Unlocking Happiness: How Probiotics for Gut Health Can Elevate Your Mood—New Research Insights!
Recent studies have shed light on the potential benefits of probiotics, including their ability to reduce negative feelings on a daily basis. Probiotics are live microorganisms that can aid in achieving better gut health, possibly leading to improved brain health and mood. However, experts urge that more comprehensive research is essential before endorsing probiotics as a remedy for mood enhancement.
Decades of research indicate that the trillions of microorganisms living in our guts, known as the microbiome, play a crucial role in influencing brain function and overall mood. A recent study published in npj Mental Health Research has indicated that taking specific probiotics may lead to a noticeable improvement in mood over a month. However, the impact of these probiotics on participants’ moods, as determined by psychological assessments, was not statistically significant.
“We don’t know what exactly ‘negative feelings’ means to individuals,” remarked study author Laura Steenbergen, PhD, a clinical psychology professor at Leiden University in the Netherlands. “But that is also what makes this meaningful. This finding may signal that probiotics can help whatever is interpreted as a negative feeling by the individual: anxiety for some, depressed moods or tiredness for others.”
What Are Probiotics?
The food we consume greatly impacts the types of microbes that thrive in our gut and their functions. To enhance health, companies and researchers have begun developing probiotic supplements filled with living microbes. These beneficial microorganisms, when ingested in sufficient amounts, offer various health benefits and are commonly found in capsule or pill form. Probiotics are also abundant in fermented foods like yogurt.
How Might Probiotics Affect Mood?
In the study led by Steenbergen and her colleagues, 88 healthy participants were recruited. Over a month, half of the participants received a daily dose of probiotics, while the other half took a placebo. The probiotics consisted of nine distinct bacterial strains included in the “Ecologic Barrier” mixture produced by Winclove Probiotics, a Dutch company. The participants dissolved a sachet containing all nine bacterial strains in lukewarm water for daily intake.
At both the start and finish of the study, participants filled out ten psychological questionnaires designed to measure emotions and emotional processing, in addition to a bowel complaints questionnaire. They also rated their daily feelings on a scale from 0 to 100 and evaluated their stool quality.
The results revealed that:
- Both the placebo and probiotics groups scored similarly on the psychological questionnaires.
- Participants in both groups displayed comparable daily positive mood scores.
However, those consuming probiotics noted a reduction in negative mood after just two weeks. This divergence between daily mood scores and psychological evaluation scores suggests a need for more sensitive tools to measure mood effectively.
“[The study] does speak [to] an interesting concept: that we can’t use just standardized symptom screens to look at the effects of some of these compounds,” stated Valerie Taylor, MD, PhD, a psychiatry professor at the University of Calgary Cumming School of Medicine. “Looking day to day and asking people more about how they feel they are doing is important.”
A Need for More Research
Despite the intriguing findings, this study has certain limitations. For one, the participant pool was relatively small and the intervention lasted only four weeks. Taylor indicated that longer studies could be essential to uncover more subtle effects of probiotics on mood.
The researchers also did not analyze fecal samples from participants, leaving uncertainty about how probiotics influenced their gut microbiome and impacted negative mood reduction.
“For many people, the probiotic bacteria do not colonize the gut,” Taylor explained. “But we don’t know if that’s necessary to see a beneficial effect.” Another question remains regarding the specific strains of probiotics used: Can all probiotic supplements decrease negative feelings, or is there something unique about the nine strains tested in this study? Steenbergen responded, “We don’t know. But it does form a hypothesis for future research.”
Probiotics and the Gut-Brain Connection
The evidence regarding probiotics and brain health is still mixed. Some studies indicate a mild impact, while others show no significant results. Nevertheless, researchers are aware that the building blocks of neurotransmitters— chemical messages in the brain—are predominantly synthesized in the gut.
The gut-brain connection may also transmit information through the vagus nerve, impacting immune and stress responses, among other mechanisms. Whether a healthy gut leads to a healthy brain and improved mood remains an open question. However, existing research establishes a link between prebiotics and probiotics to enhanced mental health, mood, and cognitive function.
Should You Take Probiotics to Boost Your Mood?
Currently, experts like Slykerman and Taylor do not universally endorse the intake of probiotic supplements for mood improvement, as the evidence remains inconclusive. “Certain probiotics will have a positive influence on certain aspects of mood, but we’re still unsure which strains work effectively for which individuals,” Slykerman noted.
Interestingly, for some individuals, probiotics can yield more adverse effects than benefits, leading to:
- Gastrointestinal issues like bloating, nausea, and diarrhea
- Brain fog
- Small intestine bacterial overgrowth
If you are considering trying probiotics, Slykerman recommends selecting a multi-species probiotic with a microbe count in the billions. However, do bear in mind that the regulation of probiotic supplements varies by region, making it difficult to ensure the quality of products. Even if a product claims scientific validation, the studies may not have been conducted on human subjects, warned Slykerman.
Ultimately, there are simpler methods to enhance your gut health. “A healthy diet rich in vegetables, fruits, fiber, and whole grains, while minimizing processed foods, is paramount for gut microbe health,” explained Slykerman. “Moreover, sleep quality, physical activity, and stress management also influence gut composition.”
