The Biology of Stress. A fantastic lecture we had recently towards the end of a Masters in Sports and Exercise Medicine in UCC, Cork, Ireland.

Lots of info and discussion about the effects of stress on the body – in particular – the gut.. where all the important reactions happen. The phrase ‘Trust your gut’ comes to mind when learning about this area.

Ted’s Top 5 recommendations for gut health based on the most up to date research in this area are:

• Poly Unsaturated Fatty Acids – Omega 3 derivatives – found in oily fish.
• Live Biotherapeutics – Probiotics.
• Curcumin – found in turmeric and ginger.
• Polyphenols (reservatrol) – found in seaweed and in small doses in red wine (although apparently you’d need 3L of red wine to get a therapeutic effect which I’m obviously not advocating! )
• Butyrate – gut bacteria feast on fiber, and as a result your own gut bacteria will produce a fatty acid called butyrate.  In the same way that we release carbon dioxide when we inhale oxygen, butyrate is a byproduct of well-fed gut bacteria. 

I’m not a dietitian, just a Physio with an interest in Sports Medicine and all things health. Thanks to Ted Dinan for the great info.