What are the signs of a happy life? The answer to this question will change with the arrangement of life. As the saying goes, the happiness of ordinary people is nothing more than chai rice oil salt sauce vinegar tea, what you want to eat, arrange at any time. Therefore, you must ask yourself every day, what to eat in the morning? What to eat at noon? What's for dinner? At the crucial time, the refrigerator was full of food, and the sense of solidity was more real than having a few kilograms of gold. Food freedom, you can eat whatever you want, it is indeed a rare happiness. However, the question also arises, if people can have food freedom every day, then how to decide what to eat for each meal? Why do you sometimes want to eat fried chicken in the middle of the night? Why is the experience of eating the same food different? Let's see how scientists explain it.
The research team from the University of Pittsburgh and Cornell University published a paper in the latest issue of the Journal of the National Academy of Sciences. Studies have shown that the gut microbiota can influence the host's behavior in making dietary choices. The research team selected 30 mice, divided the mice into 3 groups, adopted different feeding methods, and used the microbial community to carry out targeted breeding of mice. The results showed that the mice showed significant differences in dietary choices, and mice divided into different groups, the meat-eating southern locust-eating rats, the omnivorous white-footed rats, and the herbivorous mountain voles would choose foods rich in different nutrients. For the first time, the research team has demonstrated through animal tests that animals with different gut flora choose different types of foods.
During the study, mice were first subjected to a 7-day adaptation period, providing only a sterile water and a low-protein ratio diet. Then, let the mice choose their own diet. The results found that the herbivorous group would consume fewer carbohydrates and prefer high-protein foods, while the carnivorous and omnivorous groups tended to choose a low-protein ratio diet. This phenomenon, in line with the biological nitrogen restriction hypothesis, when nitrogen in plants is relatively scarce, herbivores will look for more high-protein foods to fill the nitrogen demand, and this foraging behavior is affected by the gut microbiota.
The research team further confirmed that the key mechanism by which the intestinal flora affects foraging behavior is the tryptophan metabolism of the flora. Tryptophan, an essential amino acid for humans, is also the main regulatory molecule for the synthesis of serotonin. When tryptophan enters the brain, it converts to serotonin and drives foraging behavior that affects dietary choices, such as elevated serotonin levels in the hypothalamus, which significantly reduces carbohydrate intake. The study found that mice in the herbivorous group had a higher abundance of tryptophan synthesis genes in the intestinal flora, and the content of tryptophan in the blood was significantly increased.
Tryptophan not only affects food choices, but also causes physiological and emotional changes after eating. For example, after eating a turkey meal, people are prone to drowsiness. The reason for this is that turkeys are rich in tryptophan, which raises serotonin levels in the brain, producing signals of satiety. Subsequently, serotonin is converted into melatonin, which makes the person who eats turkey sleepy.
Scientific research has confirmed that serotonin and dopamine are the key neurotransmitters that produce pleasant emotions, 90% of serotonin and 50% of dopamine are produced in the intestine, and enterobacter and Morganella in the intestine can produce serotonin. E. coli, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, can make dopamine. People's gut microbiota is different, so eating the same food will lead to a different experience, some people eat it with relish, and some people feel like chewing wax.
The intestinal flora, which also affects the body's behavior, is mainly regulated by the cerebral intestinal axis, for example, the intestinal flora that can produce epinephrine will lead to overeating through mechanisms involving vagus nerve activity. For example, increasing the intake of acidophilus will increase the expression of cannabinoids and opioid receptors in the intestines and brains of mice, causing mood changes after feeding. It is conceivable that if the proportion of the intestinal flora is changed, thereby increasing the secretion of serotonin and dopamine, people can feel happy about what they eat. On the contrary, if the body is in a state of inflammation and the level of inflammatory factors rises, it will make people feel depressed, and increasing the intake of probiotics can improve mood. Scientific studies have found that different intestinal flora compositions bring about different food preferences, such as Przecella, which prefers carbohydrates and monosaccharides; Bacteroides, which like fat; Bifidobacterium, which likes dietary fiber; and bacterial virulence proteins, which activate pain receptors. Adhere to a balanced diet, maintain adequate sleep, increase physical activity, in order to maintain the balance of intestinal flora, with a healthy intestine, in order to make people eat delicious.
Whoever loves, pass on health to whom.
Your health, my concern. Professionals observe health from a scientific and humanistic perspective, including a series of express reports, details, reminders, doubts, observations, opinions, historical stories, etc., with the content of the original works of the author Wei Hongling and the team. All forms of misappropriation and reproduction without permission will be refused, otherwise they will be prosecuted in accordance with relevant laws.