Meals and movies: making our microbiota merry

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the impact of festive cinematic diets on the gut microbiota.

Design: Observational (watching films) and creative review. Sadly, we couldn't incorporate any snowball sampling.

Setting: In front of a television, by a blazing log fire.

Participants: Everyone: you don't need to be on the nice list!

Main outcome measures: Microbiota INdex of Comparative Evaluation for Pictorial Infographic Evidence (MINCE PIE) scores (difference between the numbers of microbiota-enhancing and microbiota-detrimental food groups) for foods depicted in twelve festive films.

Results: Most festive films featured meals or foods from a typical Western diet, with high sugar and fat content, with overall negative effects on the microbiota. However, some films promoted options containing fibre, beneficial proteins, or polyphenols. These are gifts under the Christmas tree for our microbiota.

Conclusion: Good balance is needed for our microbiota, and consequently our mental health. Many festive films portray a Western diet that can lead to dysbiosis. Through their action on the gut-brain axis and the influence of media on dietary choices, the festive foods consumed in these films (maybe an extra chocolate biscuit during Love Actually) can be stressful for our microbiota.

Keywords: Competition; Education, public health; Food quality; Inflammation; Multimedia; Public health.