Intestinal microbes influence the energy consumption required for larger brains in mammals

In a groundbreaking study at Northwestern University, researchers found a solid relationship between the brain and the gut. Analysis indicates that mammals with large brains consume more energy. The microbes in the gut break down nutrients and turn them into energy for the brain to use.

Scientists inserted gut microbes from humans, and squirrel monkeys into mice to experiment. Then, brain growth and other biological changes were measured. Results showed that mice with larger mammal gut microbes used and produced more energy than the control group. These findings reveal possibilities in human development.

“Variation in the gut microbiota is an unexplored mechanism in which primate metabolism could facilitate different brain-energetic requirements,” said Katherine Amato, associate professor of anthropology at Northwestern and the study’s first author. “These findings suggest that when humans and squirrel monkeys both separately evolved larger brains, their microbial communities changed in similar ways to help provide the necessary energy.”

And while the College of Naturopathic Medicine affirms that, “the gut communicates with and sends signals and chemical messages to the brain and vice versa,” the Northwestern Study focuses specifically on the microbe aspect, not the nervous system. Results measured the consumption of energy.

References:
https://www.naturopathy-uk.com/news/news-cnm-blog/blog/2021/01/13/the-gut-brain-connection/#:~:text=The%20vagus%20nerve%20travels%20all,the%20brain%20and%20vice%20versa.

https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2024/12/the-secret-to-our-big-brains-might-be-in-our-gut