A Review of Fermented Foods with Beneficial Effects on Brain and Cognitive Function

Abstract

Around the world, fermentation of foods has been adopted over many generations, primarily due to their commercial significance with enriched flavors and high-profile nutrients. The increasing application of fermented foods is further promoted by recent evidence on their health benefits, beyond the traditionally recognized effects on the digestive system. With recent advances in the understanding of gut-brain interactions, there have also been reports suggesting the fermented food’s efficacy, particularly for cognitive function improvements. These results are strengthened by the proposed biological effects of fermented foods, including neuroprotection against neurotoxicity and reactive oxygen species. This paper reviews the beneficial health effects of fermented foods with particular emphasis on cognitive enhancement and neuroprotective effects. With an extensive review of fermented foods and their potential cognitive benefits, this paper may promote commercially feasible applications of fermented foods as natural remedies to cognitive problems.

Intestinal microbiota of white shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei, fed diets containing Bacillus subtilis E20‐fermented soybean meal (FSBM) or an antimicrobial peptide derived from B. subtilis E20‐FSBM

“…To date, several studies reported that a diet of FSBM might also bring health benefits to animals (Liu, Feng, Xu, Lu, & Liu, ; Ding, Zhang, Ye, Du, & Kong, ; Wang, Zhou, He, Xu, Mai, & He, ). Some health benefits of the FSBM diet to animals may be attributable to AMPs (Cheng et al, ; Kim et al, ; Sanjukta & Rai, ; Xie et al, ) or other compounds that alter the animal's gut microflora (Daniels et al, ; Li, Tan, & Mai, ; Kim, Hong, Yang, Hyun, Lm, Hwang, Yoon, & Kim, ). Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar, receiving a FSBM‐based diet showed improvements in the health condition and growth, perhaps attributed to enhanced colonization of Lactobacillus lactic acid bacteria (Catalán et al, ; Wang et al, ).…”

Fermented Foods and Beverages in Human Diet and Their Influence on Gut Microbiota and Health

“…Some studies have shown safety and effectiveness from the use of probiotic foods to aid recovery from organ transplant and abdominal surgery, to provide benefits on the managing of some cardiovascular risk factors and the possibility to reduce the load of pathogens by the intake of LAB [2,9]. Fermented foods and beverages have also been shown to possess the potential to influence brain health, stress relief, memory enhancement, and to have beneficial immune and neuroprotective effects [1,5,6,9]. Still, further studies are required in these prominent fields.…”

“…It has been argued that the fermented foods and beverages may influence positively the mental health of humans, alleviate inflammation, control oxidative stress that can lead to cognitive dysfunction and neurodegenerative diseases (e.g., Alzheimer's disease), and even lower the risk of anxiety or depression [5,6]. Preventive effects of the administration of fermented food, as red mould rice, which is common on Asian foods, were found on neurodegenerative diseases as Parkinson's and on behavioural dysfunctions [5,30].…”

Nutritional, Microbial, and Allergenic Changes during the Fermentation of Cashew ‘Cheese’ Product Using a Quinoa-Based Rejuvelac Starter Culture

“…Food fermentation began as a method of preservation, but subsequently developed into a mechanism of altering taste, texture, and nutritional content. The process relies on the metabolic activity of microorganisms to yield by-products that enhance food preservation [1,2]. Fermentation can be undertaken by microorganisms that are either inoculated, already present, or mixed between the two types.…”