Diet can help treat psychological problems and it’s all due to the gut-brain axis, which seems to have more and more scientific evidence to support it. A recent study by University College Cork (Ireland) has found that following a psychobiotic diet could help manage stress better.
This type of diet is based on fermented foods –such as kefir, kombucha, sauerkraut or kimchi–, fruits and vegetables rich in prebiotic fibers, legumes and cereals. In this study, they wanted to see the effects of this type of diet on the intestinal microbiome, on intestinal function and on stress, for which they recruited 45 healthy people between 18 and 59 years of age with low-fiber diets.
The participants were divided into two groups with different diets, one with a greater number of fermented foods and prebiotics, that is, a psychobiotic diet, and the other only received dietary advice based on the food pyramid. The study lasted about four weeks. In the psychobiotic diet group, they had to include:
Less stress and better rest with the psychobiotic diet
After the study time, those in the psychobiotic diet group reported having less stress, compared to those in the control group. Furthermore, the results, published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, showed that those who ate the most psychobiotic foods had the greatest reduction in stress levels.
“Using microbiota-targeted diets to positively modulate gut-brain communication offers potential for reducing stress and stress-related disorders”
Regarding sleep, both groups improved their rest, but those who changed their diet for more fiber and fermented foods had greater improvements. This could be due to what previous studies indicated, which is that intestinal microbes are related to sleep processes.
“Although the microbiome has previously been linked to stress and behavior, it was unclear whether by feeding these microbes any demonstrable effects could be seen. Our study provides one of the first data on the interaction between diet, microbiota and feelings of stress and mood. The use of microbiota-targeted diets to positively modulate gut-brain communication offers potential for the reduction of stress and stress-associated disorders, but further research is warranted to investigate the underlying mechanisms,” said John Cryan, lead author of the investigation.
Despite the good results, the authors have warned that their study has certain limitations, such as the small sample size and the short duration of the study. For this reason, they believe that it is necessary to continue carrying out studies that analyze this gut-brain axis and the effects of a psychobiotic diet on the intestinal microbiota.
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