The Impact of the Psychobiotic Diet on Stress and Gut Health
Recently, the link between our gut health and mental health has gained more attention. The concept of a "psychobiotic" diet, that emphasizes foods that support gut health, has shown some promise of providing a solution. A recent study published in Molecular Psychiatry (2023) observed the effects of a psychobiotic diet on both gut bacteria and peoples perceived stress levels in healthy adults.
What is a Psychobiotic Diet?
This refers to the idea that specific foods, particularly those rich in prebiotics and probiotics, could positively influence mental health by altering the gut microbiome. Prebiotics are non-digestible food components (often found in fiber-rich foods) that help promote good gut bacteria. Probiotics are live bacteria found in fermented foods like yogurt and sauerkraut. The theory is that, by supporting the gut’s microbial ecosystem, these foods may also improve mental well-being, including reducing stress.
The study had interesting results:
Stress Reduction: The psychobiotic diet led to a significant decrease in perceived stress levels. Participants in the psychobiotic diet group reported a 32% decrease in stress, while those in the control group showed a more modest 17% decrease. This suggests that dietary changes could have an impact on how people experience stress.
Microbial Stability: While the diet didn’t drastically change the overall composition of the gut, it did enhance stability. Stability refers to the balance and resilience of the gut microbiota, which is critical for both mental and physical health. A stable microbiome can help maintain proper gut function and support the body’s stress response.
Metabolite Changes: The study also observed changes in certain metabolites related to stress regulation. These changes suggest that the gut-brain axis, the communication network between the gut and the brain, may be crucial in mediating the stress-reducing effects of the diet.
Implications and Future Research Directions
While this study provides promising insights into the possible benefits of a psychobiotic diet, it also highlights some important considerations.
Long-Term Impact: The intervention lasted only 4 weeks, which raises the question of whether these effects are sustainable over time.
Broader Impact for Mental Health: This research also suggests that dietary interventions, aimed at supporting gut health, could complement other therapeutic approaches for stress and anxiety, offering a non-pharmacological option for those looking to manage their mental well-being.
The benefits of frequent DEXA scans with DEXAFit Tallahassee x Renewal NW
DEXA stands for Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry. It’s essentially an X-ray that gives us a complete picture of how much muscle, fat, and bone density you have throughout your body. But what does this mean? Now that you can see inside your body, where do we go from here, and how does it even help? With the help of DEXAFit Tallahassee, we have created a package where clients can have a comprehensive assessment of their health using the tools of RMR and DEXA from DEXAFit, and the nutrition guidance and coaching for Renewal to improve your health and goal progression. The main benefits of this are:
Tracking your body composition over time
It can become discouraging when the scale slows down with losing weight or not knowing if you’re building muscle. Having a DEXA scan done every 3-6 months gives you a physical image of your progress to see that there actually is change despite the number or your clothing size not changing.
Seeing your true body fat percentage and where it is higher in your body
While our body needs fat to function and to protect our essential organs and bones, visceral fat is a type of fat that, in excess, is associated with higher disease risk. Seeing this can allow us to approach your nutrition and physical activity in a way that targets these concerns and tries to prevent the development of diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and some types of cancer.
Knowing current health status to prevent age-related issues
With age comes diseases such as osteoporosis, arthritis, and other cardiovascular diseases. Knowing the state of your health early on can allow us to see what areas need to be improved on to help reduce your risk of these diseases.
How to Shop Smarter
“Small changes will eventually build to larger habits. You determine if they’re good or bad”
#1 - Don’t shop when you are hungry
Be sure to eat a snack before going! Shopping while hungry can influence your food decisions and cause you to choose less healthy options
#2 - Shop the perimeter first
The perimeter is usually your produce, meats, and dairy, all essential foods for your daily diet. Many of the foods on the isles are pre-packaged foods with fewer nutrients and higher sodium
#3 - Plan ahead
By making a list ahead of time and selecting a few recipes to follow, you cut down the amount of time you spend browsing for foods that you may not actually need
#4 - Read the labels
Opt for ingredients you can easily pronounce and look at the %DV (daily value) for high vitamins and minerals and lower saturated and trans fats
Should you start the Carnivore Diet?
So what is the carnivore diet?
The carnivore diet is a type of keto diet that focuses on eating meat/animal products and water. Essentially, the goal of this diet is to completely cut out carbohydrates from the diet. The diet aims to force the body to switch from using glucose (from carbs) as energy to ketones (from fatty acids). This places the body into a state of “Ketosis” where it relies on burning fat due to the lack of carbs.
Claimed benefits include: reduced inflammation, stabilized blood sugar, and weight loss, but these have yet to be scientifically proven.
Side effects of ketosis and carnivore: fatigue, headaches, nausea, increased LDL (bad cholesterol), kidney stones, osteoporosis (brittle bones), and gout ( a type of arthritis)
Foods included: poultry, meat, fish, butter, eggs, some dairy, and black coffee
Foods not included: fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, seeds, alcohol, processed sweets
What you should do instead:
If you’re looking to lose weight and keep it off, you don't have to put yourself through the side effects of this diet. A large part of why the carnivore diet leads to weight loss is due to the limitation of processed foods and reduced sodium intake. This can be done by adding in some whole foods to your daily intake such as fruits and vegetables. This additionally helps reduce the amount of sodium you consume and adds much-needed vitamins and fiber, making your body feel better. By making these small changes you will begin to see the weight loss you desire, without the added pain.
Taking the steps towards better health can be intimidating. If you’re unsure where to start, book your FREE CONSULTATION today and get started!
Is My Cortisol Really the Problem?
The hot topic lately has been our cortisol levels and the impact it has on our body and our appearance. With so much noise, I wanted to provide some clarity on what cortisol is and what we do with it.
Cortisol is our body's flight or fight hormone. It is produced and released by the adrenal glands right above your kidneys. Cortisol is released in response to stress in the body, both good (exercise) and bad (illness). It’s responsible for regulating metabolism, blood pressure, blood sugar as well as our sleep and wake windows. It also contains anti-inflammatory and immune-suppressive properties.
Signs of high cortisol vary from person to person but typically consist of: weight gain in the face/abdomen, fatty deposits between shoulder blades, muscle weakness in upper arms and thighs, high blood sugar, high blood pressure, and wide purple stretch marks on the abdomen.
Ways to lower cortisol levels
Get quality sleep
Exercise regularly
Try to limit stress / reduce stressful thinking patterns
Meditation.
Supplements should be discussed with your doctor before use. and if you believe there may be more of an issue, be sure to contact your provider.