Dr Pranab Gyawali speaks on the brain-gut axis at the UAE National Congress on NCDs
Dubai, 23rd September 2026
I was invited to speak about the brain-gut axis at the first UAE National Congress on Non-Communicable Diseases in Dubai. What stayed with me was the audience’s interest. There was a clear appreciation of how closely digestive health and mental wellbeing are connected, and a real appetite to understand this relationship better.
My opening slide used a familiar experience: an important exam tomorrow, and the butterflies, nausea or loss of appetite that can come with it. It was a simple starting point for a subject that reaches into many areas of medicine.
Watch the short conference video.
The congress was endorsed by the UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention and brought together healthcare professionals and policymakers to discuss the prevention and management of chronic disease. I found it encouraging to see the brain-gut axis included in that wider conversation.
For me, the interest in the room reflected a willingness to think across specialties. Digestive health deserves a place in conversations about mental wellbeing and long term health, and this meeting gave us an opportunity to discuss those connections together.
I came away encouraged by that openness. The next step is to turn this shared interest into practical conversations about how we assess and care for patients.
Gut microbiome and fasting during Ramadan
Read Dr Gyawali explaining to Gulf News some of the beneficial effects of fasting on the gut microbiome.
3rd Annual Dubai International Gastroenterology Congress 19 -20 May 2023 Dubai, UAE
Dr Pranab Gyawali gave a presentation at the 3rd Annual Dubai International Gastroenterology Congress on “Gut Microbiome – Is it a new frontier?” It was attended by a large number of people and well received. There was discussion on benefits of testing the gut microbiome and how best to utilize the new knowledge. Participants agreed it was an evolving science.