Consumption of Hirami lemon may regulate the symptoms of depression and anxiety induced by chronic mild stress through the gut-brain axis, a paper by researchers at National Chung Hsing University said.
The paper, published in international journal Food and Function, “explored the potential antidepressant efficacy of the fruit extract and the essential oil from Hirami lemon peel using a chronic mild stress-induced mouse model, and analyzed the association of gut microbiome changes,” the paper’s extract said.
Photo: CNA
An imbalance of intestinal flora – which is important to nutrient absorption, and the development of intestinal and nerve cells, and the immune system – may be the cause of anxiety, depression and other conditions in some people, the researchers said, adding that some foods such as Hirami lemon may have a positive impact on those conditions through helping to balance intestinal flora and other parts of the gut-brain axis.
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