💬 “Microbes can influence things like behaviour, mood, cognition. We're starting to see links with things like Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease as well.”  ~Dr Jonathan Swann

⚡️ Dr Jonathan Swann from the University of Southampton is one of the UK’s leading experts on the gut microbiome, with a particular interest in the gut-brain axis.

⚡️ In this episode Jonathan and I explain how your brain and gut communicate with each other, and why you might experience IBS, depression and other negative health effects when that connection breaks down.

🎧 Stay tuned to find out:

➡︎ How your gut not only talks to your brain, but your brain also talks to your gut

➡︎ Why meditating monks have super-healthy guts.

➡ How you can give a mouse depression by messing with its gut microbiome

➡︎ Whether gut-brain therapies like psychobiotics are any good

➡︎ News about human trials of poop transplants

📕 Chapters

(1:12) How the gut-brain axis works

(6:22) How many microbes live in the gut?

(9:32) What can go wrong with the gut-brain connection?

(18:19) Diet and mood

(20:07) Gut transplants

(21:48) The role of fungi and viruses

(24:35) “A gut feeling”

(26:11) Psychobiotics

(32:22) Antibiotics

(33:37) Microbiome’s impact on Alzheimer’s

(36:34) Age-related cognitive decline

(38:28) Management strategies

(43:24) The problem with poop analysis

📱 Connect with me:

TikTok: https://www.instagram.com/drkaranrajan

Instagram: https://www.tiktok.com/@dr.karanr

📱 Connect with Jonathan:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jon-swann-58a83b66/?originalSubdomain=uk

Website: https://www.southampton.ac.uk/people/5y5nsv/doctor-jonathan-swann 

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🎙️ An OG Podcasts production.