There’s already loads of research suggesting that your gut bacteria has a big influence on your mental health.
And Discover Magazine has a terrific write-up on how that might help inform future mental health treatments.
The crux is this: Research has shown an undeniable gut-brain connection, and many of the bacteria in our gut are related to our dopamine and serotonin levels, which play a big role in our moods.
Scientists are trying to figure out which gut bacteria are most influential, and then they can create strains of probiotics that can, theoretically, boost production of the bacteria that boosts your mood.
Some of the most interesting studies, so far, involve mice (of course).
Just five weeks after giving depressed, stressed mice a particular gut microbe, the mice started behaving like happy, well-adjusted, vigorous and vital mice.
They ran around more, explored more, interacted, basically lived their best mouse-life.
Meanwhile, researchers gave happy mice some stressed-mice bacteria, and suddenly the happy mice stopped running around and exploring.
There have been a number of promising studies on humans, as well, and researchers are now putting together rigorous trials that will hopefully help us figure out, definitively, what strains of bacteria work best for mood disorders.
Read the article here.
