Research Breakthroughs in Medicine and Nutrition
Gut reactions
We’ve clearly known since the times of Ancient Greece, when Hippocrates said, let food be our medicine, that diet is a vital component of good health. But University College Cork (UCC) is uncovering fascinating links between our gut and our overall health, leading to a better understanding of how our diet influences our gut microbiome and in turn, our health.
Gut Reactions
One of the most recent discoveries from APC Microbiome Ireland, a Research Ireland centre based in UCC and a global leader in gut health, is that the gut regulates stress by interacting with the body’s circadian rhythms. By transplanting gut microbes, researchers found that they were critical for regulating stress hormone secretion. When gut microbes are depleted, the brain’s core circadian system is affected, as well as stress hormone rhythms.
This groundbreaking research shows that the gut microbiome doesn’t just regulate digestion and metabolism, but plays a key role in how we react to stress and our sleeping patterns. As Prof John Cryan, a Principal Investigator in the APC, emphasises, “This shows the huge importance of maintaining a healthy microbiome, particularly for those living in today’s stressful and fast-paced environment. We need to eat well to maintain a healthy gut microbiome, for mental as well as physical health. And in terms of treatment, this finding could lead to a revolution in how we manage stress by targeting our gut bacteria.”
The paper published in Cell Metabolism can be read here: Gut microbiota regulates stress responsivity via the circadian system