Researchers have found that the lactobacilli in fermented vegetables help fight depression
Fans of sauerkraut, yogurt and other fermented foods, ready to eat it all for breakfast, lunch and dinner, do absolutely right. As scientists have found out, lactobacilli, which are rich in such products, protect us from depression.
Lactobacillus is found in fermented vegetables and fermented dairy products (now it is fashionable to call them "fermented"), they maintain a healthy microflora in the intestines, and this is important for immunity and preventing the development of many diseases.
Now a team of scientists from the University of Virginia has found that fermented foods help counteract depression. The experiments were conducted on laboratory mice.
In their study, the authors of the paper examined the effects of the probiotic bacteria, lactobacilli. They found that lactobacilli support the level of the immune mediator gamma interferon, which regulates the body's response to stress, thus helping to prevent depression. The authors of the study believe that the knowledge gained is important in practical terms - regular consumption of fermented vegetables and fermented dairy products will help in the prevention and treatment of many mental illnesses.
"I have great respect for fermented dairy and fermented foods - especially sauerkraut! Their consumption creates the most favorable conditions for the multiplication and growth [in our intestines] of their own beneficial bacteria," Zuhra Pavlova, an endocrinologist at the Moscow State University clinic, commented on the findings of the American scientists in her Telegram channel. - I have written many times how useful probiotics are, but these bacteria will never take root in our body. Their usefulness is that they inhibit the growth of pathogenic microflora and promote the growth of favorable own flora, but in no way replace it. And if we add fermented foods along with probiotics, it will help us to "populate" the gastrointestinal tract with the right bacteria more quickly".