An accomplished scientist and associate professor at the University of South Florida, Dr. Dominic D’Agostino researches ways of improving human neurology and physiology through the ketogenic diet. Dominic D’Agostino has broad knowledge of ketone esters, ketone supplementation, and ketone technologies. He shares his knowledge on KetoNutrition.org. One of his recent articles is on the gut-brain axis (GBA).
The gut-brain axis (GBA) refers to the physiological highway connecting the brain’s central nervous system (CNS) with the enteric nervous system (ENS) in the intestines. The ENS is responsible for body functions that do not require thinking about like digesting food, breathing, and circulating blood. The vagus nerve is the physiological highway between these two systems.
Information flow along the vagus nerve is two-way. The brain communicates its needs to the gut through the vagus nerve while the gut microbiome in the ENS produces key neurotransmitters that travel to the brain and eventually regulate neurologic, metabolic, and immune functions. A healthy gut microbiome, therefore, is essential to overall wellness.
The health of the gut microbiome is influenced by a number of things, key among them diet. Emerging research points to the benefits of a ketogenic diet to the gut microbiome and neurological health. Research on children with epilepsy has shown that a ketogenic diet improves regulation of immune factors central to controlling seizures. Additional research has linked the ketogenic diet to enhanced mental health. Specifically, when ketones become the brain’s primary source of energy, as is the case in a ketogenic diet, levels of the calming neurotransmitter GABA increase while those of the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate fall. The diet further elevates adenosine levels, which also contributes to neurologic health.
