Oct 31, 2022 19:00:00

Research results that stress is reduced if you continue to eat a lot of fermented foods and dietary fiber

Many research results have been reported so far that keeping the microbiome in the human intestine healthy has the effect of suppressing the onset of weight gain, illness, depression, etc. A new study found that eating ``good foods'' such as fermented foods and dietary fiber has the effect of lowering human stress levels.

Feed your microbes to deal with stress: a psychobiotic diet impacts microbial stability and perceived stress in a healthy adult population |

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-022-01817-y

Fermented foods and fiber may lower stress levels – new study
https://theconversation.com/fermented-foods-and-fibre-may-lower-stress-levels-new-study-193238

Past studies have pointed out that the microbiome, sometimes called the intestinal flora, is closely related to human stress levels. However, until now it was not clear whether changes in diet, the direct cause of microbiome changes, lead to changes in stress levels.

Therefore, John Cryan, an Irish anatomy and neuroscientist, focused on 'diet' and conducted an experiment to measure the stress level by changing the subject's diet.

Mr. Cryan and his colleagues gathered 45 subjects aged 18 to 59 who tend to eat unhealthy meals, divided them into two groups, instructed one to incorporate dishes devised by a nutritionist into their diet, and educated them about food. We performed thorough dietary management as much as possible. The other was instructed to eat a ' healthy diet ' as recommended by the Irish government, but given minimal information about diet. Below are the dietary groups recommended by the Irish government.

Dietitian devised dishes are made to increase the amount of indigestible food ingredients '

prebiotics ' and fermented foods that improve health. For example, vegetables and fruits such as onions, green onions, cabbage, apples, and bananas, and fermented foods such as kefir and kombucha were recommended, and were expected to improve mental health. On the other hand, although the government-recommended meals included vegetables and grains, the subjects were able to choose their meals somewhat freely.

As a result of the experiment, the group that continued the diet such as prebiotics for 4 weeks reported that it was less stressful than the control group. Also, although the quality of sleep improved in both groups, it seems that the improvement was greater in those who took prebiotic foods.

'While prebiotic foods only produced subtle changes in the composition and function of the microbiome, we observed significant changes in the levels of specific chemicals produced by these gut bacteria,' said Cryan. Some of these chemicals are associated with mental health and may explain why participants on the diet reported feeling less stressed. If you're having a hard time, you may want to be more thoughtful about what you eat for lunch or dinner.Including more fiber and fermented foods may help you feel a little less stressed.' rice field.