The Science of Your Gut Sense & the Gut-Brain Axis | Dr. Diego Bohórquez

In this episode, my guest is Dr. Diego Bohórquez, PhD, professor of medicine and neurobiology at Duke University and a pioneering researcher into how we use our ‘gut sense.’ He describes how your gut communicates to your brain and the rest of your body through hormones and neural connections to shape your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. He explains how your gut senses a range of features such as temperature, pH, the macro- and micronutrients in our foods, and much more and signals that information to the brain to affect our food preferences, aversions, and cravings. Dr. Bohórquez describes his early life in the Amazon jungle and how exposure to traditional agriculture inspired his unique expertise combining nutrition, gastrointestinal physiology, and neuroscience. We discuss how the gut and brain integrate sensory cues, leading to our intuitive “gut sense” about food, people, and situations. This episode provides a scientific perspective into your gut sense to help you make better food choices and, indeed, to support better decision-making in all of life. Access the full show notes, including referenced articles, books, people mentioned, and additional resources: https://www.hubermanlab.com/episode/dr-diego-bohorquez-the-science-of-your-gut-sense-the-gut-brain-axis Thank you to our sponsors AG1: https://drinkag1.com/huberman Joovv: https://joovv.com/huberman LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/huberman Helix Sleep: https://helixsleep.com/huberman InsideTracker: https://insidetracker.com/huberman Huberman Lab Social & Website Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hubermanlab Threads: https://www.threads.net/@hubermanlab Twitter: https://twitter.com/hubermanlab Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hubermanlab TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hubermanlab LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-huberman Website: https://www.hubermanlab.com Newsletter: https://www.hubermanlab.com/newsletter Dr. Diego Bohórquez Academic profile: https://medicine.duke.edu/profile/diego-v-bohorquez Lab website: https://gutbrains.com The Gastronauts Podcast: https://thinkgastronauts.com/podcast Publications: https://gutbrains.com/articles X: https://x.com/gutbrains YouTube: https://youtube.com/@thebohorquezlabatdukeunive9762 TED Talk: https://youtu.be/utFG8GEvmfg Nature Neuroscience profile: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41593-023-01373-w Timestamps 00:00:00 Dr. Diego Bohórquez 00:02:37 Sponsors: Joovv, LMNT & Helix Sleep; YouTube, Spotify & Apple Subscribe 00:06:49 Gut-Brain Axis 00:11:35 Gut Sensing, Hormones 00:15:26 Green Fluorescent Protein; Neuropod Cells & Environment Sensing 00:26:57 Brain & Gut Connection, Experimental Tools & Rabies Virus 00:35:28 Sponsor: AG1 00:37:00 Neuropod Cells & Nutrient Sensing 00:43:55 Gastric Bypass Surgery, Cravings & Food Choice 00:51:14 Optogenetics; Sugar Preference & Neuropod Cells 01:00:29 Gut-Brain Disorders, Irritable Bowel Syndrome 01:03:03 Sponsor: InsideTracker 01:04:04 Gut & Behavior; Gastric Bypass, Cravings & Alcohol 01:07:38 GLP-1, Ozempic, Neuropod Cells 01:11:46 Food Preference & Gut-Brain Axis, Protein 01:21:35 Protein & Sugar, Agriculture & ‘Three Sisters’ 01:25:16 Childhood, Military School; Academics, Nutrition & Nervous System 01:36:15 Plant Wisdom, Agriculture, Indigenous People 01:41:48 Evolution of Food Choices; Learning from Plants 01:48:15 Plant-Based Medicines; Amazonia, Guayusa Ritual & Chonta Palm 01:56:58 Yerba Mate, Chocolate, Guayusa 02:00:22 Brain, Gut & Sensory Integration; Variability 02:06:01 Electrical Patterns in Gut & Brain, “Hangry” 02:12:43 Gut Intuition, Food & Bonding; Subconscious & Superstition 02:22:00 Vagus Nerve & Learning, Humming 02:26:46 Digestive System & Memory; Body Sensing 02:32:51 Listening to the Body, Meditation 02:40:12 Zero-Cost Support, Spotify & Apple Reviews, YouTube Feedback, Sponsors, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter #HubermanLab #GutHealth #Science Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac - https://www.blabacphoto.com Disclaimer: https://www.hubermanlab.com/disclaimer

Andrew HubermanhostDiego Bohórquezguest

May 27, 20242h 42mWatch on YouTube ↗

EPISODE INFO

Released: May 27, 2024
Duration: 2h 42m
Channel: Huberman Lab
Watch on YouTube: ▶ Open ↗

