Mental health: Probiotics could help reduce negative feelings

Evan Walker
Evan Walker TheMediTary.Com |
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Probiotic supplements and foods could help improve daily mood, a new study finds. Image credit: Susan Brooks-Dammann/Stocksy.
  • Past studies show that probiotics may help improve many areas of a person’s health, including mental health.
  • A new study says probiotics may help reduce negative feelings and improve a person’s daily mood.
  • Researchers found it took about 2 weeks for probiotics to help improve negative feelings, which is about the same amount of time it takes for antidepressants to begin working.

Over the last few years, there has been a lot of research examining probiotics and their potential health benefits.

Past studies show that probiotics — or “good” bacteria that live in the gut microbiome — may help improve not only Health">gut Health, but also boost the immune system, reduce inflammation, and potentially guard against conditions like atopic dermatitis, osteoporosis, obesity, and gum disease.

Previous research has also shown that probiotic use may help improve a person’s mental health, for example, by helping treat depression and anxiety symptoms.

Now, a new study published in the journal npj Mental Health Research adds to this body of knowledge, with more evidence suggesting probiotics may help reduce negative feelings and a person’s daily mood.

For this study, researchers recruited 88 participants who had not taken any probiotics or antibiotics in the previous 3 months, and did not have a past or current diagnosis of a mental disorder.

Study participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups: one group taking a probiotic and the other receiving a placebo for 4 weeks.

All participants also completed a series of commonly-used mental health questionnaires both at the start of the study and after 4 weeks.

These questionnaires included the Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ), the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), the Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), and the Bermond–Vorst Alexithymia Questionnaire (BVAQ).

Additionally, all participants reported their mood each day to researchers.

“While lots of people have started to take probiotics, science still doesn’t have a good understanding of precisely how probiotics work and all the various effects they may have on our physiology,” Katerina Johnson, PhD, a postdoctoral researcher in the Clinical Psychology Unit at the Institute of Psychology at Leiden University in The Netherlands, and co-lead author of this study told Medical News Today.

“This field may though in the future be able to offer novel solutions when it comes to treating mental health,” Johnson added.

“The burgeoning field of the gut microbiome is revealing the numerous effects that bacteria in the gut may have on the brain and behavior,” she continued.

“We know that the gut–brain connection provides various routes through which bacteria in the gut can influence how we feel and behave, including via the vagus nerve, immune system, and hormones. So here we used a combination of methods to capture how probiotics might influence the ability to regulate our emotions and affect our mood,” the researcher explained.

For those who may want to try boosting their mood through their diet and possibly try a probiotic, Monique Richard, MS, RDN, LDN, a registered dietitian nutritionist and owner of Nutrition-In-Sight, offered some tips.

First, Richard advised, it is important to assess product labelling carefully. “Refrain from blindly choosing the most convenient probiotic at your fingertips or brands touting the ‘highest count’ of strains,” she cautioned.

“More does not always necessarily equate to better. Consuming loads of new or different species into your current microbiota environment may not bode well, and could cause bloating, flatulence, diarrhea, and other side effects,” the nutritionist added.

Secondly, and as importantly, Richard emphasized that nothing can replace direct, individually tailored health and nutrition advice from a qualified profesional.

Probiotics are abundant in fermented foods, so that may be one way to go, rather than opting for dietary supplements straight away.

Even in that case there are pros and cons to be aware of, Richard said:

“Overall, there are limited studies on specific recommendations [regarding] fermented foods‘ impact, and [this] can vary widely per product in ‘active live culture’ strain levels due to processing methods, shelf life, and more, but [fermented foods] also often go hand-in-hand [with] being naturally high in fiber and beneficial plant compounds, so try kimchi, kefir, sauerkraut, natto, miso, […] or kombucha.”

Finally, she said, we must not forget about the basics. “Adequate protein, carbohydrate, and fat intake also play a critical role in neurotransmitter production of serotonin, dopamine, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), melatonin, and more that affect mood,” noted Richard.

“And make sure to get enough fiber from fruits and vegetables are an essential prebiotic — food for the probiotic to digest,” she added.

Reflecting on the results of the recent study, in which she was not involved, Richard mused:

“‘Don’t worry, be happy’ — if only it were as easy as those song lyrics suggest, right? Maybe it can be, with practice. We do know that nourishing our body with variety, balance, and goodness from nutritious foods and clean water regularly help naturally navigate how we respond and regulate emotions and our ability to be resilient.”

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