Here’s a New Way to Effectively Manage Stress

Did you know that your gut talks to your brain and your brain talks back? It’s true. It’s like the gut microbiome has a modem hidden in your belly that allows it to constantly communicate with other organs including the brain. But what does that have to do with stress? As it turns out, this invisible bidirectional communication system dictates whether you will be more resilient during hectic times or a stress bunny.

Stress Gut Brain Axis

Research regarding the gut-brain axis has been expanding dramatically.¹ Because the brain controls everything from appetite and learning to memory and mental health and more, it makes sense that if the gut is communicating with the brain, it can have an influence on all of those things as well as your ability to manage stress.²

According to research published earlier this year, people with a healthy gut were far more resilient and better able to manage their stress levels compared to people who didn’t have a healthy gut.³ Research also published this year indicates that the gut microbiome regulates stress via the circadian system, which is important to other aspects of health as well.⁴ When it comes to stress and your gut it goes both ways—having a healthy gut helps you be more resilient and effectively managing stress helps create a healthier gut.^2,3

How can you support a healthy gut, which will also help with stress management? Diet and dietary supplements are a great place to start.

Feed Your Gut Microbiome

As the old saying goes, you are what you eat and that includes your gut. What you feed your gut microbiome will help determine how healthy it will be. Research is clear that eating a Mediterranean diet versus the standard American diet will better support a healthy gut microbiome.⁵

The Mediterranean diet is also low in unhealthy ultra-processed foods which is important because studies indicate that people who eat a lot of ultra-processed foods also have higher levels of perceived stress.⁶

Adding fermented foods to the diet may help because they contain prebiotics and probiotics. Taking probiotics, especially combined with key vitamins and minerals and a healthy diet, can also help support a healthy gut microbiome.⁷ 

There is a clear connection between the gut and stress. Thanks to a growing amount of research in this exciting area, we now know that supporting a healthy gut microbiome may also help you better manage stress. By focusing on a healthy diet and key dietary supplements, you can have the best of both worlds: a healthy gut and better stress management.

If you’re interested in supporting your gut health with probiotic and prebiotic fiber, take Gut Guru.* If you’re looking for occasional stress support, consider Ashwagandha.*

Follow @zhou_nutrition for more fitness and wellness tips!

References

1. Loh J, Mak W, Tan L, et al. Microbiota-gut-brain axis and its therapeutic applications in neurodegenerative diseases. Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy. 2024;9. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41392-024-01743-1
2. Tan H. The microbiota-gut-brain axis in stress and depression. Frontiers in Neuroscience. 2023;17. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnins.2023.1151478/full
3. An E, Delgadillo DR, Yang J, et al. Stress-resilience impacts psychological wellbeing as evidenced by brain-gut microbiome interactions. Nature Mental Health. 2024;2. https://www.nature.com/articles/s44220-024-00266-6
4. Tofani G, Leigh S, Gheorghe CE, et al. Gut microbiota regulates stress responsivity via the circadian system. Cell Metabolism. 2024;37:1-16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2024.10.003
5. Merra G, Noce A, Marrone G, et al. Influence of Mediterranean diet on human gut microbiota. Nutrients. 2020;13(1):7. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7822000/
6. Cortes M, Louzado J, Oliveira M, et al. Unhealthy food and psychological stress: the association between ultra-processed food consumption and perceived stress in working-class young adults. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(8). https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8103503/
7. Gou H, Zhang Y, Ren L, et al. How do intestinal probiotics restore the intestinal barrier? Frontiers in Microbiology. 2022;13. 10.3389/fmicb.2022.929346