Drinking lots of alcohol makes the gut leakier, allowing microbes to more readily influence the brain – could that help to explain why alcoholics often experience depression or anxiety? Our diet reshapes the microbes in our gut – could those changes ripple out to affect our minds?47 The gut microbiome becomes less stable in old age – could that contribute to the rise of brain diseases in the elderly? And could our microbes manipulate our food cravings in the first place? If you reach for a burger or a chocolate bar, what exactly is pushing that hand forward?
