Why not try these?
Why not try these?
In researching gut health, we find that there is a wealth of literature on the link between the digestive system and mental health.
The scientific term for this link between the digestive system and mental health is called the “brain-gut axis. The brain-gut axis indicates that the quality of our gut flora (the bacteria that live in our digestive tract) and our mood have an interactive relationship.
In this article, we will take a closer look at “psychobiotics,” which may be effective in improving mental health, from the British version of Women’s Health.
What are psychobiotics?
Here’s one case study that illustrates this connection: a 2013 study found that taking a certain type of probiotic (a live microorganism that produces useful effects when taken in the right amounts) led to a breakthrough: brain activity was significantly altered and mood was less depressed than when taking a placebo pill.
Since then, the hypothesis has been floating around that improving the gut in some way will also improve mental health.
Psychobiotics” is one such “method. While it sounds cool, the meaning of the word is simple: psychobiotics are “probiotics aimed at improving mental health. The term was coined by an Irish research team in 2013. Incidentally, this research team has recently received a great deal of attention for their encapsulation of prebiotics (dietary fiber that feeds good bacteria and allows them to multiply).
What is the scientific opinion on psychobiotics?
Portrait of laughing young woman with curly hair against white wall. According to Dr. Megan Rossi, a gut fellow and nutritionist who is the author of Eat More, Live Well, there are more than 20 studies that have examined the effects of probiotics on mental health, particularly anxiety and depression.
But there is no solid support for their effects. There are many studies that show the efficacy of probiotics for depression, but there are just as many that don’t,” Dr. Rossi said. Therefore, until more large-scale human studies are conducted, the efficacy of probiotics cannot be determined.
What we do know for now is that probiotics are strong in actual clinical practice. That is, people with severe mood swings and diagnosed depression are more likely to benefit from probiotics. Conversely, as far as anxiety is concerned, studies to date have shown no significant effect.
What else should I know?
It is worth mentioning that different types of probiotic strains were used in each study. Naturally, different strains of bacteria act differently. This is why probiotic manufacturers also clearly state the type of strain, such as Lactobacillus sirota or Bifidobacterium bifidum, on their products.
Therefore, at this point, it must be said that further research should be conducted on the effects of individual strains and combinations of different strains. There is also a need to explore the effects of strains that have not yet been analyzed.
The key is the specificity of the strains. According to Dr. Rossi, the strain to be used depends on the severity of the person’s mental illness. A person who is hospitalized for depression requires a different treatment than someone who is taking antidepressants and living a normal life.
The labor involved in isolating and combining strains of bacteria and vice versa is not to be underestimated and seems tedious just to think about it. Besides, the composition of the intestinal flora is unique to each person, so even if the severity of the person’s mental illness and the type of strain most effective for that mental illness are known, a custom-made psychobiotic that takes into account the composition of the person’s intestinal flora is needed.
Is there a future for psychobiotics?
As mentioned earlier, it is hard to say until larger-scale studies show specifically that “these probiotics work for these people. But, according to Dr. Rossi, it is highly likely that the next five years will reveal the type of strains of bacteria (i.e., psychobiotics) that are effective for specific psychiatric disorders.
If this happens, psychobiotics could be used to treat psychiatric disorders in parallel with a fiber-rich diet consisting mainly of natural plant foods (a therapy that has been clinically proven to be very effective for people with depression).
If you have mental health-related concerns, talk to your family doctor or a specialist.
And if you want to energize your mind through gut health, focus on a wider range of natural and plant-based foods than usual. Make time for exercise, don’t neglect sleep, and relax your brain-gut axis with deep breathing, yoga, and meditation to relieve stress. Also we recommend colon drink, this is probably the best probiotic drink on the market. You will not find this product at walmart or kroger. So, don’t miss a chance to try our colon drink.
