Are you having a hard time sleeping? Prebiotics might help you address this issue. A new study presents that animals that are on a prebiotic diet can sleep more soundly, not to mention, be shielded from the possible psychological effects of stress.
In relation to this, the indigestible dietary components found in foods rich in fiber and some dairy products are serving as nourishment for advantageous bacteria and impact metabolites that, in turn, affect the brain.
Believe it or not, one of the most effective solutions for this is dietary fiber. You read it right! Fiber isn't just for digestive health.
Specific fibers called prebiotics are great contributors for the enhancement of sleep and posting of stress resilience through "influencing gut bacteria, as well as the strong biologically metabolites or molecules they generate."
This was presented by a research conducted by the University of Colorado. Relative to the said research, it could eventually result in new approaches to addressing sleep difficulties affecting roughly 70 million Americans.
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A Major Takeaway: Food for Humans' Bugs
The study's lead author and postdoctoral researcher, Robert Thompson from the Department of Integrative Physiology said, the major takeaway here is that probiotics don't just exist for the bulking up of a stool and passing through the digestive system.
The study was published early this week, in the journal, Scientific Reports. He added this fiber type is feeding the bugs living in a humans' gut and generating a synergetic relationship with humans with powerful impacts on both their behavior and brain.
Most people know much about prebiotics, the friendly bacteria which fermented foods such as sauerkraut and yogurt have.
More recently, science experts have taken a huge interest in prebiotics-as mentioned earlier, these are dietary compounds which humans are unable to digest but serve as their nourishment for the microbiome, or the countless bacteria residing within every human body.
While not all fibers are considered prebiotics, a lot of fiber-rich foods such as artichokes, leeks, onions, and some whole grains are also rich in prebiotics.
Probiotics are Stress Busters Too
The good thing about prebiotics is that they are great not just for the digestive system and sleep. They are proven effective to fight stress, too. Indeed, new research sheds light on the manner prebiotics can contribute to battling against stress.
Monika Fleshner, Integrative Physiology Professor, senior author, and Stress Physiology Laboratory director said, they know "that the combination of this dietary fiber helps promote stress robustness," on top of good sleep. The combination shields the gut microbiome too, from disruption.
Utilizing a technology also known as mass spectrometry to assess the fecal samples of rats, the research team gauged metabolites or bioactive tiny molecules that the bacteria produced "as food is broken down."
They found rats on the prebiotic diet had a substantially different "metabolome," or make-up of metabolites. More so, the metabolome of rats also looked different after stress.
As a result, the rats on a regular diet saw significant spikes in "allopregnanolone precursor, as well as the Ketone Steroid, possibly sleep-disturbing metabolites. Meanwhile, rats on the prebiotic diet did not see such a spike.
As a conclusion, while prebiotics is considered healthy, there's no assurance if simply eating foods rich in them can indeed, promote sleep.
In the study, rats were given excessive doses of specific prebiotics like the galactooligosaccharides, components present in cabbage and lentils; polydextrose or PDX, a food additive approved by the FDA, frequently used as a sweetener; milk fat globular protein that's abundant in dairy products; and lactoferrin, which is present in breast milk.
Relatively, Thompson emphasized that for one to be able to see any effect in his sleep he'd perhaps, have to eat a lot of cabbage and lentils.
