SCIENCE
SCIENCE CONFIRMS
Your gut health and breathwork are 2 of the most powerful and natural levers for your long-term health. They are also 2 of the most overlooked.
→ Everything on this page is grounded in published science because that's where this journey started.
Jump straight to section →
Why this page exists
This page exists because I want you to see the evidence for yourself
Not because I need you to trust me, but because when you read what these studies actually found, you'll understand why gut health and breathwork are not wellness trends. They are applied physiology. And they deserve to be taken as seriously as sleep, nutrition, and exercise.
The science over the hype. What is evidence-based, what actually works, and how it should practically impact your day — that is what this page is about.
You're doing most things right.
But your sleep isn't what it was. Your anxiety hums in the background even when nothing is actually wrong. And your digestion, whether it's bloating, constipation, or just a gut that doesn't feel right, has been trying to tell you something for years.
You've probably been told that's just life...Ageing. A busy schedule. Normal....It isn't.
I didn't come to gut health and breathwork through yoga, wellness trends, or a life coach retreat. I came through pain — my own. Specifically, haemorrhoids. Not the heroic origin story I would have chosen — but here we are.
What I eventually discovered is that the symptoms I'd been managing — the gut issues, the fatigue, the low-grade anxiety I couldn't quite explain, weren't separate problems. They were the same problem, showing up in different rooms of the same house. And the science on why had been building for years. Most people — including medical professionals — were only just catching up with it.
Here is the uncomfortable part: half the knowledge medical experts hold is outdated within two years, and they don't know which half. That is not a criticism of medicine. It is a reason to stay curious, stay informed, and take ownership of your own health.
GUT HEALTH SCIENCE
Your gut is not just a digestive organ - it's a command centre.
The science is clearer than ever — and most people still don't know it. Your gut is running far more than your digestion: your mood, your memory, your metabolism, your immune system - your gut is literally pulling the strings.
Your DNA is fixed. Your gut microbiome isn't. That's the opportunity.
Here is the thing about your gut microbiome that I find remarkable. Your human DNA is fixed. You are stuck with it (a bit like your mother-in-law). But your gut microbiome? You can swap it like your ringtone: it responds to what you eat, how you live, and the choices you make. And it responds quickly.
Why I chose these gut health studies
I came to gut health through the least glamorous entry point imaginable — constipation and haemorrhoids. Super sexy, I know. What I eventually discovered is that I had no idea what normal gut function even looked like. Nobody had ever told me. And that ignorance had consequences.
The first study I would like to share is Cryan et al. (2019) — a landmark review published in Physiological Reviews, one of the most authoritative journals in physiology:
PHYSIOLOGICAL REVIEWSS — CRYAN ET AL. 2019
Your Gut and Your Brain Are in Constant Conversation
For example: think of a woman who has been on antidepressants for four years. She does everything she's told. She manages. But nobody — not one person in 4 years of appointments — has ever asked what she eats, how she sleeps, or what her gut does on a Tuesday. Cryan's review is what explains why that question was never asked, and why it should have been. Your gut and your brain are in a two-way conversation every second of every day — this wasn't fringe theory when Cryan published it, it helped bring the gut-brain axis into the scientific mainstream.. Most people still haven't heard about it.
The second study is a 2020 Nature review on dietary fibre - and I want you to feel how counterintuitive this is before I explain it:
NATURE REVIEWS GASTROENTEROLOGY & HEPTOLOGY - 2020
Fibre Does Far More Than Keeping You Regular
For example: two people. Same genes. Same family history. One develops metabolic disease in their fifties. The other doesn't. The difference isn't the DNA — it's the ecosystem living inside them. Fibre shapes the composition of your gut microbiome — the community of bacteria influencing nearly every system in your body. Constipation and the microbiome are not separate conversations. They are the same one.
BREATHWORK SCIENCE
Why I chose these breathwork studies
I did a full course of mindfulness. 17 minutes in, I was mentally redecorating my kitchen - it would have been easier if you asked me to still the wind than to still my mind. If that resonates, you're not alone and you are not doing it wrong. You may just need a different tool.
The first study I would like to highlight is Elgayar et al. (2026), published in Scientific Reports.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS - ELGAYAR ET AL. 2026
Reduced Depression and Improved Quality of Life in Postmenopausal Women
For example: imagine you've been managing anxiety, low mood/irritability, what feels like depression, broken sleep and fatigue for years. You've adjusted your routine, your diet, your exercise, your sleep position, what you drink at dinner. You've accepted it as your new normal – uncomfortable, erratic and disruptive. Then 12 weeks of structured breathing. Less than 15 minutes a day. Mood improves, depression lifts, sleep stabilises, energy returns and other benefits kick in. Same body. Same hormones. The only change was how she breathed. That is not an anecdote. That is a peer-reviewed clinical trial, published in 2026, showing measurable reductions in depression scores and meaningful improvements in sexual function in postmenopausal women. Same treatment plan as before. Dramatically different outcomes. To be clear - breathwork was in addition to existing medical care, not a replacement.
The second study is Balban et al. (2023) from Stanford — breathwork versus mindfulness.
CELL REPORTS MEDICINE — BALBAN ET AL. 2023
Breathwork Outperform Mindfulness Meditation
For example: 2 groups. Same amount of time. One practising mindfulness meditation. One practising structured breathwork. The breathwork group reported greater mood improvement and greater stress reduction. Not because mindfulness doesn't work. But because breathwork has one structural advantage that mindfulness never will: you are already doing it 20,000 times a day. You have never once forgotten to breathe. The question is simply whether you are doing it right.
Breathwork is not alternative medicine.
It is applied physiology.
The question isn't whether it works.
The question is "Are you doing it right ?"
why are both on the same page?
