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Eh, not super accurate.

According to Reddit, if you’re overweight it’s because you’re a loser who can’t control themselves.

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There is a connection for sure, but it is super complex and there is a lot more to discover about the biome and mental health. Scientists are beginning to view the biome as an organ due to its ability to produce neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin are produced (at least partially) in the gut. Many antidepressants that are prescribed are SSRIs, or selective serotonin re uptake inhibitors, which basically increase the availability of serotonin in the brain. By eating foods that foster serotonin production in the gut, theoretically more serotonin would be available for the brain, but it is not a totally linear correlation, as serotonin in the gut does not necessarily make it to the brain. However eating healthier (lots of plants, cultured foods, Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids) is associated with improved gut and mental health. Eating fewer processed foods is also associated with better gut and mental health. It’s interesting though that many people eat comfort food to cope with grief/stress/trauma and then feel guilty about it (myself included). There’s also research that shows cortisol (a stress hormone) can negatively impact gut health, which may be why some people feel the need to evacuate their bowls when they’re scared (colloquial known as “shitting one’s pants”). It is interesting to think that all these little microbes, hormones, and neurotransmitters are somehow partially pulling the strings in our decision making, and yet the compilation of this molecular symphony is perceived as free will. This concludes my ted talk.

Would the micro plastics affect baleen whales?

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Heard the other day that introducing probiotics to diet shows something crazy like 65% of people feel mood boosting. Gut health/function and mental health seemingly go hand in hand for many folk

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This study seems to have been done by someone who doesn't understand what food insecurity is.

Food insecurity is causation; unpredictability is just a bonus trauma for those who already have food insecurity.

Edited to add: food insecurity to also include not having meals that can be eaten comfortably, or lack consistency of the quality, texture or autonomy of having choices in the food being eaten.

Being forced or coerced to eat food that is repulsive or being forced to eat when not hungry/being denied food when hungry is all part of food insecurity.

It's one thing to have access to food, it's another to have access to food that one can actually not be miserable eating.

Right, title is crap. The paper itself cites lots of earlier studies and papers reporting on the links.

Doesn’t seem surprising. When your entire life revolves around the bathroom and there’s a huge social stigma related to pooping and the bathroom, things can get stressful. Even family and friends can only be so understanding sometimes.

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Yes, though it's not at all clear that IBS is a microbiome issue (though I wouldn't be surprised by more correlations there, too).

There used to be orphanages that took in kids that the parents couldn't support with the goal of the parents getting back on their feet and then getting their kids back. Foster care is a little like this but the kids are taken from their parents not given to the foster system. There's much more shame associated with it. Dropping your kid of at the orphanage was a last resort. You knew they wouldn't get the love and attention they need but they wouldn't die of starvation or exposure.

This is something that has been established as far as I'm aware. One of the etiology for IBS includes anxiety disorders, and treatment for IBS involves antidepressants like SSRIs and TCAs(based on the type of IBS).

Reminds me of a project my old environmental science professors work. His team built solar powered platforms that oxygenated dead lakes and brought fish populations back. Though it didn’t remove the co2 it was amazing for late 90s work.

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Also, the chemicals of those plastics leak and degrade into a nasty soup. Toxic enough to cause nerve damage.

I really wish they did to a level that mattered. I don't even like kids nor do I want children of any capacity, but if you can't give them a good life, don't have them. Obviously I'm also an advocate of birth control. Children are expensive, and any prospective parent should understand that and have a plan to deal with the extra cost.