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A new study finds that the Mediterranean diet may prevent PTSD symptoms.

New Study on Mediterranean Diet and PTSD

The brain and the gastrointestinal system which includes the stomach, intestines and colon, send signals back and forth through a complex system of nerves, hormones and chemicals. As a result, poor gut health has been linked to several mental illnesses, such as PTSD.

Post traumatic stress disorder or PTSD is a trauma-based mental-health disorder. People living with PTSD have an increased risk of developing chronic diseases such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, autoimmune disease, and premature death.

To study the relationship between PTSD and the human gut microbiome, researchers collected patient data from two studies—one in 2005 and another in 2013—which involved tens of thousands of female participants.

Researchers selected 191 women: 44 with PTSD symptoms, 119 who had experienced trauma, but no PTSD symptoms and 28 who experienced neither.

All the participants provided stool samples, once at the beginning of the study and again six months later. The reason for the samples was to have microbial DNA information and to confirm that the participants gut microbiome was stable over six months.

The researchers then looked at associations between overall microbiome makeup and other individual factors, such as a person’s symptoms, body mass index, age, and diet.

The team found certain factors (BMI, depression, antidepressant use) were associated with microbiome structure.

The Results

The scientists then assessed the relationship between diet and PTSD symptoms, finding that participants who followed a Mediterranean diet had fewer PTSD symptoms. Several components of the Mediterranean diet, such as fiber and omega-three fatty acids—are known to support gut health, which in turn can influence brain function.

Eating red and processed meats were associated with having PTSD symptoms. Eating plant-based foods was not associated with having PTSD symptoms.

The team then examined the link between symptoms and microbiome makeup. They found that a microbiome called Eubacterium eligens was protective at four different time points. E. eligens was positively associated with components of the Mediterranean diet, such as vegetables, fruits and fish. It was negatively associated with red or processed meat, which people following a Mediterranean diet typically limit or avoid.

The findings were published in the journal, “Nature Mental Health.”

Around four percent of the world’s population has had PTSD in their lifetimes.        

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