One teaspoon of this food can help anxiety and sleep, say scientists

Love it or loathe it but taking just one spoonful a day of a very British foodstuff could have a huge impact on helping with stress and anxiety and even help you sleep. A study has shown Marmite to be good for the nervous system, the Times reported.

Although the rich dark spread does have a high salt content it also has lots of B vitamins, thiamin, riboflavin, and niacin, which support the nervous system and help the body to release energy from food. The B vitamins in Marmite were also shown in a study by psychologists at the University of York to increase levels of a brain-calming neurotransmitter.

The study results, published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology, suggested that one daily teaspoon of Marmite for a month was enough to reduce the brain’s unhealthy response to stressful visual stimuli. It is also rich in magnesium and may improve sleep quality.

Read next: Controlled explosion carried out in Cardiff as 'potentially dangerous' item located

Don't miss: Marmite fans left 'in shock' after realising what it is made from

The rich, dark spread is made from concentrated yeast extract, which is a by-product from brewing beer. It was invented in 1902 when the Marmite Food Company opened a small factory in Burton-on-Trent – where it still resides today.

In the study participants consumed a teaspoon of Marmite every day for a month while a control group consumed peanut butter. The results showed a substantial reduction of around 30% in their brain’s response to visual stimuli measured by recording electrical activity using electroencephalography (EEG).

Researchers said this may be due to the prevalence of vitamin B12 in Marmite increasing levels of a specific neurotransmitter – known as GABA – in the brain. GABA inhibits neurons in the brain with the chemical acting to ‘turn down the volume’ of neural responses in order to regulate the delicate balance of activity needed to maintain a healthy brain.

As Marmite consumption appears to increase GABA levels this study is the first to show that dietary intervention may affect these neural processes. GABA imbalances are also associated with a variety of neurological disorders.

Anika Smith, PhD student in York’s Department of Psychology and first author of the study, said: “These results suggest that dietary choices can affect the cortical processes of excitation and inhibition – consistent with increased levels of GABA – that are vital in maintaining a healthy brain.

“As the effects of Marmite consumption took around eight weeks to wear off after participants stopped the study this suggests that dietary changes could potentially have long-term effects on brain function. This is a really promising first example of how dietary interventions can alter cortical processes and a great starting point for exploring whether a more refined version of this technique could have some medical or therapeutic applications in the future. Of course further research is needed to confirm and investigate this but the study is an excellent basis for this.”