The Mental Health Crisis Starts in the Gut | Dr. William Li & Dr. Mark Hyman

The Dr. Hyman Show

Dr. Mark Hyman

Medicine, Health & Fitness, Nutrition

4.5 • 9.1K Ratings

🗓️ 29 April 2026

⏱️ 64 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

It’s easy to think of mental health as something happening only in the brain. But more and more, we’re seeing how closely it’s tied to what’s going on in the gut. Today, I’m joined again by Dr. William Li, a New York Times bestselling author. We discuss his latest book, Eat to Beat Your Diet, and how food, inflammation, and microbiome shape the way we think and feel. Watch the full conversation on YouTube, or listen wherever you get your podcasts - https://youtu.be/rY0OE-1blL0 In this conversation we discuss: • What if your anxiety or brain fog is actually a signal coming from your gut • Why gut health may be the missing piece in how we think about mental health • How everyday foods can either fuel inflammation or help calm your system • The compounds in real food that quietly support memory, mood, and mental clarity • Simple shifts that can help reset your system and support how you feel day to day Mental health isn’t separate from the rest of the body. The more we understand that, the more it shifts where you look for answers. If you’re looking for more support and community around this, the 10-Day Detox is designed to help reduce inflammation and support your body using real food. View Show Notes From This Episode Get Free Weekly Health Tips from Dr. Hyman https://drhyman.com/pages/picks?utm_campaign=shownotes&utm_medium=banner&utm_source=podcast Sign Up for Dr. Hyman’s Weekly Longevity Journal https://drhyman.com/pages/longevity?utm_campaign=shownotes&utm_medium=banner&utm_source=podcast Join the 10-Day Detox to Reset Your Health https://drhyman.com/pages/10-day-detox Join the Hyman Hive for Expert Support and Real Results https://drhyman.com/pages/hyman-hive This episode is brought to you by Korrus, BIOptimizers, Seed, Maui Nui, Made In Cookware and Sunlighten. Visit korrus.com/drhyman for 15% off their newest product OIO Sphere with code HYMANSPHERE15. Head to bioptimizers.com/hyman and use promo code HYMAN at checkout to save 15%. Go to seed.com/hyman and use code 20HYMAN to get 20% off your first month. Go to mauinuivenison.com/hyman to claim your free 6-pack of their Wild Axis Venison Jerky Sticks. Visit madeincookware.com and use code HYMAN10 for 10% off your order. Visit sunlighten.com and use code HYMAN to save up to $1600 today! (0:00) Food as medicine, the flavorome, and the gut-brain connection (3:20) Food, gut health, and mental health (6:02) The flavorome’s impact on gut and brain health (10:33) Importance of a balanced gut microbiome (13:35) Feeding the microbiome with polyphenols (21:19) Anti-inflammatory properties of ellagic acid and polyphenols (26:05) Lactobacillus reuteri: benefits for wound healing and mental health (30:12) Natural flavors, phytochemicals, and animal intelligence (38:17) Inflammation, processed foods, and mental health (44:12) Diet’s impact on gut health, symptoms, and benefits of cooking (47:50) Polyphenols, brain health, and neurogenesis (55:25) Ibogaine, brain regeneration, and personal experiences (1:00:40) The future of brain and eye health (1:02:28) Upcoming projects, professional advice, and gratitude (1:05:45) Final thoughts, resources, and outro

Transcript

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0:00.0	I kind of want to take us down a path of helping us understand food as medicine from the perspective of the mind and mental health.
0:06.6	Because we have a serious mental health crisis now.
0:08.8	I don't think we have a crisis of mental health because there's somehow a design flaw in human beings.
0:13.4	Our software is not failing.
0:15.2	People have screwed up operating system that got installed.
0:17.1	I want to talk about a new term called the flavorome.
0:20.2	The flavorome. The gut microbiome,
0:22.4	healthy gut bacteria, or disease bacteria can actually text message your brain up the vagus nerve
0:27.5	back to the brain. The irritable bowel causes the irritable brain, not the other way around. It turns out
0:31.6	that the graveyard is the garden when it comes to actually the microbiome. Have you heard of
0:35.6	amento flavone? No, I haven't. Amento flavone actually lowers anxiety. Cantalope is like a natural valium. You can change your brain. You can change your mind, and you can heal both. William Lee is a renowned physician scientist in New York Times best-selling author whose work has transformed how we understand the connection between nutrition, disease, and the body's natural healing systems. Circadian disruption affects all of us.
1:02.4	Most modern lighting miscellines are internal clocks and quietly doses us with junk light.
1:08.1	That signals the brain to stay alert long after a biology is preparing to rest.
1:13.0	I felt this myself for years, the vague sense of being off even when everything else in my routine
1:18.4	was dialed in. Chorus, the makers of Oyo, created a smarter solution. Their circadian lighting
1:23.4	shifts gradually throughout the day to support your natural rhythm. In the evening, it removes blue weight lengths so your body can do what it was designed to do.
1:31.2	Rest and recover.
1:32.5	They didn't just build a bulb.
1:34.1	They spent years decoding how to bring the sun indoors.
1:37.4	Now, I've seen how the right light can transform how you feel.
1:40.4	When people fix their light, everything shifts.
1:42.6	Their mood, focus, sleep, resilience. So make
	...

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