Garden Soil On Par With Yogurt For Probiotics?

Continuing research in the exciting field of mammalian gut microbiology has revealed that ingestion of the soil microbe Mycobacterium vaccae confers anti-anxiety effects and improved cognition in laboratory mice. While it is difficult to prove in humans that incidental ingestion of microbes during garden activities or food preparation is beneficial to the brain, researchers suggest that there are likely a wide range of beneficial gut microorganisms found in nature, some harnessed through the ancient practice of food fermentation.

Behavioural Processes, Volume 96, 2013, 27-35

Journal of Physiological Anthropology, 2014, 33:2