SHR # 2571 :: How Gut Microbes Affect Mood and Cognition plus Radiation in Pediatric Cancers Lifelong Health Impact - Matt Gallant - Over the past decade we've discussed the link between the gut and the brain. This is especially true when it comes to cognition and mood. Overgrowth of the wrong microbes lead to morning brain fog, impaired memory, depression, anxiety and more. These links have been identified conclusively through several research papers. The microbes that inhabit your gut eat your food. They also excrete chemicals as an end product of digesting your food. We know that when they overproduce d-lactic acid it leads to impaired cognition, depression and what is generally called brain-fog. . If the wrong bacteria can produce these unwanted effects on the brain, the opposite is true as well. If you have higher populations of -good- microbes they eat your food and produce chemicals that improve brain function, support mood and mental acuity. How do you improve the presence of these beneficial microbes in your gut? Listen and learn. PLUS Many cancers treated with ionizing radiation tend to cause unwanted tissue damage in neighboring organs. A recent study look at the long-term effects of treating pediatric cancers with radiation and the later-in-life outcomes and found some very disturbing news.