Vegemite lovers have just got another reason to smile as researchers have discovered that eating this love or hate food can help you to feel less anxious.
A study conducted by the University of Victoria found that certain foods that are high in yeast, like Vegemite, can improve people's mood.
That's because of the high levels of B vitamins contained in such foods, according to the Herald Sun. But some label checking is required as the effect on stress is more powerful in products that contain the B12 vitamin in particular.
Among those that do are My First Vegemite, a Vegemite product for kids, and the popular spread Marmite. That's great news for Marmite lovers, not so great for the others who can't stand it!
Scientists already know that B vitamins help to energize the body and keep the nervous system in good health, and that high quantities of them can be found in yeast products.
But what they really wanted to establish was whether taking in more of these vitamins by eating yeast-based products as part of a normal diet could improve depression, anxiety and stress levels in individuals.
To answer this question, they surveyed 500 people in Australia and New Zealand to ask which spreads they ate before monitoring their moods.
'Those who ate spreads that contained B12, which includes Marmite and the new Vegemite with the orange lid, were even less stressed and anxious than those who ate the other brands,' Professor Vasso Apostolopoulos told the Herald Sun.
If Vegemite's not your thing, the good news is there's lots of other great foods out there that have been linked to reducing stress, like blueberries, salmon, dark chocolate and avocados.
Do you love Vegemite or are you more like the kids in the funny video below?
