How the food you eat affects your gut – Shilpa Ravella

One of the principal rules, if not the main rule of gut health is that these gut bugs thrive on fiber. This is their preferred food — because fiber is not digested by human enzymes,” Bulsiewicz said. Fiber reaches the colon fully intact, the microbes feed on it and digest it. “They will release something called short-chain fatty acids,” which he said “are the most healing, most anti-inflammatory thing that I’ve ever come across.”

A recent study from the Laboratory on Thymus Research published in Frontiers in Endocrinology detailed the relationship between SCFAs and the Central Nervous System. Though it’s a brand-new area of research, scientists are learning that there may be a link between gut bacteria and the brain – and even mood disorders like depression and anxiety.

https://abcnews.go.com/food/story/microbiome-healthy-foods-make-function-82225816