08/07/2025
You carry a "second brain" in your body—and it’s in your gut. Known as the enteric nervous system (ENS), this complex network of over 500 million neurons lines your digestive tract and can function independently of your brain and spinal cord.
It controls digestion, nutrient absorption, and even communicates with your brain through what’s called the gut-brain axis.
The ENS is so sophisticated that it can regulate intestinal movement, enzyme release, and reflexes without any input from the central nervous system. It’s why your gut can “keep working” even when you’re unconscious.
It also helps explain gut-related emotions—like butterflies in your stomach or gut instincts—since the ENS is deeply linked to mood and mental health via chemical messengers like serotonin, 90% of which is produced in the gut.
This “backup brain” isn’t thinking in words, but it’s constantly sensing, responding, and keeping your body balanced—quietly managing life from the inside out.
REFERENCES
📌 Alessandra Donato from the Hilliard Lab, "Enteric nervous system", Queensland Brain Institute
📌 Mark A Fleming II et al, "The Enteric Nervous System and Its Emerging Role as a Therapeutic Target", Gastroenterology Research and Practice (2020)
