# The Human Brain/Alien Gut Connection w. Dr. Grace Liu (Ep 12)

- **Canonical URL:** https://holisticnootropics.com/podcasts/the-human-brain-alien-gut-connection-w-dr-grace-liu-ep-12/
- **Content type:** podcast
- **Reported benefits:** Depression, Endurance, Energy, Fatigue, Focus, Longevity, Mood, Rest, Serotonin
- **Published:** 2020-07-10
- **Episode:** 12
- **Video:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2f0hGSMK0xs
- **Audio:** https://holisticnootropics.com/sites/default/files/podcasts/audio/EP012_audio.mp3

Join us for an enlightening conversation with **Dr. Grace Liu, PharmD**, founder of [The Gut Institute](https://thegutinstitute.com/) and IFM-trained functional medicine practitioner. With over 20 years of experience as a clinical pharmacist, Dr. Liu specializes in rebuilding the microbiome and managing complex diseases through nutrigenomic tools and advanced functional testing.

## Topics Discussed

### The Gut-Brain Connection

- How gut microbes influence brain function, food cravings, and hormone production

- Relationship between gut health and testosterone levels

- Impact of antibiotic use on cognitive function

- The "weed, seed, and refeed" protocol for microbiome restoration

### Athletic Performance and Gut Health

- Optimizing digestive function in elite athletes

- Understanding and addressing leaky gut in athletic populations

- How gut health affects physical performance

- Individual variations in gluten sensitivity

### Microbiome Science Fundamentals

- Essential beneficial bacteria: Akkermansia, Bifidobacterium longum, and Clostridiales

- Understanding the 80/20 bacterial balance

- Candida's role in heavy metal detoxification

- Importance of oxalobacter formigenes for oxalate metabolism

### Practical Digestive Health

- Benefits and applications of digestive bitters

- Maintaining optimal gut temperature

- Role of stomach acid in digestion

- Impact of common food additives

- Importance of regular bowel movements

## Research Citations

- [Inflammation and testosterone production correlation](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5899218/)

- [Morganella morganii's neurotransmitter effects](https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00217-004-0988-0)

- [Hyaluronic acid and collagen synthesis](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3583886/)

- [Oxalobacter formigenes studies](https://jasn.asnjournals.org/content/19/6/1197)

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