- Stress can weaken the walls of the gut, leading to leaks
- These leaks release bacteria and undigested food into the body cavity and can cause chronic inflammation
- But a high-fiber diet helps the gut produce cellular food that can fix these leaks
- New University College Cork research suggests that the same treatment may reduce the stress that led to a leaky gut in the first place
Eating high fiber foods – such as lentils, cereal, and fruit – may reduce the effects of stress on our gut and even reduce stress itself, new research suggests.
Stress has a holistic effect on us, shaking our mental states, altering our behavior and damaging our bodies, particularly the gut and brain.
In recent years there has been growing interest in the link between gut bacteria and stress-related disorders including anxiety, depression and irritable bowel syndrome.
New research from the University College Cork in Ireland suggests that a high-fiber diet could offer an easy and effective way to treat stress and its effects on the gut alike.
Foods high in fiber, like fruits, legumes, and whole grains encourage the gut to produce fatty acids that repair gut leaks and may reduce stress, according to new research
Foods such as grains, legumes, and vegetables, contain high levels of fiber and will stimulate the production of a sort of cellular superfood in the form of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in the gut.
The new findings, published in The Journal of Physiology, found that there was decreased levels of stress and anxiety-like behavior when SCFAs were introduced.
Prolonged stress can weaken the wall of the gut, even making it ‘leaky.’
The researchers said this means undigested food particles, bacteria and germs will pass through the leaky gut wall into the blood and cause persistent inflammation.
When it strays into the outside of the bowels, all this detritus is harmful.
But treating the condition with the SCFAs can reverse gut ‘leakiness,’ according to the new study.
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