Üsküdar University Health Services Vocational School Pharmacy Services Program organized the “Second Brain: Intestine” seminar. The moderator of the seminar was Dr. Lecturer Sultan Mehtap Büyüker, Head of Pharmacy Services Program. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Özlem Bingöl Özakpınar, a faculty member at Marmara University Faculty of Pharmacy, who participated as a speaker at the event, said: “The information going from the intestine to the brain is much more than that coming from the brain to the intestine. Problems in the intestines can impair mental health, leading to diseases such as anxiety, depression, and autism. So, the healthier our intestines are, the healthier our body is.”
Why do people get sick more often as they modernize?
Özakpınar stated that it would be possible to call the intestine the second brain; “Beyond the signaling coming from the brain to the intestine, there is signaling going from the intestine to the brain. Years ago, Hippocrates said, 'All diseases begin in the gut; if the gut is sick, the rest of the body is sick.' While infectious diseases decreased in the 20th century, there was a significant increase in chronic diseases, and this increase continues at full speed in the 21st century. Hot diseases were replaced by cold diseases. So, why do people get sick more often as they modernize? The modern world has led to an increase in diseases that interfere with microbial colonization.”
“Intestinal problems can cause anxiety or depression”
Özakpınar stated that the bacterial species found in the human intestine are divided into 7 bacterial phyla; “Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, Verrucomicrobia, Cyanobacteria, and Fusobacteria are the most abundant bacterial phyla in the intestine. Humans have two nervous systems developing from the same embryological origin. The first is the central nervous system, consisting of the brain and spinal cord, and the second is the gastrointestinal nervous system found in the intestines. The information going from the intestine to the brain is much more than that coming from the brain to the intestine. Problems in the intestines can impair mental health, leading to diseases such as anxiety, depression, and autism. So, the healthier our intestines are, the healthier our body is.”