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Eating healthier is often one of the most popular new year’s resolutions every year – and for good reason. Not only can a healthier diet help us lose weight, it can also help us prevent disease and keep our immune system functioning at its best. This is largely due to the impact that diet has on our gut microbiome and the many trillions of bacteria that live there.
Perhaps more surprising is that a growing body of evidence even shows that our gut plays an important role in keeping our brain healthy, too. Early research shows that when the gut microbiome becomes unbalanced – whether from illness or poor diet – it can lead to brain disorders, such as Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s, and Parkinson’s disease.
But it isn’t all bad news. In fact, research shows that eating a healthy diet can help fortify the gut and protect the brain. For example, one study from earlier this year showed that eating a diet rich in flavonoids (found naturally in fruits, vegetables, tea, and even wine), can help lower dementia risk. A study published by researchers at University College Cork in early 2020 also found that the popular Mediterranean diet increases gut bacteria that can help us age more healthily, by improving cognitive function, memory, immunity, and bone strength.
While eating a healthier diet is a great place to start if you want to improve your brain health, there are still a couple of other things you can do to ensure a healthy gut microbiome, too. Mounting evidence shows that even just a few hours of exercise a week can help promote the growth of certain types of bacteria in our gut, including those that reduce inflammation and prevent disease.
But if you want to be sure that your gut microbiome is filled with the right kind of bacteria, you can also check our guide to choosing a probiotic that works.
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Heather Kroeker
Commissioning Editor, Health + Medicine
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Our stomach and brain are connected through the ‘gut-brain axis’.
Anatomy Image/ Shutterstock
Lynne A Barker, Sheffield Hallam University; Caroline Jordan, Sheffield Hallam University
Our gut microbes play a key role in sending and receiving signals that influence the brain.
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Choosing the right probiotic strain is also important.
Vinogradskaya Natalia/ Shutterstock
Janice Taylor, Glasgow Caledonian University
Probiotics sold in tablets or capsules don't need to be refrigerated to work.
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Half the participants were asked to eat more vegetables, legumes, fruits, nuts, olive oil, and fish – and less red meat and dairy.
stockcreations/ Shutterstock
Paul O'Toole, University College Cork
Our research found that following a Mediterranean diet was linked with less frailty, inflammation, and maintaining better cognitive function.
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Flavonoids are a group of compounds found in almost every fruit and vegetable.
leonori
Eleftheria Kodosaki, Cardiff Metropolitan University; Keith Morris, Cardiff Metropolitan University
Foods rich in flavonoids (such as apples, berries, or tea) are important for cognitive health, research suggests.
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Exercise is good for your gut bacteria too.
CREATISTA/ Shutterstock
Rachael Rigby, Lancaster University; Karen Wright, Lancaster University
Current research suggests that exercise causes a number of positive changes in our gut microbiome.
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A Mediterranean diet is good for your gut health.
Marian Weyo/Shutterstock
Tim Spector, King's College London
Your gut plays an important role in building your immune defences. Don't neglect it.
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East Road, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB11PT, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — Anglia Ruskin University
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East Road, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB11PT, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — Anglia Ruskin University
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