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Lactobacillus and anxiety: what’s the link?

How our gut microbiome could help reduce anxiety and its potential effects on the most common antidepressant and anti-anxiety medication. Interactions between the gut and anxiety Oftentimes, when we’re nervous or worried we feel it in our belly. We may feel nauseous or need to run for the bathroom....

Biting off more than you can chew: Do we eat more when consuming low-carbohydrate or low-fat diets?

In a world where the overconsumption of food is increasing, which diet would you put your money on to promote eating less? According to a recent landmark study, something about ketogenic, low-carbohydrate diets make us more likely to overeat – but the story is more complicated than it may...

Should I test my gut microbes to improve my health?

People are paying hundreds of dollars to have their gut microbes analysed, hoping the insights will allow them to adjust their diet and improve their health. But these testing services are based on science that’s still in its infancy, as we explain in our recent paper. So while there...

Food and Mood – Improving Mental Health Through Diet and Nutrition

Online Course through Deakin University and FutureLearn In the midst of this COVID-19 pandemic, many of us will find ourselves with a lot more time in our homes. If, like me, you have spent the first few weeks of social isolation incessantly scrolling through social media and the grim...

For women’s sake, let’s screen for depression as part of the new heart health checks

The latest government statistics, released last week, show that from 2001-2016, the rate of cardiac events (heart attacks or unstable angina) fell by more than half among Australian women. That’s largely because of greater education about risk factors for heart disease (smoking rates continue to fall), and medical advances...

Complex systems and mental health

It’s widely known that how we fuel and move our bodies can influence our physical health, and of great interest to the Food & Mood Centre, it can also influence our mental health. We also now know that the factors influencing what we eat and how we engage in...

Gut microbiota and diet: an introduction

Over the past decade, interest in the gut microbiome has grown as efforts to measure its composition and function have developed. We now know that we have more bugs within and on us than we do human cells, and some consider us more bacterial than Homo sapien. What is...

Ways to conquer PTSD – why diet really matters!

Chances are, you or someone you know has Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Most people are aware of the debilitating symptoms such as nightmares, hypervigilance, flashbacks, intense fear and distress. These symptoms arrive soon, but continue long after, a traumatic event. PSTD disrupts every facet of a person’s life:...

Could Diet Improve Your Quality of Life?

There is a constant barrage of advice from the media that healthy diet is critical for our physical health. However, recent research has found that diet and exercise does not only affects our physical health, but may also improve our mental health. For example, a recent study (performed here...