In particular, 4 main elements of the diet that are able to improve mental health emerge from the research: omega-3 fatty acids, polyphenols, fibers and fermented foods
Trentino products – sauerkraut – cabbage
Photo Marco Simonini. Autonomous Province of Trento Archive
The Edmund Mach Foundation participated in the international study coordinated by University College Cork (Ireland) which demonstrates how the virtuous combination of lifestyle and diet affects people’s mental health. Focus of the study are psychobiotics, beneficial microorganisms that work alongside probiotics and which, by operating along the microbiota-intestine-brain axis, contribute to improving the performance of the human nervous system.
From this research, which in FEM has involved the Metabolomics Unit of the Research and Innovation Center with the analysis of human biofluids, comes further confirmation of the benefits produced by these microorganisms, taking a further step in the direction of a preventive or curative through nutrition, of syndromes such as depression, Alzheimer’s, autism or stress disorders in general.
In particular, 4 main elements of the diet that are able to improve mental health emerge from the research: omega-3 fatty acids, polyphenols, fibers and fermented foods. A balanced diet can be achieved, without having to take supplements, simply by associating high doses of fermented foods, such as sauerkraut, yogurt, kefir and kombucha, with a Mediterranean diet.
“With all the necessary limitations given by the duration of the survey and the small size of the study sample, it is possible to state that the adoption of a targeted diet can be a valid tool in reducing stress, anxiety and depression – says Andrea Anesi, researcher FEM-. This research marks an important turning point and a starting point for further insights into the potential associated with the adoption of targeted diets for the treatment of mental disorders”.
The combination of plant fibers and fermented foods develop psychobiotics
The study did not consider single foods, but the articulated combination of fermented foods and vegetable fibers, in repeated administrations throughout the day and for a medium-long period (4 weeks). A real varied diet, therefore characterized by the presence of ingredients such as cabbage, leeks, onion and garlic, apples, bananas and small fruits, whole grains, legumes and fermented foods which favor the development of psychobiotic microorganisms in the intestine.
The study in FEM: human biofluids analyzed
The activity carried out by the Metabolomics Unit of the Research and Innovation Center concerned the analysis of human biofluids (plasma and urine) for the targeted quantification of the catabolites of essential amino acids and for the metabolites synthesized by the intestinal microbiota thanks to an innovative protocol developed in the last few years. By comparing two study samples, one characterized by the consumption of a diet with the characteristics highlighted above and the other by the consumption of a conventional diet, the people belonging to the first study group would have shown a reduction in stress at the end of the four weeks perceived compared to those who were part of the second group, associated with a standard diet.
Psychobiotic microorganisms and their benefits
In the intestine, psychobiotic microorganisms transform ingested food into a series of metabolites that have a positive effect on the brain, such as serotonin, the hormone of happiness. Any alterations in the functionality of the intestinal microbiota caused by stress or incorrect eating habits lead to a dysfunction in the intestinal-brain communication and therefore to the onset of stress or, in the most serious cases, of pathologies.
References
Berding, K., Bastiaanssen, T.F.S., Moloney, G.M. Boscaini S., Strain C.R., Anesi A., Long-Smith C., Mattivi F., Stanton C., Clarke G., Dinan T.G. & Cryan J.F. Feed your microbes to deal with stress: a psychobiotic diet impacts microbial stability and perceived stress in a healthy adult population. Mol Psychiatry (2022).
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https://www.nature.com/articles/s41380-022-01817-y
