Evaluation of gamma-aminobutyric acid content in Portuguese cheeses with protected designation of origin status.

Health-conscious consumers are increasingly paying attention to healthy diets and focusing on natural bioactive compounds in foods and their effects on mental health. This opens new opportunities for the study of artisanal cheeses as biofunctional foods. In the work described in this Research Communication, the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) content of seven different Portuguese cheeses produced from unpasteurized cow, sheep, and goat milk and granted with protected designation of origin (PDO) status was analysed.

Consumption of fermented dairy products is associated with lower anxiety levels in Azorean university students.

A growing number of studies have found that the gut microbiota is involved in a variety of psychological processes and neuropsychiatric disorders, which include mood and anxiety disorders. Consumption of dairy products may contain bioactive compounds and probiotic bacteria with various therapeutic benefits. The aim of the study was to investigate possible associations between the frequency of consumption of different types of dairy products and the state of anxiety in university students.