# 306 - Mental wellbeing and your gut bacteria with Prof Ted Dinan

Today I am talking with another expert, his name is Prof Ted Dinan, he's Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry at University College Cork here in Ireland. For decades he has had a particular interest in the bacteria that live inside us, our microbiome or mictrobiota as its called. In this episode we discover what the microbiota is. We hear about the nervous system in the gut, the vagus nerve and how the gut communicates with the brain. We learn that human beings have never been sterile and have always needed to live with bacteria in order to survive and thrive. We discover that when mice are grown in a sterile environment in a lab they become totally antisocial. We hear about the downside from a microbiota diversity perspective of a cesarian section birth in comparison with a vaginal birth. We also learn that depressed patients have a lower level of micriobiota diversity in their large intestines and those people who aren't depressed. We also discover you can radically alter your microbiota by altering your diet. In addition we will hear about how the poorly regulated health supplement industry is a minefield for consumers when seeking out good sources of probiotics. Prof Dinan's Website : http://psychobiotic-revolution.com/