Probiotics Decrease the Likelihood of Experiencing Depression

Helpful intestinal bacteria counteracts tendency to depression
www.eurekalert.org...

New research suggests that the micro-organisms known as probiotics, which are normally providing health benefits in the intestines, also have an affect on the brain; protect against depression.

In the animal study at the Department of Clinical Medicine at Aarhus University, rats were fed with an extra fatty and fiberless compound feed. Some of the rats simultaneously received a mix of micro-organisms, mostly in the form of lactic acid bacteria, in their drinking water. While the rats that lived solely on the fatty diet developed behaviour similar to depression, the rats receiving the probiotics-enriched drinking water remained neutral in their behaviour. In other words, the probiotics offset the consequences of the unhealthy diet...

The rats that did not receive probiotics turned out to have an increased number of white blood cells in their brain tissues, which can be a sign of chronic inflammation and is also seen in the fatty tissues and liver of people who are overweight and in diabetics. The researchers did not find the elevated amounts of white blood cells in the brains of the rats with probiotics in their drinking water. "This may indicate that one of the things the probiotics do is work to reprogramme the immune system.

This is a fascinating discovery which supports the conclusion that probiotics, which normally do good in the intestines, also affect the brain. That makes the result interesting for the treatment of depression..."

It is difficult to say whether the results can be transferred to people with depression, since animals obviously do not behave like humans. But Anders Abildgaard thinks it is possible to imagine some of the people who suffer from depression benefiting from probiotics.

"There is an increasing amount of research which suggests that an unhealthy diet contributes towards triggering or maintaining a depression... probiotics can nevertheless help to lessen the depressive symptoms and give patients the resources to change their lifestyle..."

Depression should not always be viewed as an illness that develops solely on the basis of chemical imbalances in the brain. The intestinal bacteria may also play an important role...

So there seems to be a relationship between a somewhat unhealthy diet and symptoms of depression. And the root of it all begins what is going on in your own gut system. So if you don't have enough pro-bacteria, you won't be able to absorb all important nutrients that your body needs.

So what foods provide a good source of probiotics?



And what are the additional benefits of eating probiotic rich foods?



So, this is a very promising study and I really was unaware of this type of linkage. But there was a study about an unhealthy gut problem and administrating probiotics in humans to see if this decreased depression and or anxiety...and voila!

Probiotic use linked to improved symptoms of depression
www.sciencedaily.com...

The pilot study involved 44 adults with IBS and mild to moderate anxiety or depression. They were followed for 10 weeks, as half took a daily dose of the probiotic Bifidobacterium longum NCC3001, while the others had a placebo.

At six weeks, 14 of 22, or 64%, of the patients taking the probiotic had decreased depression scores, compared to seven of 22 (or 32%) of patients given placebo.

So there is something to this as research shows. Time to go buy me some Sauerkraut

a reply to: Skywatcher2011

I just started taking a probiotic like 1 month ago and I do feel better all around (especially in terms of digestion and comfort) - I wouldn't at all be surprised if probiotics also helped with mental health.

You can find what types of probiotics are best for your needs and demographic - this is how I found the one I take: probiotics.org...

I suspect the best you can do for your gut is to quit drinking chlorinated water. Chlorine bleach probably kills bacteria and microbes beneficial to gut function.

a reply to: CharlesT

Distilled or pure water is best.

a reply to: FamCore

I agree that it is all connected (physical and mental health) to some degree, how much exactly that is I can't say.

Glad you're feeling better all around! (I like your new avatar, Merry Christmas)

Thanks also to OP for an interesting topic.

a reply to: zosimov

Always trying to look after ATS member health

Probiotics can increase dopamine levels and make people feel better. But some people who have problems with breaking down dopamine can get severely dumbed down by them or get various illnesses.

Also, in the people who cannot break dopamine down, too much dopamine without enough acetylcholine in the brain can increase risk of Alzheimer and some dementias. So, it is sort of genetic specific, probiotics and prebiotics are good for some people and bad for others. Also by boosting lactobaccilli in the gut, it lowers the breakdown of casomorphine which can cause some serious gut problems if milk is drank. Another inhibitor of casomorphine is salmon, with highest concentrations in the skin. If casomorphine is not broken down, it dopes people up too much and can lead to screwed up immune response.

But for many people, the probiotics work great, just not everyone. I would recommend people try them, but make sure to look for side effects, sometimes people throw a histamine fit at some of these probiotic microbes when levels get higher. Make sure to have a close family member monitor you, sometimes the changes in brain chemistry make it impossible for you to tell you are messed up. Sometimes the good effect is noted originally and after months it goes sour and people do not understand it is related.

I tried probiotics for a while but got dopey. I found I have the COMT snps that makes it hard to break down dopamine, I also do seem to have an intolerance to the aldehydes created by the microbes after having them for a month, which gave me a sort of hangover. I discontinued them and I felt better after about two weeks again. Those genetic traits are not that common though, I lack a functional main enzyme that breaks dopamine down. I still have a few enzymes that can break a little down but not much. I also have metabolic traits that help deter me from eating too much of these dopamine compounds, I bloat up if I eat the foods or get the microbes that create them.

