Health is wealth. We have heard this idiom from our very childhood. And this wealth, aka health, depends on various organs of our bodies.
Key Takeaways
- Gut health refers to the digestive system’s state and the gut’s balance of bacteria, while mental health refers to emotional, psychological, and social well-being.
- There is a strong connection between gut health and mental health, as the gut and brain communicate through the gut-brain axis.
- Poor gut health can contribute to mental health issues like anxiety and depression while improving gut health through diet and probiotics can positively impact mental health.
Gut Health vs Mental Health
The difference between gut health and mental health is that gut health is related to the stomach, and mental health is related to the mind. Gut health makes sure our body gets the nutrients equally, and mental health makes sure our hormones are balanced and our sanity is intact.
Gut health is in charge of breaking down the food we eat and making them simple in form so it can enter the bloodstream and flow to the whole body, delivering nourishment.
Mental health keeps our minds in check. Mental health disorders tend to affect our mood and personality and disrupt the balance of hormones.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Gut Health | Mental Health |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Gut health refers to the functions and balance of good bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract. | Mental health suggests cognitive and emotional well-being. |
| Location | Gut health dwells in The gastrointestinal tract. | Mental health’s territory is in mind. |
| Function | Gut health plays an important role in digestion and boosting the immune system. | Healthy mental health keeps our psychological and social life positively active. |
| Crisis | Compromised gut health can lead to various gastrointestinal problems. | Jeopardized mental health leads to disturbed social and psychological existence. |
| Disease | Diseases like inflammatory bowel diseases, obesity, liver diseases, chronic heart diseases, diabetes, and cancer can happen due to poor gut health. | Diseases like chronic depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, anxiety disorder, and developmental disorders can be traced to mental health disorders. |
What is Gut Health?
Gut health refers to the functions and balance of bacteria in all the parts of the gastrointestinal tract. Physical state and physiologic function is kept intact by gut health.
All the food we eat is finally broken down in the gut. It turns into a simple form that can easily penetrate the bloodstream and distribute all the nutritious elements to the whole body.
Healthy gut health keeps the whole body healthy. Gut health is responsible for being in touch with the brain, and the gut does it with the help of nerves and hormones.
Fried food, alcohol and caffeine should be taken within a limit as all these food items cause gastrointestinal problems. Sufficient sleep is necessary for gut health.
What is Mental Health?
Mental health suggests cognitive and emotional well-being. Mental health affects our lifestyle, behaviour, social relationships, and, moreover, our physical health.
Taking care of one’s mental health is necessary as this has a huge offering on a person’s life. To a great extent, lifestyle and life choices depend on our mental health.
Various types of treatments can be used to recover mental health problems. There is no fixed pattern of treatments, as the effectiveness of treatments varies from person to person.
To enjoy healthy mental health, an individual can take a few small measures, such as having a balanced, healthy diet filled with all the indispensable nutrition, getting adequate sleep, reducing alcohol, meditation etc.
Main Differences Between Gut Health and Mental Health
- Neglected gut health can lead to various gastrointestinal problems. And disturbed mental health leads to various mental illnesses.
- Gut health is related to physical activities, whereas mental health is related to emotional and cognitive activities.
- https://www.mdpi.com/2039-7283/7/4/987
- https://journals.lww.com/psychosomaticmedicine/Fulltext/2017/10000/Brain_Gut_Microbiota_Axis_and_Mental_Health.12.aspx
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Piyush Yadav has spent the past 25 years working as a physicist in the local community. He is a physicist passionate about making science more accessible to our readers. He holds a BSc in Natural Sciences and Post Graduate Diploma in Environmental Science. You can read more about him on his bio page.
