Scientists say one spoonful a day of this food can help anxiety and sleep

Some people absolutely hate it - but a study has found that having just one spoonful a day of it could have a huge impact on helping with stress and anxiety and helps you sleep. Marmite was shown to be good for the nervous system, the Times reported, and although it 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. Results of the study 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. Marmite is also rich in magnesium and may improve sleep quality.

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 per cent 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 the excitability of 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.”

Dr Daniel Baker, Lecturer in the Department of Psychology and senior author of the paper which was released in 2017, said: “The high concentration of Vitamin B12 in Marmite is likely to be the primary factor behind results showing a significant reduction in participants’ responsiveness to visual stimuli.

“Since we’ve found a connection between diet and specific brain processes involving GABA, this research paves the way for further studies looking into how diet could be used as a potential route to understanding this neurotransmitter.

“Although GABA is involved in various diseases we can make no therapeutic recommendations based on these results, and individuals with a medical condition should always seek treatment from their GP.”