Dr Chatterjee talks to Professor John Cryan, world-leading researcher on the gut-brain axis and Professor of Anatomy & Neuroscience about how the connection between our gut and our brains affects all aspects of our health, including stress, depression, anxiety and IBS.

Episode Highlights:

As a neuroscientist, how did John become to research stress, which led to its link to the gut microbiome?

Hear about the progress John and his team have made so far with their research.

What chronic illnesses to John & Rangan now know can affect and be affected by stress?

John & Rangan talk about stress and why our body reacts in this way and the follow-on effects of chronic stress.

Listen to the research John has done recently on how specific bacterium in the gut, can be more resistant to stress. Link to the study.

Link to John’s book The Psychobiotic Revolution: Mood, Food and the New Science of the Gut-Brain Connection

John talks about how our microbiome is different throughout our lives from first born to old age, from person to person and compared to our ancestors.

Rangan refers to Martin Blazes book – Missing Microbes

John describes the Gut-brain Axis and how we have recently been able to see how the gut can directly influence activities in the brain.

Link to the Smiles Trial.

How has John’s research shown how the state of the microbiome can cause specific stress responses such as depression & anxiety?

Hear John’s tips to improving gut health include: a Mediterranean diet, fermented foods, pre-biotics in the diet, avoiding processed food and anti-biotics, how Caesarean sections and having pets can have an effect and why good sleep practises and exercise are important.

John talks about research into processed foods, sugar and artificial sweeteners.

John reveals how certain medications, prescribed by doctors, can be more or less effective depending on the individual’s microbiome.

Dr Chatterjee’s resources:

Blog – You are what you eat: how diet can improve symptoms of depression