Why gut health and breathwork sit on the same page?
Through research, book writing, trawling through studies, speaking to specialists, and world champion freedivers - all while navigating my own personal health journey - I came to understand that real, lasting wellness is not built on one or two good habits. It needs solid foundations. Not three. Seven.
When I mapped out what actually moves the needle for real people (not Olympic biohackers, but ordinary people with demanding lives), these were the core building blocks:
Physical activity
Nutrition
Sleep
Mental wellbeing and rest
Breathing
Elimination
Spiritual wellbeing
Most health conversations stop at 3. Sleep, nutrition, exercise. Those 3 matter enormously. But breathing, Pillar 5, is the lever that regulates the nervous system controlling how well you sleep, how your body processes food, and how you recover from exercise. It sits as the foundation, underneath the others.
And elimination, Pillar 6, is the one nobody talks about. Turns out nobody puts bowel and GUT health on their vision board.
Which is exactly why I wrote GUTWISE - The Secret To Healing That Pain In The Arse
Your gut and your breath are the 2 most powerful natural entry points for transforming your health. Both accessible, both evidence-based. Both radically underestimated. And critically, they lead to the same destination: autonomic nervous system regulation. That is why they share a page.
Here is what that means in practice. The person who learns to breathe correctly is also improving their digestion — because the diaphragm massages the gut, stimulates the vagus nerve, and activates rest-and-digest with every slow exhale. The person who fixes their gut microbiome is also stabilising their mood and nervous system — because 90% of serotonin is made in the gut, not the brain. These are not parallel tracks. They are the same track.
The only question is whether you know how to use them. This page will help answer that.
It's not just the gut-brain connection. It's the gut-breath-brain connection.
You already carry the 2 most powerful health tools available to you. One in your lungs, one in your gut. Neither costs anything. Neither requires a prescription. They have been with you your entire life.
ABOUT
Vaughan Wickins
Founder of GUTWISE & OCEAN BREATHING
Author of the book: "GUTWISE - The Secret to Healing That Pain in the Arse"
Creator: Ocean Breeze™ breathwork technique & The 14-Day Ocean Breeze™ Challenge
Featured Products
The 14-Day Ocean Breeze™ Challenge
4 mins a day - 14 Days - coached in Ocean Breeze™ , an enhanced version of cyclic sighing, Stanford tested to outperform mindfulness.
Normal price: £89.99
Today: £69.99
GUTWISE - The Secret To Healing That Pain In The Arse
Bloating, IBS, constipation...
Your gut is talking to you.
GUTWISE shows you how to finally listen.
Normal price: £39.99
Today : £29.99
GUTWISE
Mini-Course
Bloated, IBS , constipation stuck ? This course gives you a clear, science-backed roadmap to restore gut comfort, confidence and control.
Normal price: £39.99
Today : £29.99
FEATURED ON PODCAST
Vaughan Wickins on Health Versus Wealth
with Dr Ben Sinclair
Vaughan joined Dr Ben Sinclair as a featured guest on the Health Versus Wealth Podcast. The first episode covered gut health, constipation, the microbiome. The second Podcast addressed breathwork and nervous system regulation.
Together the 2 episodes explore the science behind GUTWISE, Ocean Breeze™
and why your gut and breath are two overlooked foundations of health.
EPISode # 37 Gut Health, constipation & microbiome
Constipation - the condition underlying so many gut issues
Going every 3 Days is not normal
Your gut microbiome is running your mood, memory, and immune system
The secret I discovered that breathing and your diaphragm transform gut health.
EPISODE # 38 BREATHWORK, stress & nervous system
20,000 breaths a day is an opportunity most people waste
Breathwork is applied physiology, not alternative medicine
Ocean Breeze™ outperforms mindfulness
The vagus nerve connection that links breathwork directly to gut health
Further reading from Vaughan
What our customers say...
"Vaughan’s professional coaching blends warmth and motivation with deep neuroscience expertise. The breathing techniques Vaughan taught me have become integral to my wellness routine PLUS I now use them to enrich my client sessions. Vaughan’s passion to help others has enriched and empowered my personal journey in wellness and calmness."
"The 14 Day Ocean Breeze™ Challenge made breathwork click for me. The science is explained simply and the analogies and visuals - like rolling waves made it easy to follow. It completely changed the way I understand breathing, busting the myths of how we were taught to think about breathing"
"I honestly loved this challenge, it was simple, enjoyable and made such a big difference. Just a few minutes a day, I felt calmer and more relaxed. ... correcting your breathing can reset both your body and mind. Vaughan’s passion and expertise really shine through. The course is packed with clear, science-backed tips and he guides you through each technique step by step. .. I’m using these techniques daily and feeling the benefits. I’d recommend it to anyone who wants to feel more grounded, focused and in control. I’m even teaching them to my kids!"
"Things I loved about the 14 Day Ocean Breeze™ Challenge : Practical exercises - trying things out straight away Your clever acronyms, like OCEAN – very helpful Simple things like Common Mistakes"
"The 14 Day Ocean Breeze™ Challenge is a great way to give yourself space and a new way to reset your mind and body. Easy to fit into your routine, and a new tool for life!"
"The 14 Day Ocean Breeze™ Challenge gives a brilliant overall reset on breathing. Well done Vaughan! Also the videos were professional and succinct - great. This challenge came at a good time. I was carrying a fair bit of stress ... The daily breathing break 'forced' 'me' time."
"Found the session incredibly helpful and informative!"
Certified Health and Wellness Coach, specialising in Gut health and Breathwork. Author of the book "Gutwise :The Secret to Healing That Pain in the Arse"
Quick links
Home
About
Gut Health
Breathwork
Science
Shop
Contact
© Copyright 2026. Vaughan Wickins. All rights reserved.