Food for Thought: The Relationship Between Food, Gut and Brain (FutureLearn)

Food for Thought: The Relationship Between Food, Gut and Brain (FutureLearn)

The gut and brain are very closely linked. Explore how neurology, the microbiome and more interact to affect health. Find out how your diet affects your brain, and your brain affects your diet. Over the last few years, the importance of the link between gut and brain has become clear. On this course you’ll explore this complex relationship.

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You’ll learn how the brain works, and is affected by diet and nutritional deficiencies. You’ll also discover less known, cutting-edge subjects such as the gut-brain axis, the microbiome, and the relationship between food and reproductive health.
Ultimately, you’ll be able to explain this two-sided relationship: the role of diet on brain function, and its opposite - how the brain can determine our dietary choices.

What topics will you cover?
The course will focus on the relationship between food, brain and mind:

  • How does the brain work?
  • How do emotions and thoughts affect our food choices?
  • How do diets and nutritional deficiencies affect our brain?
  • Reward systems and their relationship with food
  • The link between the microbiome and brain

What will you achieve?
By the end of the course, you'll be able to...
-Explain the role of our diet on brain functioning
-Reflect on the role of psychological and neurobiological factors in our food choices
-Reflect on the possible causes (biological, social, psychological) of unhealthy and pathological eating behaviours
-Describe the connection between the brain and our digestive system (gut)
-Discuss the topics of the course and their relationship with daily life

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