Fuel your gut, boost your brain: the power of prebiotics

The gut-brain connection is a complex communication system that connects your brain and gut. This connection works in both directions as the brain influences various gut functions like digestion, movement, and secretion, whilst the gut can also affect brain functions such as mood, thinking, and behaviour.

Communication between your gut and brain happens through multiple complex pathways. When this system is out of balance, it can contribute to various health problems. These include digestive disorders, mental health conditions, and even neurological or autoimmune diseases.

How do the gut and brain communicate?

1. The enteric nervous system (ENS)

Often referred to as the “second brain”, the ENS is a vast network of nerves embedded in your gut walls. It has many types of neurons and can operate independently to control your digestion, muscle movement, and enzyme release.¹

The vagus nerve is the main pathway of communication. It sends signals from the gut to the brain and back, sharing information about what’s happening in your gut. For example, how full you feel.² Other nerves, such as sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves, also influence gut blood flow and stress responses.³

2. The endocrine system

Your gut produces many hormones that affect both digestion and brain functions. For example, the ‘hunger hormone’ ghrelin is made in the stomach, as well as leptin, which signals when you’re full.

Other hormones, such as cholecystokinin are released after eating to regulate appetite and blood sugar. Both of these influence brain activity. Many neurotransmitters such as serotonin, dopamine, and GABA are also produced in the gut, and can impact both your gut movement and brain function.⁴

3. The immune system

Your gut contains a large amount of immune tissues that protect against harmful microbes.⁵ It interacts constantly with gut bacteria, and releases inflammatory molecules called cytokines. These cytokines travel through the bloodstream to the brain, and influence mood and behaviour.⁶

4. Good bacteria

The trillions of microorganisms living in your intestines produce neuroactive compounds like short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), including butyrate, propionate, and acetate. These all affect gut cells, immune responses, and even cross into the brain to influence mood and cognition. These microorganisms also help produce neurotransmitters, shape the immune system, and affect the production of gut hormones.⁷

How can prebiotics help?

Prebiotics are non-digestible fibres that provide nourishment for the good bacteria in your gut. Unlike probiotics, which are live microorganisms found in kefir and other fermented foods, prebiotics are the food that helps these beneficial bacteria thrive and multiply.

Increasing your prebiotic consumption will boost and maintain your gut-brain connection in a few key ways!

1. Short-chain fatty acid production

When prebiotics are fermented by the gut bacteria, they produce SCFAs, such as butyrate, propionate, and acetate. These are needed for maintaining gut integrity and influencing neural activity, mood, and cognitive functions.⁸

2. Production of neurotransmitters

About 95% of the body’s serotonin – a chemical that influences happiness, sleep, and appetite – is produced in the gut, primarily by specialised gut cells. Certain gut bacteria help regulate this process, so when the microbiome is balanced and healthy, it can support better serotonin production and mood regulation.⁹

Some gut bacteria, such as Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus, can directly produce GABA. GABA is a calming brain chemical (neurotransmitter) that helps reduce stress and anxiety. Having a diverse microbiome stimulated by prebiotics can boost this GABA production. Increased GABA levels may help improve feelings of relaxation and decrease stress.¹⁰

Feeding your gut bacteria with prebiotics, supports the creation of these and other chemicals that influence brain function through direct nerve connections, immune responses and hormonal signals, ultimately supporting your mental health and wellbeing!

3. Reducing Inflammation

Chronic inflammation is a contributing factor to mental health disorders, neurodegenerative diseases, and overall brain health. The gut microbiome plays a pivotal role in regulating systemic inflammation.

The SCFA butyrate is particularly important for maintaining the integrity of the gut lining, preventing intestinal permeability – where unwanted substances like toxins and bacteria cross into the bloodstream and trigger inflammatory responses.¹¹

A well-maintained gut barrier also reduces the activation of immune cells and the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines.¹² Lower systemic inflammation means fewer inflammatory signals reaching the brain, which can help prevent or reduce neuroinflammation – a contributor to mood disorders, cognitive decline, and neurodegeneration.

Overall, prebiotics play a huge role in maintaining a healthy and balanced gut environment by feeding your beneficial gut bacteria. This balance is essential as it helps protect your brain from chronic inflammation, which is linked to cognitive decline and mood disorders. Additionally, a healthy gut supports mental clarity and emotional stability, enabling you to feel more focused, calm, and resilient.

Ways to boost your Prebiotic intake

Adding a variety of fibre rich foods into your daily diet is essential. Fruits like bananas, apples, and berries provide fibres and plant compounds that feed beneficial gut bacteria and support a healthy microbiome. Vegetables like onions, garlic, leeks, and asparagus are very high in prebiotic fibres, helping maintain a healthy and diverse microbiome. Legumes and beans, including chickpeas, lentils, and black beans, are all great sources of prebiotic fibres too.

Including a wide array of these foods will boost your nutrient intake and supply the necessary ingredients for beneficial bacteria to thrive. To maximise the benefits, try to incorporate them into your meals regularly by adding beans to salads, snacking on fruit, and cooking diverse vegetarian dishes!

Chuckling Goat’s Complete Prebiotic

Our Complete Prebiotic is a combination of 18 naturally occurring prebiotic fibres designed to give your gut bugs the food they need to thrive. This is the most diverse prebiotic available anywhere in the world, containing the following fibres –

Arabinan
Arabinogalactan
Arabinoxylan
Beta-Glucan
Dextrin
Fructooligosaccharides (FOS)
Galactan
Galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS)
Guar Gum
Isomaltooligosaccharide (IMO)
Inulin
Galactosyl-D-fructose
Mannan oligosaccharides (MOS)
Pectin
Polydextrose
Xylooligosaccharides (XOS)
Xylan
Xyloglucan

The Complete Prebiotic also enhances the effect of your Chuckling Goat Kefir, and the two work best when taken together. Combined, they provide a powerful synbiotic.

You can find our Complete Prebiotic here and our award winning kefir here.

It is always best to check with your GP for interactions with medications/health conditions before starting any new supplements.

Read more about the gut-brain connection here.

Any questions? Contact one of our Nutritional Therapists via live chat, weekdays from 8 am to 8 pm.