Brain 2.0: Meet Your Second Brain

Written by Dr. Swati Tiwari, Ph.D. in Food Science and Nutrition

Surprised? Yes, you have got two brains, one in your skull and another in your tummy, That’s Enteric Nervous System (ENS) called by our scientists. But we call it second brain because it contains about more than 100 million neurons. Ah! More than the spinal cord and brain. You might be even more surprised to know that it can work independently of your brain and spinal cord. It performs its duties well like controlling digestion, secreting enzymes, blood flow and many more.

This is bi-directional communication between your central nervous system (CNS) and your enteric nervous system (ENS). This magical communication occurs through:

Vagus Nerve: The longest cranial nerve in your body and the ultimate biological gossip channel between your skull and belly. It carries signals from your gut to brain and vice versa. Surprisingly, it touches nearly every organ in its path including your lungs, heart, stomach and even vocal cords. When vagus nerve is happy; your digestion, heart rate, breathing everything is in control but if it’s irritated; bloating, indigestion, heart palpitations, anxiety and panic approaches as add ons.  

Your gut makes major part of neurotransmitters in your body. It also makes other mood controlling chemicals like The Happy Hormone ‘Serotonins’, The Feel Good ‘Dopamines’ or The Chill Pill ‘Gama Amino Butyric Acid (GABA)’. So, they are the one responsible for how you feel, eat, think, sleep. Take care of them!

What they do? More than you think. There are trillions of bacteria residing in your gut. They are the mighty super heroes shaping your digestion, immunity, and mental health. They help in producing important vitamins like B12 and K and neurotransmitters as well. They also help keeping your immune system strong by kicking out the invaders like germs, allergens etc. They are involved in immune signaling which can influence your brain or mood. Other ways through which microbes communicate with brain is by regulating the production of short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) which can influence inflammation, appetite and mood.

• Eat fiber-rich foods: Legumes, whole grains. Fruits and Vegetables, basically the stuff brain tries to ignore but your second brain needs to survive
• Try fermented foods: Yogurt, kefir, kimchi, sauerkraut, fermented soy products
• Stay hydrated
• Reduce stress and chill out: Breath and Relax!
• Consider probiotic and prebiotic supplements (with proper consultation)
• Walk! Walk! Walk! – The therapy, but cheaper off course
• Avoid Ultra-processed junk foods (your microbes hate it).
• Avoid excess of sugar and alcohol and Over-caffeinating
• Avoid Under-sleeping
• Avoid too much of antibiotics

Final thoughts from your gut

Hey! I may be located in your tummy, Do you think I am just a poop factory or worthless? Oh! You’re wrong my dear I’m way more than that running serotonin factories, managing moods, and warning you about bad life decisions like being bloated after having a plate of momos. And, you should listen to me very often!