Back to Ancient Cooking: Fermented Foods, Microbiota and Mental Health

Abstract

Introduction: The traditional mediterranean and japanese diets use the fermentation of food to improve its texture, palatability, nutritional value and preservation. These types of diets have been associated with physical and mental health benefits namely a reduction on both inflammatory processes and depressive symptomatology. It has been hypothesized that the fermentation process can be one of the main causes.
Aim: In this paper we tried to ascertain whether the fermentation process and sub- sequent changes in the gut microbiota could influence mental health.
Methods: A non-systematic review of the existing literature was performed based on Pubmed database.
Results and Conclusions: There is evidence that fermented food can positively influence mental health through direct influence on the gut microbiota or indirect by causing systemic changes in inflammatory and antioxidant pathways. The promotion of this particular diet could be a novel approach in improving mental health.