Prebiotics and Stress Reduction in Women

In modern life, many people state to experience stress. Women compared to men report more and higher levels of stress. Recent research found that supplementation of galactose-oligosaccharides (GOS) resulted in reduced anxiety levels in British female students with higher anxiety scores at baseline in self-reported trait anxiety. Moreover, supplementation of probiotics in germ-free rodents resulted in reduced levels of circulating corticosterone (cortisol in humans). These findings illustrate the potential of prebiotic supplementation, through the microbiota-gut-brain (MGB) axis, to improve mental health and wellbeing. The present study aims to study the effect of oligosaccharides on self-perceived stress.