Gut Feeling: The Connection Between Stress and Digestion
posted 15th April 2024
It is always important to remember that no part of the body works in isolation. We cannot look at just one organ such as the stomach or just one hormone such as cortisol or even just one system such as the nervous system. Instead, we must look at the whole body and how it is connected in an entire, complex relationship.
Digestive Health and Stress
This is particularly relevant when looking at digestive health. All too frequently, digestive issues are linked to eating the wrong food and elimination diets and protocols are used to address these issues. But this is only looking at one aspect of what could be contributing to a digestive health issue and looking at the whole person is really important to identify the root cause of a digestive concern and being able to help improve these symptoms. Equally digestive issues can be linked to a whole myriad of other conditions such as diabetes, cholesterol imbalances, hormone dysregulation, fatigue, brain fog, joint pains and skin health. Again, nothing works in isolation.
Fight and Flight -vs- Rest and Digest
We have all experienced the impact of stress on our digestive system. If we feel nervous or excited we can feel "butterflies in our stomach". This is usually caused by our body's ancient survival mechanism which prepares us to either face the challenge (fight) or run away to safety (flight) by directing blood away from the stomach and towards parts of the body that might need it. In addition, surges of the hormones cortisol and adrenaline can impact our nervous system within our gut which results in tiny spasms, hence the feeling of "butterflies". We also experience a slowing of digestive contractions and secretions. For example, getting a dry mouth when you feel nervous is an impact of lack of saliva production. Ongoing chronic stress can keep us permanently in "Fight and Flight" mode and out of "Rest and Digest" mode. In the long term, this can have major consequences for our digestive function.
The Gut Microbiome and Stress
Recent research has found that stress can also significantly change the composition and activity of the friendly gut bacteria in our gut microbiome and allow the overgrowth of more pathogenic strains. For example, a lack of gastric acid in our stomach allows our small intestine to become more alkaline leading to an overgrowth of gut bacteria resulting in a condition called SIBO or Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth. SIBO is often linked to many symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome. In turn, the gut microbiome is responsible for the production of many of our calming neurotransmitters, such as serotonin and GABA, so our gut microbiome may affect our ability to modulate our levels of stress.
Building Stress Resilience
The important point to remember is that stress resilience is built in a slow but sure way. My advice is try and make one change per week that will help you manage stress more effectively. Otherwise, trying to manage stress itself can simply result in more stress! Try and write a list of all the changes you feel you can make that will help from the suggestions below and look at implementing one thing from the list each week. Slowly but surely you will find it makes a huge difference.
- Increase your portions of fresh fruit and vegetables - Count how many fruit and vegetables you eat each day and try and increase this by one extra portion. Aim for variety and colour with a focus more on vegetables than fruit. The nutrient and fibre content in these vegetables will boost your vitamin and mineral levels and feed your good gut bacteria.
- Stabilise blood sugar - Remember sudden drops in glucose can trigger cortisol release and chronic stress increases the risk of type 2 diabetes. Focus on complex carbohydrates in your diet such as wholegrains and root vegetables and cut out those processed foods high in refined sugar and damaged fats.
- Build up your protein intake - Include high quality protein with every meal and don't forget to include oily fish, eggs, legumes, nuts and seeds. Protein contains amino acids crucial for making calming neurotransmitters and happy/ sleep hormones.
- Boost your fermented food intake - Include lots of probiotic foods to boost your gut microbiome such as kefir, kombucha, sauerkraut, kimchi and miso.
- Minimise alcohol and caffeine - Alcohol is a chemical stressor which impairs processing pathways in the brain and contributes to mood and sleep disorders. Caffeine stimulates adrenaline and cortisol release thus driving the stress response.
- Mindful Eating - Try cooking with wonderful aromatic herbs and really smell your food before eating it getting your mouth to water and feel in proper "rest and digest" mode. Chew your food thoroughly concentrating on the wonderful taste and texture. Give yourself time to rest and digest afterwards.
- Lifestyle Factors - Build in meditation and abdominal breathing techniques particularly prior to meals, increase daily exercise especially outside in nature, optimise sleep and have fun! Laughter really is better than any medicine!
Take a look at my next article, Comfort Eating Foods to Combat Stress, which examines some of the nutrients, herbs and adaptogens that can really support our stress levels including healthy ways to boost our endocannabinoid system.
If you are interested in finding out more about how stress could be impacting your health issues, a Medicinal Eating Nutritional Therapy consultation involves taking a full case history to uncover the root causes, triggers and drivers of disease. A step by step plan then helps give you support on your journey to addressing these root causes and gaining back better long term health.
For further information, please contact Medicinal Eating or email Janine at info@medicinaleating.co.uk.
