Are you feeling down? Among the many benefits that apple cider vinegar offers to our health, you may have heard about its impact on morale and its anti-depression action.
Among the many benefits that apple cider vinegar offers to our health, you may have heard of its impact on morale and its anti-depression action. Strange link you may think! Not so much when we know that raw cider vinegar has a direct effect on the microbiota and the extent to which the microbiota impacts mental health.
Before being able to explain any biological link, a study carried out by the College of Health Solutions Arizona in 2021 also made it possible to observe a reduction in depression of 20 to 34% in a group of young adults who drank vinegar daily. for 4 weeks compared to a group that did not ingest it.
Archie and the microbiota
The microbiota, if this term reminds you of scientific gibberish or a popular subject not really understood, it is the other word for the intestinal flora. The name flora remains prettier , there is no doubt.
So what does this intestinal flora correspond to, which we so want to have in good health?
It is quite simply a colony of bacteria (100,000 billion microorganisms to be more precise) present in our intestines, in the same way that there is one in our mouth, in our lungs, on our skin or even in our genital tract. In this colony, there are good bacteria but also some bad ones. What induces a healthy colony is a good ratio between friendly bacteria and pathogenic bacteria.
When there are more good bacteria, everything is fine. They then have the capacity to eliminate intruders who might want to develop. On the other hand, when the maids start to be overwhelmed, chaos sets in. This bacterial chaos is called dysbiosis.
To avoid this, it is nice to give a little thumbs up to our friendly colony from time to time. This is where apple cider vinegar comes in! Due to its bacterial richness and its good acids, cider vinegar has the power to strengthen the troops of good bacteria and kill pathogens.
This power of vinegar, which has been known empirically for centuries (Hippocrates already placed it as a product that works miracles against infections ) , is today studied by science.
Laboratory tests have demonstrated the antibacterial action of cider vinegar against escherichia coli , staphylococcus aureus and candida albicans , the bacteria whose pathogenic forms are most often responsible for intestinal dysbiosis. A study carried out in 2018 tells us that raw cider vinegar alters the cellular integrity, organelles and protein expression of these harmful bacteria.
Like other natural antibiotics, vinegar only destroys pathogenic bacteria without harming the good ones. Smart!
A healthy microbiota for high morale
So you have understood, raw cider vinegar is a precious ally for the microbiota. And who says microbiota in good shape says morale in good shape. Here too, research is progressing and is already unanimous. The microbiota has a direct link to the brain. It is enough to transplant the microbiota of one living being onto another to observe a change in its moods.
For what ? Several actions are in question.
First, the intestines contain many neurons, so they communicate directly with the brain. Serotonin, the neurotransmitter of serenity, is largely produced in our intestines - provided that they are in good health. Another explanation, published in Nature Communications in December 2020, suggests that in the event of an imbalance in our bacterial colony, lipids normally present in the blood and the brain and necessary for the functioning of the latter disappear from radar. When these lipid metabolites, called endogenous cannabinoids , are no longer present in the area of the brain responsible for emotions, a depressive state appears. When you reintroduce good bacteria, these lipid metabolites reappear and your mood returns to normal.
There are therefore indeed anti- depressant bacteria, which we call “ psychobiotics ”. To maintain a naturally optimal bacterial balance and therefore good morale, the best thing to do is to regularly integrate natural ingredients into your diet which will nourish our colony of friendly bacteria! Archie is one of them!
