Can Probiotics Improve Your Mood? - Vitalitown Selfcare Center

A growing number of studies show that probiotics can do more than just improve your gut health – they can improve your brain health too. While we don’t yet know exactly how they take advantage of the relationship between the gut and brain, there is evidence that probiotics can help reduce symptoms of depression and fatigue, and can even improve sleep.

What are probiotics?

Probiotics are live microorganisms that are safe to consume. They can be found in both fermented foods and dietary supplements and are often referred to as “good bacteria.”

We have trillions of bacteria in our gut that are beneficial to our bodies, working symbiotically with other systems, so it makes sense to support them with probiotics. For example, researchers have found evidence that certain gut bacteria can help regulate cholesterol and manage the symptoms of digestive diseases. There is also ongoing research into the role that probiotics can play in the body’s inflammatory response and regulation of hormones. And there’s evidence that physical and emotional stress can negatively impact your gut bacteria.

Over the last decade, we’ve discovered that our gut health – and more specifically our microbiome – can be a good indication of our overall well-being. In addition, the gut and the brain are connected by something called the gut-brain axis. This means that events which put stress on the gut can also affect the brain and, by extension, our mood.

The Importance of the Gut-Brain Axis

The bacteria that live in our gut communicate with our brain through signals. These signals are relayed by the vagus nerve in our gastrointestinal (GI) tract. The gastrointestinal tract – which includes the mouth, esophagus, stomach, and intestines – has the most amount of living bacteria in any part of the body. It’s where enzymes and acids process what we eat and drink, and these cells work along with gut bacteria to influence how our food is digested and how well nutrients are absorbed by our bodies.

The vagus nerve links the GI tract, heart, and lungs to a part of the brain called the hypothalamus. And the hypothalamus controls functions such as hunger and thirst, hormone release, and some emotions. Since the brain is such a complex structure, the hypothalamus doesn’t act alone in regulating emotions – it can also affect other regions of the brain like the amygdala, which triggers responses such as fear and anger.

The relationship between the gut and the brain is more formally referred to as the microbiota-gut-brain (MGB) axis and it also includes the nervous system, the endocrine system, and the immune system.

Good VS Bad Bacteria

While at first the brain-gut connection seems like an unlikely relationship, it makes sense if you realize that all bacteria produce chemical signals in the body and it’s the brain’s job to be able to distinguish the good from the bad. When the brain senses bad bacteria, it will mount an immune response, or we may help it along with antibiotics.

In the case of good bacteria, the goal is to add more until an ideal balance is achieved, hence the use of probiotics. But researchers haven’t yet identified the exact pathways at work or the precise measurements of good bacteria we need.

How Does Your Gut Affect Your Mood?

As you’ve read, probiotics can work on the brain indirectly via the gut-brain axis. And it’s a two-way street. The brain can also influence the microbiome.

This is where another axis in the body comes into play. It’s called the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and it links the nervous system to the endocrine system. What’s relevant here is that it helps control our body’s response to stress through the production of a hormone called cortisol.

Cortisol helps the body react to stress. If cortisol production is stifled, our bodies don’t have the energy they need to react to stressful situations and this can affect our physiology and our mood for days, weeks, or even years.

As you may have guessed, there is a connection between the HPA and MGB axes since they both involve the brain. So when the brain sends signals of fear and panic, this stress response can harm gut bacteria. If things are bad enough, it can reduce the diversity of those trillions of bacteria in the microbiome and lead to changes in the brain. It has been linked to depression, although researchers are still trying to determine exactly how that works. We still don’t know exactly what happens in the brain during depressive episodes.

How Probiotics Can Help Improve Mood

It should be clear by now exactly what pathways connect the gut microbiome to the brain and how bacteria can affect mood. And it should make sense that if your gut bacteria are under attack or unbalanced due to illness, stress, a bad diet, etc. that it’s important to remedy the situation. That’s why researchers believe that probiotic therapies can help.

Many studies are underway to try and pin down exactly what sort of probiotics might be helpful in regulating mood. One study found that people taking a multispecies probiotic for 4 weeks reduced negative thoughts associated with sadness. Because negative rumination (a marker of depression) declined, the researchers believe that probiotics may help prevent depression.

In addition to depression, probiotics have been found to have a beneficial effect on the following conditions, all of which affect mood:

Stress
Anxiety
Anger
Cognitive fatigue
Memory
Sleep quality

Further research

While there are dozens of studies showing a strong connection between probiotics and the regulation of mood, we still don’t have conclusive evidence regarding exactly how it works. But this is partly because we understand so little about diseases like depression.

Many studies have been conducted on rodents, so the results are still pending human trials. Often, these preliminary human trials are small, which can be another barrier to declaring conclusive proof. But the positive results from previous efforts have brought the benefits of probiotics to the attention of more researchers who are now conducting larger studies.

Choosing the Right Probiotic

While there are many studies showing the positive effects of probiotics on mood, the means of administering those probiotics differ in each one.

It’s important to keep in mind that there are hundreds of different bacterial strains that are classified as probiotics. And since they are supplements, they are not FDA-regulated. That means it’s important to do your research on what strains might be right for you as well as trustworthy companies that produce probiotic supplements.

Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium are two of the most common species used in supplements, and each has various strains. They can be used together but can come in different strengths and formulations. It’s best to talk to your doctor about the symptoms you’d like to address and which strains might be right for you.

Non-supplement probiotics

Because probiotic supplements can be of questionable quality, doctors recommend trying to get at least some of your probiotic intake from fermented foods.

Fermented foods containing probiotics include:

Sauerkraut
Yogurt
Kefir
Kimchi
Kombucha
Fermented Pickles

Prebiotic foods

While probiotic foods help increase the diversity of your gut bacteria, it’s the job of prebiotics to help those bacteria thrive.

Prebiotic foods include:

Onions
Garlic
Whole grains
Bananas
Beans

Starting a Probiotic Regimen for Mood

Each of us has a unique microbiome. The diversity of our gut bacteria is based on everything from our diet to our environmental conditions and even our upbringing and location. That means there’s likely no “one size fits all” solution to balancing your microbiome using probiotics. It requires some experimentation with quality products.

To start with, if you’re choosing a supplement, you should look for products which state that they contain live and active bacterial cultures. The product should also have at least 1 billion colony forming units, which is the number of live and active microorganisms in one serving.

If you’re unsure what type of bacteria to look for, a general rule is to buy a product that includes well-researched probiotics.

These include:

Lactobacillus
Bifidobacterium

It’s also important to remember that once you get the bacteria in your body, you need them to thrive. That means you should increase your intake of fermentable fiber with prebiotic foods or supplements.

Takeaways

Patience is key.

Like most treatments, you won’t see results overnight. It takes most people 2-3 weeks to see significant benefits, so be sure to remain patient before giving up on whatever brand and strain you’ve decided to use. You’re looking to increase your good bacteria, decrease your bad bacteria, and take advantage of multiple pathways in the body that need some time to readjust.

But with some patience, you could be well on your way to improving your overall health and mood.