Does what you eat affect how your brain works?

The connection between the gut and the brain has for long been established, but recent research is increasingly finding that problems in the gut are linked to problems in the brain. A paper published by researchers from Harvard Medical School along with others, for instance, has found that the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease was 76 percent higher among those with damage to the lining of their upper gastrointestinal tract than among those without such damage. In fact, the researchers found that symptoms in the gut could begin years or even decades before symptoms of Parkinson’s set in. Research has also indicated links between gut health and other neurological conditions and even, between the gut and mental health. So how does the gut-brain connection work? What does a healthy gut microbiome look like, and how is this linked with the overall health of the body? What is the role your diet plays in this, and how important is it? Are you, essentially, what you eat? Guest: Dr Ennapadam S. Krishnamoorthy, neuropsychiatrist and founder of Buddhi Clinic, Chennai Host: Zubeda Hamid Edited by Jude Francis Weston