Psychobiotics: Intestinal bacteria that improve your mental health

( Natural News ) Here’s a quick question: how much do the bacteria in your gut weigh? The answer is three pounds, although the number can go up to more than four. That’s a lot of bacteria! Given this figure, it isn’t so surprising that your gut microbiome, the bacteria population in your intestines, can have a considerable impact on your health. Some experts have even found certain bacterial species, aptly termed psychobiotics, that can affect the workings of your brain . In your body, particular cells perform specific functions. Neurons, for example, make up the different parts of the nervous system, including your brain and nerves. You’d be surprised, therefore, to find that your intestines also contain neurons – about 100 million of them, in fact. That’s more neurons than even the spinal cord is made of. This collection of neurons in your gut enable you to “feel” the inside of your body. It has been called the “second brain” or the “backup brain.” Even more interesting are findings that certain bacterial species can hook up to this secondary brain and affect how you think, feel, and react to stress and your surroundings. Your population of probiotics or gut bacteria is unique from that of other people – as unique as your fingerprint, actually. Estimates of their number range from a trillion to tens of trillions of individuals belonging to any of the thousands of species currently known. Ideally, about 85 percent of them are “good,” and 15 percent are “bad.” Good bacteria help with digestion, breaking down toxins, and other functions that make them essential to good health and the prevention of conditions like obesity, diabetes, neurodegenerative disorders, and heart disease, among others. Mother Nature’s micronutrient secret : Organic Broccoli Sprout Capsules now available, delivering 280mg of […]

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