EATING A DIET RICH IN FERMENTED AND PREBIOTIC foods may help us to feel less stressed, according to a new study from University College Cork (Ireland). Such a diet may also facilitate good sleep. Today we explore how a psychobiotic diet drops stress.
Today we explore the gut microbiome before turning to how dietary interventions can reduce stress levels.
“If you really want to escape the things that harass you, what you’re needing is not to be in a different place but to be a different person.”
― Lucius Annaeus Seneca, Letters from a Stoic
The microbiome
The gut microbiome — the microbe community in the gastrointestinal tract — influences immunity and metabolism. This essential organ of microorganisms contains up to 1,000 species and 100 trillion organisms, encoding 100-times more unique genomes than our own.
When operating in an appropriately balanced state, the microbiome allows for a symbiotic relationship between human cells and microbes living on the gut surface.
Communicating and working with one another, our cells and the microbes form long-lasting relationships that are central to the immune function of the inside lining of the gut (the mucosa), gastrointestinal motility, and the proper absorption of nutrients.
Weird fact: In a typical lifetime, approximately 60 tons of food pass through the human gut, in addition to a large volume of microorganisms.
Optimize Health Through Your Gut
How exercise influences your gut microbiome.
How a psychobiotic diet drops stress
Scientists at APC Microbiome at the University College of Cork (Ireland) report these provocative findings in Molecular Psychiatry:
Changing to a diet high in prebiotic and fermented foods can drop an individual’s perceived stress levels and improve sleep.
Speaking to Medical News Today, study author Dr. John F. Cryan notes that “mice that grow up without microbes have an exaggerated stress response, and certain strains of bacteria can alleviate stress in mice models.”
Research shows that stress and behavior are linked to our microbiome. But can changing diet (and the microbiome) affect our stress levels? This is the question the researchers aimed to answer.
Gut-brain axis
But before we get to the study, it is helpful to know that our digestive tract has a neural network. This enteric nervous system allows direct communication with the brain. This gut-brain axis is central to stress management; if the gut is imbalanced, we cannot optimize our stress response.
Do you ever wonder why you get stomach upset when you are under stress? Blame the gut-brain axis. Moreover, the vagus nerve links the gut to the brain. The vagus nerve represents the main component of the parasympathetic nervous system, which oversees crucial bodily functions, including:
- Mood control
- Immune response
- Heart rate
- Digestion
Stimulation of the vagus nerve fibers in the gut influences brain systems central to major psychiatric conditions, including mood and anxiety disorders. We have early evidence that gut bacteria have beneficial effects on mood and anxiety via the vagus nerve.
The good news? Stress responses correlate with vagal tone. We can influence our vagal tone through breathing activities (such as meditation or yoga), potentially increasing resilience and dropping anxiety and other mood symptoms.
How a psychobiotic diet drops stress: Study details
Study participants consumed foods high in prebiotic and fermented foods. Psychobiotic diet is a term coined by study author Dr. John Cryan in 2013 to describe interventions to improve mental health by targeting the microbiome.
Dr. Cryan and colleagues recruited 45 individuals with relatively low-fiber diets, ages 18 to 59. They directed the subjects to consume the following daily:
- Fruits and vegetables, six to eight servings high in prebiotic fibers, including onions, leeks, cabbage, apples, bananas, and oats.
- Grains, five to eight servings daily.
- Fermented foods (such as sauerkraut, kombucha, or kefir).
- Legumes, three to four servings.
Control group members ate according to the food pyramid. All study participants received counseling from a registered dietician. Want to learn more about how a psychobiotic diet drops stress? Please use this free “Friend” link to my full article on Medium.com:
