Scientists have found that foods help shape our personalities

By Gwyn Wright via SWNS

The old adage ‘’you are what you eat’’ may be true. Scientists at Texas A&M Health have found what we eat may help shape our personalities.

Researchers have discovered there are distinct bacteria and metabolomes associated with each personality trait.

Our gut may influence our whole personality and not just how we feel on one day or another.

Academics looked at the correlation between mental and physical energy, mental and physical fatigue and the gut.

They found bacteria associated with metabolism are associated with mental or physical energy while bacteria associated with inflammation are linked to fatigue.

What you eat determines what bacteria and microbiome are in the gut, which then influences our mood.

When someone says they are tired, more often than not they put it down to a lack of energy.

More recently, scientists have recently shown the two are not as closely connected as it has previously been thought.

Fatigue and energy are distinct moods, not necessarily the opposite of each other.

Food is known to combat fatigue and is the biggest source of energy for people.

A healthy diet can combat some of the problems associated with tiredness- but it is not the only factor in this.

For the study, researchers looked at a subset of people from a previous study that investigated the gut.

Participants completed a brief survey that was used to identify potential correlations between microbes in the gut, mental and physical energy and fatigue.

Mental and physical fatigue and mental and physical energy were found to have unique, but overlapping gut bacteria profiles.

They say scientists now need to do more research into the gut to understand how it influences feelings of energy and fatigue.

Lead study author Ali Boolani said: “What you eat determines the bacteria and the microbiome in your gut.

“With this study, we have made an exploratory link between a person’s microbiome and their mood.”

Study author Dr. Matthew Lee Smith said: “Gut microbiome may be influencing the way you are, not just the way you are today."

“We know that energy and fatigue can be influenced by so many things like what you eat, your physical activity, your sleep, your chronic conditions or the medications you take for these conditions.

“Understanding how nutrition and malnutrition are linked to fatigue and energy is important because falls, chronic fatigue and low-energy can diminish the health and quality of life for older adults living with chronic conditions.

“I think part of the fun here is looking at some of these relationships and being able to better see this interplay and how what you eat can influence these things.”

The findings were published in the journal Nutrients.