For many years, we have understood that there is a connection between the gut, brain, and overall health. Hippocrates is famously quoted as saying “all disease begins in the gut.” This should not come as a surprise to anyone who has ever experienced gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms like diarrhea, indigestion, or abdominal discomfort in response to changes in their emotional state. The gut and brain communicate through neural, endocrine and immune pathways. It has become increasingly clear that interactions with intestinal microbiota play an important part in this communication.
Even high-quality animal models are limited in what they can tell us about any drug or supplement’s impact on human mood and behaviors. That’s why human randomized, placebo-controlled trials are so important. Such studies have now been carried out using the probiotic Lactobacillus helveticus R0052 and Bifidobacterium longum R0175 combination.
A human study of 55 participants with mild depression or anxiety, ages 30 to 60, was conducted to determine the effects of the probiotic combination on anxiety, depression, stress, and coping strategies. Subjects were given 3 billion colony-forming-units (CFUs) of the probiotic, or a placebo, for 30 days.
The probiotic-supplemented subjects had a significantly larger drop in measures of anxiety and depression than did placebo recipients as follows:
Link to the study discussed above:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20974015
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