Everyone is different, some people benefit but some that are calm actually get sick or cranky.

It is a good thread OP, but I just wanted to clarify a few things about side effects for some people.

a reply to: rickymouse

Thank you for sharing your experience. I haven't had yogurt for example in a really long time. Primarily because that, kefir and other probiotic foods in Canada are ridiculously expensive. I have been feeling a little bloated with a feeling of heaviness even though i am athletic. I also have been feeling a bit down of late and i try to pay attention to my diet. I figured this article spurred me to think back to going probiotic again and seeing if that makes a positive change in me.

originally posted by: Skywatcher2011
a reply to: rickymouse

Thank you for sharing your experience. I haven't had yogurt for example in a really long time. Primarily because that, kefir and other probiotic foods in Canada are ridiculously expensive. I have been feeling a little bloated with a feeling of heaviness even though i am athletic. I also have been feeling a bit down of late and i try to pay attention to my diet. I figured this article spurred me to think back to going probiotic again and seeing if that makes a positive change in me.

The only way you will know is if you try.

I am testing a taurine supplement lately, it seems to work good, but I am only on my eighth day. I bought some about a year ago and used a few pills out of it, it boosted my energy but I decided to stop it because of what was being said about the negative effects of energy drinks. That was a mistake, I should have researched it more.

My cat was getting jerky, twitching a lot so I sprinkled some pill in her food and within half an hour she was calm. I took the rest of the capsule and noticed I was calmer. I pee a lot when I drink coffee and that means you can pee out taurine. It is necessary in your body. So far I feel great, no side effects other than it actually makes my epilepsy symptoms much better, I am at lower risk with taurine. My blood pressure seemed to stabilize. It is down to a steady around one forty over seventy five instead of that as a minimum when I lay down. My blood pressure lately goes down to one twenty over seventy when I lay down most times but goes up to one eighty over one hundred five when standing, being stabalized at one forty over eighty is good for me, my heartrate is usually one twenty when I am standing and goes up from there, never going under a hundred.

The side effect, I seem to have problems flushing the toilet, my stools all float strongly. I guess if you are deficient in taurine you have elevated cholesterol, which I do have. Taurine helps the liver get rid of cholesterol, so that extra fat in the stools makes them into unsinkable boats. The extra liver chum also somehow seems to make the fiber dissolve better.

I like to experiment on myself, I might go to the doctors and have my cholesterol checked in a few weeks to see if it makes a difference. I know, too much gross information in this post I hate politically correct. I do not care if anyone on the net knows my poop floats but I would not like people around here to suspect those things in their toilet are mine.

a reply to: rickymouse

A while ago i was going through a bit of a stressful time and i felt some mild discomfort on my heart side. Kind of like a cramping. I used to take energy drinks everyday for work to increase my energy. Not a good idea. So i abstained from that altogether. I researched about the benefits of arginine and started taking it. A couple days later my symptoms went away completely and no more cramps. I feel better 3 weeks later. It acts like a nitric oxide by dialating the blood vessels. A little research goes a long way to health!

originally posted by: Skywatcher2011
a reply to: rickymouse

A while ago i was going through a bit of a stressful time and i felt some mild discomfort on my heart side. Kind of like a cramping. I used to take energy drinks everyday for work to increase my energy. Not a good idea. So i abstained from that altogether. I researched about the benefits of arginine and started taking it. A couple days later my symptoms went away completely and no more cramps. I feel better 3 weeks later. It acts like a nitric oxide by dialating the blood vessels. A little research goes a long way to health!

Arginine and taurine work together. I get my arginine from bone broth and jello. Good point you have there, I never even thought to mention that.

With energy drinks, the sugar is actually causes inflammation while the taurine is anti-inflammatory. So, you do not get the benefit of the taurine, it is all used up by the sugar in the drink. Sugar and caffeine are adjuvants. How both work is different though, even though they both donate hydrogen the effect on things is different. Hydrogen is actually what we seem to burn for energy. Methyl from caffeine actually has some opposite effects as sugar in the body when they are both basically made of carbon and hydrogen. Taurine is not necessary to consume as long as you have a good sulfite oxidase enzyme and adequate sulfate and magnesium in your diet. Most people are deficient in magnesium. So many people need to consume adequate taurine which is from meat. The dark meat contains way more taurine usually. Every muscle in an animal has different chemical properties, vitamins and minerals and other chemistry is different between muscles.

Eggs over easy or sunny side up contain taurine, and fish has a high amount, but cooking the meat too long causes something to happen, it doesn't work as well from what I have been reading. It probably gets bound to something.

a reply to: Skywatcher2011

So there seems to be a relationship between a somewhat unhealthy diet and symptoms of depression.

The problem with that there is many causes of depression, people drown their sorrows in food but that's the effect, not the cause in many cases. If you were bullied in middle school or you might take to the chips n' dip or dig into the ice cream after your wife or husband left you.

But I will agree that eating vegetables does work. Brussels sprouts, parsley, anything green is good. Sure Brussels sprouts is a form of biological warfare (I'm a gentleman but I think you catch my whiff) and methinks these food binges could be related to sugar related products and we've all come down from a sugar high.