Kefir Kommunity

Whether it’s an Elliptical machine, a phone to call your best friend, a martini or a Valium, chances are you reach for something when you get stressed. Now, according to new research published in the Journal of Experimental Dermatology, you might be able to reach for a glass of kefir instead!

Experts at McMaster University in Canada, probiotic-containing yogurt may work to head off stress-induced skin inflammation and hair loss. When researchers at the Brain-Body Institute at St. Joseph's Healthcare examined the effect in mice, it worked; more research is needed to determine whether it will have the same positive impact in humans.

"It's significant, because if you look at the work that's being done with probiotic organisms, most is related to immune health, the wellbeing of the person and gastrointestinal disorders," said Dr. John Bienenstock, director of the institute and co-author of the study. "When someone looks at something completely removed from these, namely the skin and things that grow in it such as hair, it is surprising that this could also be affected."

Sorry, men, but the probiotic effect only works with stress-induced hair loss, so male pattern baldness won’t respond.

This isn’t the first study to show a beneficial relationship between probiotics and stress. University of Toronto professor emeritus Dr. Venket Rao has conducted research showing probiotics can help modulate anxiety. "It doesn't surprise me at all that there is that connection," he said. "This is opening the whole field up and it's an exciting field."