From Gut to Brain: How Microbes, Metabolism and Nutrition Shape Brain Health
Date:
19 February 2026
Time:
6:00pm
What happens in the gut does not stay in the gut?
Gut microbes and metabolic signals shape how the brain functions, adapts and ages.
Your brain does not work in isolation. It is constantly influenced by what is happening in your gut. Microbes, metabolic signals and inflammatory pathways quietly shape brain resilience and the pace of brain ageing.
Through the gut brain axis, signals from the trillions of bacteria and other microorganisms living in the gut are constantly sent to the brain. These microbes play essential roles in digestion, immunity and metabolism. These gut microbes and the metabolites they produce influence how the brain gets its energy, how much inflammation is present and how well it functions over time. This is no longer considered fringe science. It is one of the most active and important frontiers in brain health research.
A Closer Look at How the Gut Talks to the Brain
We are only just beginning to understand how changes in gut health can influence memory, learning and the risk of cognitive decline. We are also learning why diet and metabolism matter far more to brain health than we were ever taught.
In this upcoming webinar, David Vauzour, Senior Research Fellow and Principal Investigator at Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, takes us inside the science of the gut brain axis. He will break down what the latest research reveals and why it matters for lifelong brain health. Drawing on years of human and experimental research, he will explain how gut microbes and gut derived metabolites influence brain inflammation, brain energy and cognitive ageing. Additionally he will explore what this may mean for neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer’s.
Just as importantly, this session will cut through confusion. There is no shortage of bold claims about gut health and brain health. This webinar will help you sort fact from fiction so you know exactly what to focus on when supporting your gut and brain health. It will give you the clarity you need to make evidence based changes that genuinely move the needle.
Most importantly, it will help answer the question many people are now asking. What actually is the gut brain axis and why does it matter?
What you’ll learn:
- To describe the role of the microbiota–gut–brain axis in cognitive ageing and Alzheimer’s disease.
- Identify emerging gut-derived metabolic biomarkers associated with dementia risk.
- Recognise the translational potential of microbiome-targeted nutritional strategies for dementia prevention.
Details
Date & Time: Thurs 19th Feb 2026, 6 pm GMT (1 pm EST)
Location: Online (with recording sent within 48 hours).
Cost: FREE for FRIENDS of Food for the Brain
All registrants will receive the replay.
About the speaker:
Dr David Vauzour is an Associate Professor in Molecular Nutrition at the Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, UK and a member of the Food for the Brain Scientific Advisory Team. Dr Vauzour has longstanding interest on the impact of food bioactives on (neuro)degenerative disorders and to develop novel strategies to delay brain ageing and cognitive decline. His recent interests concern how food bioactives and gut-derived metabolites modulate the gut microbiome-brain axis in ageing and neurodegenerative disorders and their underlying molecular mechanisms. To date Dr Vauzour has published over 100 peer reviewed articles, serves as the Associate Editor for many journals and currently sits on the ILSI Europe Scientific Advisory Committee.