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

In this episode, my guest is Dr. Diego Bohórquez, PhD, professor of medicine and neurobiology at Duke University and a pioneering researcher into how we use our ‘gut sense.’ He describes how your gut communicates to your brain and the rest of your body through hormones and neural connections to shape your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. He explains how your gut senses a range of features such as temperature, pH, the macro- and micronutrients in our foods, and much more and signals that information to the brain to affect our food preferences, aversions, and cravings. Dr. Bohórquez describes his early life in the Amazon jungle and how exposure to traditional agriculture inspired his unique expertise combining nutrition, gastrointestinal physiology, and neuroscience. We discuss how the gut and brain integrate sensory cues, leading to our intuitive “gut sense” about food, people, and situations. This episode provides a scientific perspective into your gut sense to help you make better food choices and, indeed, to support better decision-making in all of life. Access the full show notes, including referenced articles, books, people mentioned, and additional resources: https://www.hubermanlab.com/episode/dr-diego-bohorquez-the-science-of-your-gut-sense-the-gut-brain-axis Thank you to our sponsors AG1: https://drinkag1.com/huberman Joovv: https://joovv.com/huberman LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/huberman Helix Sleep: https://helixsleep.com/huberman InsideTracker: https://insidetracker.com/huberman Huberman Lab Social & Website Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hubermanlab Threads: https://www.threads.net/@hubermanlab Twitter: https://twitter.com/hubermanlab Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hubermanlab TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hubermanlab LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-huberman Website: https://www.hubermanlab.com Newsletter: https://www.hubermanlab.com/newsletter Dr. Diego Bohórquez Academic profile: https://medicine.duke.edu/profile/diego-v-bohorquez Lab website: https://gutbrains.com The Gastronauts Podcast: https://thinkgastronauts.com/podcast Publications: https://gutbrains.com/articles X: https://x.com/gutbrains YouTube: https://youtube.com/@thebohorquezlabatdukeunive9762 TED Talk: https://youtu.be/utFG8GEvmfg Nature Neuroscience profile: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41593-023-01373-w Timestamps 00:00:00 Dr. Diego Bohórquez 00:02:37 Sponsors: Joovv, LMNT & Helix Sleep; YouTube, Spotify & Apple Subscribe 00:06:49 Gut-Brain Axis 00:11:35 Gut Sensing, Hormones 00:15:26 Green Fluorescent Protein; Neuropod Cells & Environment Sensing 00:26:57 Brain & Gut Connection, Experimental Tools & Rabies Virus 00:35:28 Sponsor: AG1 00:37:00 Neuropod Cells & Nutrient Sensing 00:43:55 Gastric Bypass Surgery, Cravings & Food Choice 00:51:14 Optogenetics; Sugar Preference & Neuropod Cells 01:00:29 Gut-Brain Disorders, Irritable Bowel Syndrome 01:03:03 Sponsor: InsideTracker 01:04:04 Gut & Behavior; Gastric Bypass, Cravings & Alcohol 01:07:38 GLP-1, Ozempic, Neuropod Cells 01:11:46 Food Preference & Gut-Brain Axis, Protein 01:21:35 Protein & Sugar, Agriculture & ‘Three Sisters’ 01:25:16 Childhood, Military School; Academics, Nutrition & Nervous System 01:36:15 Plant Wisdom, Agriculture, Indigenous People 01:41:48 Evolution of Food Choices; Learning from Plants 01:48:15 Plant-Based Medicines; Amazonia, Guayusa Ritual & Chonta Palm 01:56:58 Yerba Mate, Chocolate, Guayusa 02:00:22 Brain, Gut & Sensory Integration; Variability 02:06:01 Electrical Patterns in Gut & Brain, “Hangry” 02:12:43 Gut Intuition, Food & Bonding; Subconscious & Superstition 02:22:00 Vagus Nerve & Learning, Humming 02:26:46 Digestive System & Memory; Body Sensing 02:32:51 Listening to the Body, Meditation 02:40:12 Zero-Cost Support, Spotify & Apple Reviews, YouTube Feedback, Sponsors, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter #HubermanLab #GutHealth #Science Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac - https://www.blabacphoto.com Disclaimer: https://www.hubermanlab.com/disclaimer

SPEAKERS

Andrew Huberman
host
Diego Bohórquez
guest
Narrator
other

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Huberman Lab, featuring Andrew Huberman and Diego Bohórquez, The Science of Your Gut Sense & the Gut-Brain Axis | Dr. Diego Bohórquez explores your Gut’s Hidden Senses Quietly Shape Cravings, Mood, And Decisions Neurobiologist Dr. Diego Bohórquez explains how specialized gut cells called neuropods act like taste buds inside the intestine, rapidly sensing nutrients and sending millisecond-fast electrical signals to the brain via the vagus nerve. This gut-brain communication goes far beyond hormones and the microbiome, directly influencing cravings, food preferences, mood, and even how safe or uneasy we feel. Bohórquez describes how gut sensing can override taste, explains why surgeries like gastric bypass radically change food choices and addiction risk, and outlines how the gut evaluates proteins, sugars, fats, and fibers to guide behavior. The conversation weaves in his upbringing in the Amazon, plant wisdom, ritual uses of botanicals like guayusa, and the emerging view of gut sense as a genuine “sixth sense” that can be trained to better navigate life decisions.

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