A new study conducted by the researchers of the University of Surrey has found that taking prebiotic supplements daily could improve your overall wellbeing, including your psychological health.
The researchers investigated whether the daily intake of a prebiotic food supplement could improve overall wellbeing in a group of 18 to 25 year-olds.
The study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, found that a daily dose of prebiotics improved mental wellbeing by reducing anxiety levels, according to Science Daily. Also, participants who were on prebiotic supplements had better gut health than those who were not on the supplements.
The team studied a group of more than 60 healthy female participants with no clinical diagnoses of anxiety. They received either a daily dose of the prebiotic supplement containing galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) or a placebo for 28 days.
The participants completed surveys about their health experiences, including mood, anxiety, and sleep quality. They also provided a stool sample for gut microbiome sequencing analysis.
Dr. Kathrin Cohen Kadosh of the University of Surrey said, “This new research marks a significant step forward in that we were able to show that we can use a simple and safe food supplement such as prebiotics to improve both the abundance of beneficial gut bacteria in the gut and to improve mental health and wellbeing in young women.”
Dr. Kadosh is also the head of the Social Brain and Development Lab.
“This is an exciting study that brings together different dimensions in mental health research,” said Dr. Nicola Johnstone of the University of Surrey.
“Finding prebiotic effects in a sub-clinical group shows promise for translational clinical research on multiple markers of mental health,” added Dr. Johnstone, who is a researcher in developmental cognitive neuroscience. The article was published in Science Daily.
