enjoy what you once used to, changes in appetite, insomnia, fatigue, worthlessness, guilt, shame, difficulty focusing, and thoughts of suicide. Depression is an epidemic right now, with approximately 280 million people worldwide having Depression, 50% more common in women than men.

Depression is connected to many factors in your life, whether from something traumatic that happened to you as a child or something that has happened to you in your current situation that has left you feeling purposeless. Depression does not look the same for everyone, so everyone has a unique way of dealing with it. However, the good news is that it is treatable.

Associated Causes of Depression

There is not always a cause for Depression, but there are different ways Depression can be prolonged, and the symptoms can worsen.

C-section births: you can't always control how your baby decides to enter the world, and no one should feel shame about having a C-section sometimes. It is safer for the mother and the child. But when you give birth via c-section, it causes the baby to miss out on a critical process; the microorganisms the baby gets coming through the vaginal canal are what protect its gut and microbiome from the outside world, helping its immune system fully develop. C-section babies grow up without the proper gut microbiome, putting them at risk for autoimmune conditions and depressive symptoms. Tin the Chinese medical journal, they conducted a study where they took a group of vaginally born children and C-section children and separated all variables except by which they were born. The result came back that 58% of the participants born via C-section had a greater chance of being depressed than that of the vaginal group. (Study)

SSRIs: I am a firm believer in both Western and holistic medicine. Western medicine is to treat a symptom while you are naturally regulating your symptoms through your lifestyle so you can stop the medication. As we all know, that is not true for everyone, depending on the severity of the condition. However, SSRIs have been shown to damage the gut lining, making it harder for your body to produce serotonin in the gut. A new study done on mice showed that SSRIs significantly affect the gut microbiota, affecting the natural serotonin levels. SSRIs block the signal for serotonin in the gut, causing the death of your bacteria, leading to not just Depression symptoms down the road. The study concluded that these medications stop and replace the serotonin flow. If you are on an SSRI, do not stop taking it without consulting your doctor first. (Study)

Antibiotics: Antibiotics are the same as SSRIs. They affect the gut-brain axis, and they affect our microbiota. Antibiotics at a young age can damage the brain and the gut by slowing the production of certain neurotransmitters and essential amino acids like tryptophan and hormones like serotonin production, disrupting the hypothalamus. This can lead to depressive symptoms and even anxiety. While taking an antibiotic, I recommend getting on a good probiotic and eating various colorful fruits and vegetables to keep your gut in check.

Trauma: Any emotional or environmental trauma can disrupt the vibrant centers of the brain. You are led to feeling purposeless and full of shame and guilt. Trauma raises our cortisol levels, which exhausts our adrenals and destroys our gut bacteria. Trauma can lead to emotional eating disorders, where you have either a large appetite or no appetite at all, both of which take your body out of homeostasis. A lot of us don't realize that we have trauma until we get older, but if you notice that you have any of the symptoms of Depression or struggle with anxiety, it's best to talk to a professional so they can help you figure out where you are so you can get better.

How is our gut health connected?

Our gut and brain are connected through the gut-brain axis. The vagus nerve is connected from the small intestine to the pineal gland in the brain. The part of the brain where your mood and hormones are regulated. This part of the brain is where serotonin is processed. 90% of your serotonin is produced in the gut, and then processed in the brain to help create happiness. When we don't have enough serotonin in our gut harder it is for us to feel joy. When we destroy our gut bacteria, we begin to diminish our gut bacteria. The fewer bacteria we have, the more vulnerable we are to sickness, Depression, metabolic dysfunction, and much more.

The National Laboratory of Medicine conducted a study on rodents that found a link between low levels of gut bacteria in anxiety and Depression. They are still conducting human studies and have found promising evidence that could help better understand how our physical health could contribute to one of the largest epidemics we are facing today. (The Study)

What happens if it is left untreated?

When our gut health is damaged and untreated it can create a host of issues, such as a vulnerable immune system, Depression, anxiety, fatigue, bloating, cramping, constipation, and much more. Your gut is essential to your health, and if you don't properly take care of it, it can set you up for chronic disease.

When our gut health is compromised, our serotonin levels are diminished, which brings on depressive symptoms. In addition, when we experience bloating and constipation, it slows down our digestion, making us feel fatigued. Constipation can bring on Depression as the toxins are just sitting in your system. With our metabolism, we are slowed down by constipation and the lack of digestion enzymes, which causes weight gain and insulin resistance, another correlating factor for Depression. So, taking care of your gut health can be the determining factor for your longevity and happiness.

How to Naturally Treat Depression

Depression is not a one-way fix. A professional should address many dimensions of Depression. Creating a life that makes you happy is the ultimate goal in treating Depression. Listed below are some ways you can achieve that.

Lifestyle: Creating a healthy routine is essential in Depression because the more you feel stable and secure, the happier your mind and body will be. Starting your day with a sunshine walk, yoga, reading a book, or meditating are all habits that help with the secretion of serotonin and dopamine—the two hormones your body needs to produce to feel good. Getting sunlight is essential for proper vitamin d3 secretion as that is a prohormone that is crucial for bone density, adrenal health, serotonin secretion, and circadian rhythm balance. The more you can get sunlight, the better your vitamin D levels will get.

Disconnecting throughout the day to meditate, journal, and have self-love affirmations is excellent for your mind because it works out your happiness muscles in the brain. The way we talk to ourselves is who we become. Also, scheduling time to speak to a health coach, therapist, psychiatrist, or life coach can be a great way to be accountable and a place to set goals and have someone to help you develop some plans.

Sleep is more important than being awake, as that is when the magic happens inside the body. Where all of the recovery and rejuvenation of all of your organs and muscles happen. The more you can set yourself up for good sleep, the more your body and mind will recover. Drinking herbal teas, eating fatty foods like salmon or nut butters, doing yoga, or taking a cold shower can all be great ways to relax and decompress before bed. Eliminate electronics two hours before bed, keep your bedroom at 68 degrees, and go to bed at around the same time each night. This will balance your circadian rhythm and improve your overall quality of life.

Nutrition: What we put in our body determines how our body internally feels. The more we put food in our gut that is damaging, the more inflammation and damage our body accumulates. Eating ultra-processed foods, and fast food destroys our gut bacteria, which are connected directly to our brain, the more damage we cause in our gut the slower our metabolic rate gets. This begins to diminish our serotonin levels, with the majority of the population working indoors and eating ultra-processed foods most of the time; the more this contributes to Depression and anxiety.

While it is possible to eat a fun and healthy diet, sometimes it isn't convenient, but some things that can be great for treating Depression are naturally occurring probiotics, such as kefir, Greek yogurt, and sauerkraut are all great sources of natural bacteria,, that can help rebuild your gut bacteria which can benefit your serotonin levels. Having an assortment of digest enzymes and prebiotics, such as papaya, watermelon, pineapple, fresh berries, kiwi, bananas, cherries, cucumbers, and avocados, all contain prebiotic fiber and help with the rebuilding of your bacteria, which helps with nutrient secretion and serotonin levels.

Supplements: Listed below are some supplements that may help with Depression;

● Probiotic

● Vitamin D3/K2

● Fish oil

● B-complex

● Essential Amino Acids

● Saffron

● Serotonin booster

● L-theanine

● Gaba

The Takeaway

Depression is not an easy fix and should be treated with all the love in the world because it is not a straight path, and the journey should be different for everyone. If you struggle with Depression, you are not alone, and don't hesitate to seek help.