# @seed on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/Bhw1t3TlFir
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/34247949-seed-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/1cb26d5128.jpg
- **Posted:** 2018-04-19T19:05:11.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Seed (@seed) — https://gondola.cc/seed

## Caption

Clocking in at 3-5 pounds, your #microbiome weighs about the same as your #brain. 🧠⠀
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And with a large majority of these #microbial partners residing in your #gastrointestinal #tract, we’re starting to realize that the #gut behaves more like a ‘second brain’ than we knew. Our gut #microbiota play a vital role in our #physical and #psychological #health via its own #neural #network: the enteric nervous system (ENS), a complex system of about 100 million nerves found in the lining of the gut. These neural #circuits control the gastrointestinal system from #mouth to intestines, and along with #hormones and #chemical #neurotransmitters, constantly provide #feedback to the brain.⠀
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They signal to our brain through stimulating our vagus nerve when we’re full. They’re responsible for the #sensation of #nervous #butterflies, or the pit in your #stomach, innate parts of our psychological #stress responses. They are capable of producing #serotonin (#happy #feels 🤗) to affect our #mood or #appetite.⠀
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They give ‘gut #instinct’ a whole new level of #meaning.

## Stats

- **Views:** 0
- **Likes:** 142
- **Shares:** 0
- **Comments:** 2

## Tags

mouth, stress, happy, sensation, feedback, psychological, network, meaning, instinct, circuits, microbiome, physical, health, serotonin, microbial, appetite, feels, neurotransmitters, microbiota, gut, tract, butterflies, hormones, chemical, mood, neural, gastrointestinal, brain, stomach, nervous

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