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Gut bacteria and mind control
The human gut influences the mind in more ways than we might think – according to a leading medical expert from the University of East Anglia (UEA).
Prof Simon Carding, from UEA’s Norwich Medical School and the Institute for Food Research (IFR), will deliver a talk on the relationship between gut health and mind control on Thursday, May 14.
In his lecture, he will explain how to fix your brain by fixing your gut.
He said: “The human gut is home to hundreds of trillions of microorganisms, collectively called the microbiome. They outnumber the cells that make up the body by more than ten-to-one.
“Recent research suggests that we are under the influence of these organisms, and far from doing us harm, they are working to keep us healthy.
“However gut microbes are susceptible to changes to their makeup and activity from various factors such as our diet, disease, and drugs - especially antibiotics.
“Such changes are increasingly being associated with a number of chronic diseases including those that affect metabolic health such as diabetes and obesity.
“There is also growing evidence that gut microbes may influence the brain, affecting our behaviour, possibly even influencing what, when and how often we eat.
“Understanding how gut microbes influence the brain, the ‘gut-brain axis’, is becoming increasingly relevant to understanding aspects of human behaviour – particularly the causes and possible future treatments for serious neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s disease and autism.”
Prof Carding leads the Gut Health and Food Safety programme at IFR, focusing on how gut microbes communicate with us and the role that this plays in establishing and maintaining gut health, and in diseases affecting the gut and other parts of the body.
He has been studying these microbes and how they influence our health for over 25 years.
Prof Carding’s talk ‘Gut bacteria and mind control: to fix your brain, fix your gut!’ is free and takes place in the Noverre Ballroom, The Assembly House, Norwich, at 7pm on Thursday, May 14. Places must be booked in advance by calling 01603 450 874 or emailing dawn.rivett@nbi.ac.uk.
Watch the video below: