Have you heard of psychobiotics? Part of popular knowledge is the idea that bacteria can have all kinds of beneficial effects on our health, and this is not in vain. It is estimated that more than 48 billion of these microorganisms live in our body, playing a fundamental role in all kinds of physical processes, such as digestion.
This large amount of bacteria can also cause major changes in our mood. Yes, that’s right. The latest research suggests that intestinal flora influences the functioning of our brain, so recently, the field of medicine has begun to talk about psychobiotics, substances that favor the growth of beneficial bacteria in the gut, and therefore also bring benefits to our minds. In this article, we’ll learn what psychobiotics are and what they’re for.
- Empirical evidence of the idea that certain bacteria in our body can positively influence our brains is recent.
- In 2013.
- Ted Dinan.
- A professor of psychiatry at the University of Cork in Ireland.
- Used the term psychobiotic for the first time.
- Several experiments conducted by this researcher and his team.
- Which showed that fermented dairy products can change the behavior of animals.
The results suggest that eating yogurt may have altered the functioning of certain parts of the brain related to emotional control. This research has paved the way for further studies on the relationship between the gut and the mind.
For example, it has been found that certain types of gut bacteria (such as Lactobacillus, found in dairy products) are able to modulate the production of certain neurotransmitters, some of them, such as Serotonin or GABA, are directly related to our mood. In addition, they are also involved in the development of mental disorders, such as depression and anxiety.
As a result of all this data, interest in finding out which types of bacteria have the most positive impact on our brain has increased, and scientists have also tried to figure out which probiotics we can consume to more effectively regulate our development.
Although there are hundreds of substances that we can take to improve the composition of our intestinal flora, research has shown that not all are as effective as psychobiotics, on the contrary, depending on the substance, the efficiency to improve the functioning of our brain is very different and therefore also influences our mood.
Some of the psychobiotics that most influence our minds are
Let’s find out a little bit about each of them:
Although it is a relatively unknown food, this psychobiotic has gained great popularity in recent years, it is a kind of yogurt of Bulgarian origin. It is produced by the action of a set of yeasts and bacteria very beneficial to our health.
The main difference between this type of dairy and conventional yogurt is that among its components is a bacterium known as Lactobacillus kefiranofaciens, among its most positive effects are the increase in levels of Serotonin and Tryptophan, two of the neurotransmitters that most influence our emotional well-being. -being.
We all know the beneficial effects of fruits and vegetables on our physical health, but a team of microbiologists at Yale University in the United States recently discovered another positive consequence of eating these foods: certain types of vegetables can improve the health of certain bacteria essential to our emotional well-being.
Two of the most beneficial fruits in this regard are banana and apple, it has been proven that their consumption can improve the levels of lactic bacteria (BAL) in the gut, which until then were only supposed to be present in milk and dairy products. , these microorganisms play a key role in the issuance of certain neurotransmitters that combat anxiety and depression.
Finally, one of the classic remedies for digestive problems is the consumption of fermented foods, although they are not very popular in our country, in others there are several fermented products that are part of the diet, such as sauerkraut, kombucha or vinegar. Crops are used to eating fermented foods, which improves the health of our gut flora.
In addition, it has recently been discovered that these foods also play an important role in our mood, precisely because of this relationship between the gut and the brain. Several functions, such as regulating nutrient absorption and Serotonin release, are enhanced with these probiotics so they can be great allies in the fight to improve well-being.
Although it is common to see the mind and body as two separate elements, the reality is that the two have a very close relationship, eating or taking probiotic foods can be one of the best ways to have a more positive mood and speed up functioning. of our brains.