Gut, Brain, Hormones: Why Your GI Tract Plays a Bigger Role Than You Think
When most people imagine the gut, they think “digestion,” “absorption,” or maybe “gut feeling.” But modern research increasingly highlights the gut as a central hub in the body’s communications network. The gut-brain axis involves neural, hormonal, immune and metabolic pathways. The gut microbiome plays a central role in maintaining mental wellness as it produces neuroactive compounds such as serotonin, dopamine, and GABA. As a result, what happens in your gastrointestinal tract can ripple outward to influence mood, cognition, and emotional resilience.
When the gut barrier is impaired (sometimes called “leaky gut”), immune triggers can leak into circulation. This can activate systemic inflammation and cytokine release, which is known to influence mood, neuroplasticity, and stress responses.
The enteric nervous system (a complex “mini-brain” in the gut) communicates with the central nervous system via the vagus nerve. Signals from the gut (chemical, microbial, neural) can influence brain circuits related to mood, anxiety, and cognition. Researchers are exploring the growing field of psychogastroenterology which focuses on the application of scientifically based psychological principles and techniques to alleviate digestive symptoms among patients with irritable bowel disease, GERD, and inflammatory bowel diseases like Crohn's and ulcerative colitis.
The “estrobolome” is a relatively newer term. It refers to the subset of gut microbial genes and species that can metabolize estrogens via enzymes like beta (β)-glucuronidase. Estrogen receptors are widely distributed in brain regions like the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus which are involved in mood, cognition, and emotion. Estrogen influences neuroplasticity and neurotransmitter regulation (serotonin, dopamine, GABA) — all relevant to depression, anxiety, and cognitive health. Thus, if estrogen metabolism is disturbed (e.g. less beneficial estrogen available, or too much reabsorbed into circulation), that can affect neural signaling and emotional regulation.
Dietary patterns and interventions targeting the gut microbiome (e.g., probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, and specific diets like the Mediterranean or low-FODMAP diet) can modulate mental health outcomes through optimizing the processes described above. There have been advances in understanding how specific probiotic strains can improve psychiatric conditions by enhancing beneficial gut bacteria and suppressing harmful ones.
Heartpoint Psychiatry and Wellness uses a holistic approach in addressing digestive health. We begin with an extensive dive into the history of one’s GI health, assessing medical history, symptoms, nutritional and dietary assessment. We often can begin with simple, common sense changes that can get you on the path to wellness. For more complex cases we may recommend specific testing to further examine the health of the microbiome and digestive tract. Many experts believe that beginning with the health of one’s digestion is the first step toward wellness of the body and mind. Contact us today if this resonates with you and you would like to further explore a holistic approach to mental health that begins with gut health.
*This blog post was created with the use of an AI tool called OpenEvidence which accesses peer reviewed medical publications for content
