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Foggy brain? Maybe it’s your gut
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Scientists keep learning more about the connection between the brain and the gastrointestinal system.
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: KARI MODEN/NYTIMES
Christina Caron
NEW YORK – Dr Kyle Staller is a gastroenterologist, so it may be surprising that many of his patients come to him complaining not only about stomach trouble, but also their brains.
Irritable bowel syndrome and other digestive dysfunction can be accompanied by a mental haze. People experiencing constipation and bloating, for example, may describe “a sense of heaviness or being weighed down both physically and mentally”, said Dr Staller, who works at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.
