Presentation
The relationship between fermented foods and depression: A systematic review.
International Society of Nutritional Psychiatry Research
(2019)
Abstract
Objective: Globally, the cost of depression is high economically and socially; and is growing.
The gut microbiome likely plays a role in depression, and fermented foods contain bacteria
that contribute to the ecology of the gut microbiome.
Methods: We performed a systematic review of clinical research that examines the
relationship between fermented foods and depression by conducting an electronic search of
four academic databases using the search terms fermented, fermented foods, fermentation,
and depression. Inclusion criteria are inpatient, outpatient, and community settings; human
participants age 5-110 years old; any diagnosis of depression; daily ingestion of fermented
foods regardless of ingredients; written in English; published full text articles accessible
through St. Catherine University; random controlled trials, case reports, cross sectional
studies, cohort studies, and clinical trials; and any measured change in depression after
daily ingestion of fermented foods. We identified 64 articles, and only two met the inclusion
criteria listed above.
Results: Both studies indicate a positive trend between fermented food supplementation and
improvement in depression. Results are presented in a narrative synthesis however, there
were too few studies to draw major or significant conclusions.
Conclusions: Researching multifaceted issues including the gut microbiome and depression in
a reductive manner is paradoxical and inadequate. We suggest a more holistic approach
with epistemological and ontological assumptions that account for the complexities and
synergies in the human body.
Disciplines
Publication Date
October 21, 2019
Citation Information
May Beth Hanssens, Susan Patterson, Catherine Wagner and Carol Geisler. "The relationship between fermented foods and depression: A systematic review." International Society of Nutritional Psychiatry Research (2019) Available at: http://works.bepress.com/carol-geisler/8/