Stress and gut health

We are all living in a stressful pandemic. Our modern lifestyle keeps the stressful plug constantly plugged in, and we often forget to press the off button. We all experience some form of stress, it can be related to both our personal and professional lives. Stress affects not only our daily lives, but also the long-term health of our brains.

Living a completely stress-free life is difficult. But what does stress actually do to our bodies? It not only impairs short-term memory, for example, causing you to forget your colleagues' names during an important meeting, but also has a negative effect on logical thinking, decision-making and memory.

When acute stress turns into chronic stress, such as going through a longer-than-expected pandemic It gets even worse. Studies have shown that chronic stress can actually be harmful to the human brain. When you experience stress, your body produces high levels of cortisol - the “fight or flight” hormone. Although the presence of cortisol is necessary for the body to perform daily functions, it can have devastating effects on your mental well-being and brain health. Several studies have shown that high levels of cortisol can be linked to anxiety and stress (1) and can disrupt brain function by disrupting the release of our brain’s chemical messengers (neurotransmitters), which can have a negative effect on our ability to think (2). Furthermore, chronic stress can lead to cell loss in one of the most important parts of the brain responsible for memory and learning (the prefrontal cortex) (3).

Studies show that brain and gut health are interconnected. How? Well, the gut and brain are directly connected via the vagus nerve, which constantly sends messages from your gut to your brain and vice versa. These can be messages that help your brain make decisions about things like digestion and the release of anti-inflammatory substances. Some of these messages are sent via small molecules (metabolites) produced by bacteria in your gut (4). 

It turns out that stress can affect the nerve that connects the brain and gut (the vagus nerve), stopping it from coordinating important information between the two. Therefore, stress affects both your gut health and your brain health.

Studies show that stress can negatively impact the trillions of bacteria that live in your gut and negatively impact your mental well-being and mood via the HPA axis (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis), which is also interconnected with other systems, such as the immune system, internal bacteria, and blood vessels in the central nervous system (5).

That's why at Premind®Biotics, we carefully develop our products with uniquely selected nootropics, prebiotics and vitamins that support our gut-brain health. Many botanicals are rich in phytochemicals, which are plants' own defense mechanisms, they have a prebiotic effect that benefits gut health. The products are encapsulated in acid-resistant, taste-neutralizing capsules to protect the ingredients, ensuring that they release their full potential, right where it does you good – in your gut.

To support you in achieving a higher level of relaxation within yourself, we have produced RO , filled with botanicals all known for their calming, brain-health-promoting properties as well as their prebiotic functions that support your gut microbiota.

Let's dive into some of the main ingredients in RO and explore how they can support your health.

Indian ginseng

Indian ginseng — also known as Ashwagandha — is an ancient herb that can help calm your mind. It has stress-relieving properties by reducing the stress hormone cortisol (6).

Additionally, new studies show that Indian ginseng can increase the abundance of probiotic bacteria, which may have a positive effect on your gut health (7).

Rhodiola Rosea

Rhodiola rosea, similar to Indian ginseng, is an adaptogenic herb with anxiolytic and calming powers. It is said to reduce fatigue and tiredness during times of prolonged stress.

Gotu Kola

Centella Asiatica, also known as Gotu Kola, is an herb in both Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine. It has been known since ancient times to have beneficial effects on cognitive function and to improve blood flow to the brain (8).

Jujube fruit

Ziziphus jujuba, also known as jujube, is a fruit traditionally used in Chinese medicine. It is high in antioxidants and fiber, known for its beneficial effects on digestion and potential reduction of anxiety and insomnia (9, 10). Additionally, the sugars found in jujube have a positive effect on strengthening the lining of the gut (11). Preliminary research suggests that jujube may stimulate the growth of beneficial gut bacteria such as Bifidobacterium, Bacteroides, and Lactobacillus (12).

To summarize, Mother Nature offers plenty of botanicals that can help you calm your mind. You can find many of them in our new product, RO , which, together with a healthy lifestyle, can improve your well-being and induce a new level of inner peace.

To support your brain and gut throughout the day, try pairing ROwith FOKUS . You can also pair RO with DRØM for the ultimate relaxing feeling both day and night.

Read more about RO here .

Sources:

1. Fiksdal et al. (2019):  Associations between symptoms of depression and anxiety and cortisol responses to and recovery from acute stress. Psychoneuroendocrinology; 102:44-52. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30513499/
2. Prager et al. (2009): Stress at the Synapse: Signal Transduction Mechanisms of Adrenal Steroids at Neuronal Membranes. Science Signalling; 2(86)re5 https://stke.sciencemag.org/content/2/86/re5.gloss#:~:text=The%20site%20of%20neuron%2Dto,current%20flow%20through%20ion%20channels
3. Arnsten et al. (2015): The effects of stress exposure on prefrontal cortex: Translating basic research into successful treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder. Neurobiol Stress. ; 1: 89–99. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352289514000101
4. Carabotti et al. (2015): The gut-brain axis: interactions between enteric microbiota, central and enteric nervous systems. Ann Gastroenterol. ; 28(2): 203–209. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4367209
5. Farzi et al. (2018): Gut Microbiota and the Neuroendocrine System. Neurotherapeutics.; 15(1): 5–22.
6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5794709/
7. Cooley et al. (2009): Naturopathic care for anxiety: a randomized controlled trial ISRCTN78958974. PLoS One. 2009 Aug 31;4(8):e6628. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19718255/
8. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30654097/
9. Jana et al. (2010): A clinical study on the management of generalized anxiety disorder with Centella asiatica. Nepal Med Coll J;12(1):8-11
10. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20677602/
11. Cesarone et al. (2001): Evaluation of treatment of diabetic microangiopathy with total triterpenic fraction of Centella asiatica: a clinical prospective randomized trial with a microcirculatory model. Angiology;52 Suppl 2:S49-54.
12. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11666124