DEEP DIVE · CHAPTER 10
The Gut Makes Its Own
Yes, your gut makes its own dopamine. Gut bacteria matter too: some eat levodopa, the Parkinson’s medication, before it ever reaches the brain.
Most of the dopamine machinery in your body sits below your diaphragm, and almost nobody gets told. I walk through what was actually measured in living people, why a Parkinson’s drug slows your stomach before the disease does, and the correction I had to make to my own teaching about the colon. Then the finding that changed how I think about levodopa: gut bacteria that eat the medication before the brain ever sees it.
17 pages · 21 references, every one verified · written by Dr. Gurpreet Singh Padda, MD, MBA, MHP
Watch Chapter 10
The chapter on video — the same argument, with the figures and the studies on screen as they come up.
The receipts behind Chapter 10
The book makes the argument. This Deep Dive shows the evidence, claim by claim: the study, who was in it, the number and where it sits in the paper, what it does not show — and the questions to bring to your own physician. It is written to be shared with your doctor.
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Frequently asked questions
Does the gut make dopamine?
Yes. Your gut makes its own dopamine, and most of the dopamine machinery in your body sits below your diaphragm. Almost nobody gets told that. Chapter 10 of The Dopamine Brain walks through what was actually measured in living people, and where Dr. Padda had to correct his own teaching about the colon.
What organ makes dopamine besides the brain?
The gut. Most people picture dopamine as a brain chemical, but most of the body’s dopamine machinery sits below the diaphragm, where the gut sits. The Chapter 10 Deep Dive sets out the 21 verified references behind that, who was in each study, and what each study does not show.
Can gut bacteria affect levodopa for Parkinson’s?
Yes. Some gut bacteria eat levodopa, the Parkinson’s medication, before it ever reaches the brain. Dr. Padda calls it the finding that changed how he thinks about levodopa. Chapter 10 also explains why a Parkinson’s drug slows your stomach before the disease does. The Deep Dive is written so you can hand it to your physician.
