Based off of what we have learned in the past weeks in this class, I think it fair to say that microorganisms in and on the body play a major role in overall health. I have learned though personal research for my final essay that the gut microbiota composition can influence immune health and in some people, the absence of certain microbes can lead to an increased risk of autoimmune disorders. That being said, gut microbiota could potentially influence the brain and mental state of an individual based off of its composition leading to autoimmune disease. Also, there could be a correlation between certain microbes and a person’s mental alertness. For example, if a person were to be deficient in an essential type of microbe responsible in the aid of carbohydrate breakdown, that person may feel more fatigued and less alert throughout the day than an individual containing that microbe.
Mental health could influence gut microbiota based off of factors like stress. Based off of my learning in my anatomy and physiology class, a person under chronic stress undergoes chemical changes in the body like an increase in the hormone called cortisol. This spike in a hormone could potentially alter gut microbiota populations since it’s long term impacts on the body include things like increased or decreased appetite, raised blood pressure, lowered immune response, and over or under sleeping. All of these things, I think, could have some indirect impact on microbial communities in the gut.
