Brain Farts and Real Farts
What do they have in common?
Remember how fun all-nighters in college were? You procrastinated studying for weeks for your final exam and the time had now come. You bought a couple Red Bulls, an assortment of snacks, a blanket, and maybe some ‘study assistance aid’ that you got from your roommate. 12 hours later, you’ve learned all the art history you could have possibly dreamt you would and it’s game time. One problem, right as the exam starts, you can’t remember squat. It’s like there’s this big cloud of fogginess in your brain, and you can barely remember what flavor Red Bulls you had. The past 12 hours of cramming were almost for nothing.
Brain fog (or brain ‘farts’) can be a real mood-killer, and yes, in the case of the all nighter, the fact you didn’t sleep for 1 second is likely the biggest reason. But what if those gas station snacks also played a factor? What if all that bloating and gas you got from the microwavable burrito contributed to you not remembering Van Gogh’s greatest work? What role did your gut play? How could my digestion affect my ability to think and remember things? Most enticingly, what supplements can I take to help?
Gut-Brain Connection
During fetal development (aka inside momma), our brain and our GI tract originated from similar tissues. There’s also the Vagus Nerve, a nerve starting at roughly the base of the skull and running down the entire abdominal region to control our vital organs (gut, heart, lungs, liver). If you’re looking for a more detailed explanation on the gut-brain connection, you’ll find this article helpful.
There’s also lots of carry over between Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and psychological conditions such as anxiety and depression. Researchers followed a group of people over 12 years and found that those who had IBS at baseline (year zero), were more likely to develop anxiety and depression at follow-up (12 years later [Koloski et al, 2012]). Probiotics have also shown to be helpful in those with depression, potentially via the gut microbiome’s role in modulating inflammation and neurotransmitter production (Huang et al, 2016).
Leaky Barriers Catch Fire
It goes beyond brain fog, like symptoms such as trouble remembering (names, dates, events), trouble articulating thoughts (can’t think of what to say), and trouble actually articulating words (feeling like you’re fumbling over your words, or the phrase ‘words are hard’). All of these are related to neuroinflammation (an inflamed brain). Some of you may have heard of ‘leaky gut,’ but we can also have ‘leaky brain.’ In either situation, things we don’t necessarily want in our bodies can make their way past our barriers and into the body, potentially leading to inflammation, bloating, brain fog, joint pain, etc.
The key is to determine what causes the ‘leaky’ environment to take place within your body. Common causes of intestinal permeability (leaky gut) include chronic NSAID use, food sensitivities (potentially more than just gluten and dairy), alcohol, tobacco, long-term antibiotics, and too much exercise. Gut microbial dysbiosis (too many harmful bacteria/not enough good guys) can also set up a ‘leaky’ environment. Once more, our gut bacteria are constantly sending signals to our brain (via the previously mentioned vagus nerve) about the ‘State of the Union’ within the gut.
If the brain receives a signal of ‘hey there’s a lot of bad guys in here,’ a ‘leaky brain’ environment will be created so the brain can send its defense systems (immune cells) after the potential invaders. These invaders can also ‘trick’ our body into opening these barriers, allowing them to make their way into our bloodstream undetected. Same thing happens in the gut. You just can’t kick those ‘gut feelings’ you have in life.
Support Strategies
Ideally, step one would be to remove the trigger. May that trigger be dietarily, environmentally, or psychological. For dietary triggers, one may choose to perform an elimination diet. An elimination diet involves removing one or several foods for a designated period of time (say 3–4 weeks), monitoring if there’s any change in symptoms, and then reintroducing one food at a time and monitoring for a return of symptoms, such as brain fog. Identifying and removing environmental and psychological triggers may require more specialized assistance. Step two would be to support the gut environment with things such as probiotics, bone broth, L-glutamine, colostrum, or digestive enzymes. Step three would be to help support inflammation modulation with Resveratrol, Curcumin, Omega-3’s, or Vitamin D. Thorne, Apex, and Now Foods are some of my favorite supplemental brands in all these categories.
If you’re suffering from brain fog and/or memory disturbances, I highly encourage you to seek out a Functional/Natural/Alternative health care provider who can help identify your triggers and the supplement regime that is right for you. As each person is so different, a personalized approach really is the best way to go.
If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, on anything we discussed, feel free to email me at nicholas.belden16@gmail.com. You can also reach out to me on Twitter, or Instagram, or you could always pose a question in the comment section of this article.
As always, Trust in Your Gut.
Disclaimer: The contents of this article are for educational purposes only, and are not intended to diagnose or treat any condition. Do not apply any of the information in this article without first speaking with your doctor.
References
Huang R, Wang K, Hu J. Effect of Probiotics on Depression: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Nutrients. 2016;8(8):483. Published 2016 Aug 6. doi:10.3390/nu8080483
Koloski NA, Jones M, Kalantar J, Weltman M, Zaguirre J, Talley NJ. The brain — gut pathway in functional gastrointestinal disorders is bidirectional: a 12-year prospective population-based study. Gut. 2012 Sep;61(9):1284–90. doi: 10.1136/gutjnl-2011–300474. Epub 2012 Jan 10. PMID: 22234979.
