Season3: (Episode 5) Gut Health: Microbiome and the Brain

The “gut–brain axis" is a system by which the gastrointestinal tract communicates with the brain. In this episode, Dr. Scott Kanoski, Co-director of the Diabetes and Obesity Research Institute at the University of Southern California, shares his research and expertise about the gut-brain system. He discusses how diet, hormones, and the millions of bacteria that comprise our gut microbiota act on this system. As he explains in this wide-ranging discussion, recent findings from his lab and many others are revealing how these signals affect the brain in ways that have profound impacts on appetite, cognitive functioning, and impulse control.