If you thought it was a myth that many of our decisions are very visceral or that the feelings are governed by the stomach, it turns out that it could be true, because in it there are more than 100 million neurons responsible for regulating the functions of the digestive system and determine many emotions.
According to researchers from Columbia University Medical Center, it is the "second brain", in charge of governing the most important functions of the digestive system and whose complex neuronal network contains transmitters connected to the brain , through the vague nerves.
In this regard, a study published by the magazine Scientific American, details that the "second brain", actually called enteric nervous system , is composed of sets of neurons embedded in the walls of the long tube of the intestine, or alimentary canal, whose extension is of around nine meters, from the esophagus to the anus.
This network of neurons reports everything that goes through the stomach to brain ; In addition, the arrival of food in the tract causes numerous hormones to be released into the bloodstream; among them are the GLP1 peptide , which lowers blood glucose levels and promotes stomach contraction; the coleocistokinin (CCK), which represses the appetite when it detects fats or proteins in food; the bombesin , which reduces the intake; wave ghrelin , also known as "hunger hormone ”.
These functions of the digestive system, in turn, play a key role in certain diseases of the organism and determine, in part, our mood: the sensation of having "butterflies in the stomach", for example, is actually a physiological signal that It responds to a state of nerves or stress, and we perceive thanks to the nerves present in our intestines.
More studies are now being carried out on the involvement of the "second brain" with other diseases, such as autism, depression and autoimmune diseases, because 70% of our immune system is focused on the intestine to expel and kill its invaders .