“Gut-brain axis. Gut-brain axis. Gut-brain axis.”
A phrase every pastor should learn, followed by:
“Please see a doctor.”
The gut-brain axis is, to simplify, a bidirectional pathway where the brain communicates issues to the gut and the gut to the brain.
As for the gut to the brain part, there’s tons of academic literature on how acutely the bacteria in our gut can affect mood disorders.
Now a brand new study, published in Nature Genetics, further confirms a unique link between the bacteria, Morganella, and depression.
The gist, as explained on Science.org.
Méric’s team also explored which genetic variants might affect the abundance of certain microbes—and which of those variants were linked to 46 common diseases. When it came to depression, two bacteria that cause infections in hospitalized patients, Morganella and Kiebdiella, seemed to play a causal role, the researchers say. One of them, Morganella, was significantly increased in a microbial survey of the 181 people in the study who later developed depression.
And this isn’t the first time Morganella’s been flagged.
As far back as 2008, researchers investigating a possible link between depression and inflammation found depressed people had stronger immune responses to chemicals produced by Morganella and other gram-negative bacteria in the gut. Thus, the newest study seems to be “further proof” that inflammation caused by gut microbes can influence mood, Gilbert says.
That being said, researchers still don’t know how to eliminate Morganella.
If they could figure that out, perhaps a supplement would be in order.
Finally, it’s important to note that the study suggests that diet and genetics significantly affect the microbiome.
This is why nutritionists, who often claim that you can eat your way out of the darkness (I’m being hyperbolic, but you know), don’t offer the whole picture, at all.
For some, diet seems to really help.
Me? I’ve tried nearly every one out there, and while my body responds positively, my mood doesn’t really seem to budge whether I’ve had two months of Big Macs or two months of DEEP, WILD-CAUGHT, FRESH, NORDIC, SALMON OF THE VIKINGS.
But everyone is different, science suggests I’m an anomaly, and eating well is certainly tremendous and something to shoot for, for many reasons.
And so, here, via WebMD, is a good list of food that science seems to suggest fights depression.
Along with the proviso, that researchers still aren’t entirely sure whether depression leads you to eat poorly (and therefore develop nutrient deficiencies) or whether the deficiencies themselves lead to the depression. Or perhaps something of both.
[Painting: La Melancolie, Lagrenee]
