Soil Yourself September! 'You Are What You Eat'

Did you know your gut plays a bigger role than just digesting food? It also helps regulate your mood, blood sugar, and even how your brain communicates with your body. We are uncovering how diet and gut bacteria work together to influence special cells in our gut that produce important hormones—especially serotonin, a chemical known for its role in mood and well-being. These cells are small in number but mighty in function, sensing changes in your gut, like what you eat or what microbes are present. We’ve developed new ways to study these cells in detail and found that diets like the ketogenic diet (high fat, low carb) can increase serotonin production in the gut, which may influence mood, gut activity, and blood sugar control. I also discovered that gut bacteria can directly “talk” to EC cells—showing how your microbiome might be helping to shape your health in surprising ways. This work is helping us understand how food and gut microbes influence the body and mind—and how we might one day use personalised diet or microbiome-based treatments to support our health.

Join Dr Alyce Martin for a fascinating talk!

Alyce is head of the Gut Hormones in Health and Disease Lab (A Martin Gut Lab) at the Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, Flinders University. Her research focuses on how diet and gut bacteria influence hormone-producing cells in the gut to regulate our health and wellbeing. She has received national and international recognition for her work, and has received millions of dollars in major research funding, including the highly competitive ARC DECRA Fellowship. When she’s not in the lab, she loves being Mum to a cheeky toddler, crazy corgi (Peaches) and giant cat (Pickle).