So it seems that our brain and our gut are in direct communication. And supporting our ‘good’ gut bacteria is one of the ways to help our amazing brains 

If you’re looking for a few suggestions of how to get your daily fix of good bacteria, try adding a few of the following to your shopping list:

Live cultured yoghurt, kefir, kombucha tea, kimchi, pickled fruit and vegetables and sauerkraut.

Here at Noggin we have come up with both a probiotic and a prebiotic supplement; a simple blend to support our good bacteria, help them thrive and keeps the bad guys at bay. Here’s what goes into each one:

Noggin Prebiotic

Inulin

Pshyllium Husk

Noggin Probiotic

Lactobacillus Plantarum

Lactobacillus Acidophilus

Lactobacillus Brevis

Bifidobacterium Lacti

Bifidobacterium Longum

Each one of these ingredients has been specially selected based on research that has shown their roles in supporting our gut lining. AND Lactobacillus Brevis, Bifidobacterium Lacti and Bifidobacterium Longum have been shown to increase something called BDNF, or Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor to give it its full title (which is a bit of a mouthful, so we’ll stick with BDNF). So far this has only been shown in animal testing but this is pretty exciting to the sciencey people…

BDNF is a brain growth protein. Sounds pretty important, right? This little gem of a protein is involved in preserving our brain cells (neutrons) and connections (synapses), as well as creating new ones. Critically reduced levels of BDNF have been found in Alzheimer’s disease, depression and a number of other conditions affecting the brain. So we want to keep this stuff around and if we can make more of it, everyone’s a winner.