来源：《今日心理学》
原文刊登日期：2021年5月4日
Scientists at the University of California, San Diego, in collaboration with the Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, looked at the association between loneliness, wisdom, and the health of the gut microbiome of 184 community-dwelling men and women, ages 28 to 97. They found significant associations between microbiome diversity and loneliness, wisdom, social support, and participation in social activities. The richer and more diverse the gut microbiome, the less the participants reported feelings of loneliness and the higher they scored on wisdom, social support and social engagement. With respect to loneliness, this association was especially strong for older adults.
加州大学圣地亚哥分校的科学家与退伍军人事务圣地亚哥医疗保健系统合作，研究了年龄在28至97岁之间、居住在社区的184名男性和女性的肠道微生物群健康与孤独、智力之间的关系。他们发现微生物群落多样性与孤独、智力、社会支持和参与社会活动之间存在显著关联。肠道微生物群越丰富、越多样化，参与者报告的孤独感越少，他们在智力、社会支持和社会参与方面的得分也越高。在孤独感方面，这种联系在老年人中尤其强烈。
A diverse microbiome is rich in healthful microbes, or bacteria living in your digestive system. These healthful bacteria maintain intestinal balance by preventing an overgrowth of harmful microbes in your gut. A rich and diverse gut microbiome not only helps maintain the health of your digestive system but also your heart and immune system. In addition, a healthy microbiome helps with weight control. A less diverse microbiome is associated with neurological and psychiatric disorders, including major depressive disorder.
一个多样化的微生物群富含健康的微生物，或细菌生活在你的消化系统。这些健康的细菌通过防止肠道内有害微生物的过度生长来维持肠道平衡。丰富多样的肠道微生物群不仅有助于维持消化系统的健康，还有助于心脏和免疫系统的健康。此外，健康的微生物群有助于控制体重。较少多样性的微生物群与神经和精神疾病有关，包括重度抑郁症。
Just as a healthy gut microbiome is the result of a healthy and diverse diet rich in plant foods and fiber, an unhealthy microbiome is generally the result of a poor diet that’s high in processed foods and low in fiber. You can improve the health of your microbiome and increase the diversity of microbes residing in your digestive system by consuming a diet that emphasizes eating lots of green, leafy vegetables (spinach, broccoli, etc.) and other fiber-rich vegetables, fruits, and whole grains that encourage the growth of healthy microbes in your body. Probiotics, or foods such as yogurt and other fermented milk products, actually contain live, beneficial bacteria that contribute to the diversity and health of your gut.
正如健康的肠道微生物群是富含植物食物和纤维的健康和多样化饮食的结果一样，不健康的微生物群通常是高加工食品和低纤维的不良饮食的结果。你可以改善你的微生物群的健康状况，增加你消化系统中微生物的多样性，方法是食用大量的绿色叶菜类蔬菜（菠菜、花椰菜等）和其他富含纤维的蔬菜、水果和全谷类食物，以促进健康微生物在你体内的生长。益生菌，也就是酸奶和其他发酵奶制品，实际上含有活的有益细菌，有助于肠道的微生物多样性和健康。
Conventional wisdom holds that a less diverse community of microbes in the digestive system results in poorer physical and mental health, and the San Diego study was not the first to link the composition and diversity of the gut microbiome with personality traits and psychosocial well-being. Other studies have found that gut bacteria are involved in social communications, behavior and interactions. While a less diverse microbiome may not directly cause feelings of loneliness and social isolation, these studies show that it could make you more susceptible to inflammation and related conditions, and less able to resist the effects of loneliness on your health.
传统观点认为，消化系统中的微生物群落多样性越少，身体和心理健康状况就越差，圣地亚哥分校的这项研究并不是第一个将肠道微生物群落的组成和多样性与性格特征和心理健康联系起来的研究。其他研究发现，肠道细菌与社会交流、行为和互动有关。虽然多样性较低的微生物群可能不会直接导致孤独感和社交孤立感，但这些研究表明，它可能会让你更容易感染炎症和相关疾病，更难以抵抗孤独对你健康的影响。