When circadian rhythms are disrupted, it affects everything from sleep, mood and metabolism to the risk of certain diseases. New research shows that the simple food components known as...Prebiotics are known to be beneficial intestinal bacteriapromote and therefore help in such cases. The results suggest that healthy gut flora and released metabolites may make the body more resilient to circadian disruption.
How the circadian rhythm can be influenced by prebiotic agents
The recently published study suggests that prebiotics, not to be confused with probiotics, may affect not only the gut, but also the brain and behavior. These indigestible carbohydrates occur naturally in many fibrous foods such as leeks, artichokes and onions, as well as breast milk. They pass through the small intestine and remain there, where they serve as food for trillions of bacteria. However, the study authors also wanted to find out whether prebiotics could promote resistance to disruptions to the internal clock. Conditions such as jet lag, irregular working hours or a lack of natural time of day are just some of these disruptive factors. This is some of the first research to link prebiotic consumption to specific bacterial changes. The researchers found that those who received the prebiotic diet harbored an abundance of several health-promoting microbes.
So the study results showed that prebiotics promoted more good gut bacteria, which in turn produced metabolites that protected the body from something like jet lag. Furthermore, this research could enable tailored prebiotic mixtures. Individuals whose careers or lifestyles expose them to frequent circadian disruptions may benefit accordingly. Prebiotics may also have an advantage over probiotics because they support the healthy bacteria already in the gut. According to the authorsthis studyIn addition to dietary supplements, the following natural prebiotic foods are recommended: leek, asparagus, endive, chicory, artichokes, cabbage, garlic, onions, wheat, oats, soybeans, pistachios, bananas, corn and psyllium.
