How a Psychobiotic Diet Boosts Mental Health

Nurturing our microbes could be key to resolving mental illness for many, research suggests

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The notion of an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other influencing our mental state may have a microbial connection.

However, the culprits aren’t necessarily tiny invisible beings murmuring in your ears; they could be microscopic organisms inhabiting your gut.

Mounting evidence reveals that the trillions of microbes in your gut wield immense influence over brain function.

Balanced Gut Flora Key to a Healthy Mind

Maintaining a balanced gut microbiome is pivotal for a healthy mind.

Key to that effort are both prebiotics, which are specialized dietary fibers that nourish beneficial gut bacteria, and probiotics, which are live microorganisms found in food and are often referred to as “good” bacteria. These bacteria are also found in the gut as part of the gut microbiome, and eating probiotics can help supplement their numbers.

The gut microbiome can be considered “the key” to a healthy and happy life, Dr. Ajeet Kumar, a gastroenterologist and telehealth provider at iCliniq, told The Epoch Times. A “lack or imbalance” could severely affect not only physical health, but also mental state.

Imbalanced gut microbiota disrupts the gut-brain axis, impacting neurotransmitter production and stress response, and thus contributing to chronic issues such as anxiety, depression, and cognitive decline.

There’s also evidence that certain substances can adversely affect gut bacteria, changing how well we think in the long term.

One cohort study monitored the health of 14,542 female nurses in the United States over four years. It found that nurses who took antibiotics for more than two months scored lower on cognitive tests that involved learning, memory, and attention than those who hadn’t used antibiotics. Even more notably, the cognition of antibiotic users was still impaired at a seven-year follow-up. Researchers hypothesize that these cognitive declines may be due to antibiotic-induced microbiome changes. Specifically, antibiotics appear to reduce microbial diversity and resilience in the gut, which can impact gut-brain axis communication.

Mental Benefits of a Psychobiotic Diet

Psychobiotics are live microorganisms that positively impact mental health when consumed in adequate amounts. The diet focuses on foods rich in probiotics, such as fermented foods; prebiotics; and other nutrients linked to mood improvement.

Stress

As scientific understanding of the gut-brain connection expands, new research indicates that a “psychobiotic” diet may be a promising treatment for mood disorders such as depression.

A recent trial randomized 45 participants into either a psychobiotic diet group or a control group. Those on the psychobiotic diet were encouraged to eat more whole grains, fruits, vegetables, fermented foods, and legumes. They were also advised to limit sweets, fast food, and sugary drinks.

After four weeks, the psychobiotic diet group displayed a 32 percent decrease in perceived stress, surpassing the control group’s 17 percent reduction. Better adherence to the diet was associated with more significant improvements.

Probiotic supplements containing Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus strains significantly reduced psychological distress and physiological stress markers compared to a placebo in a randomized controlled trial of healthy adults.

Depression

Antidepressants are the typical first-line treatment for major depressive disorder (MDD). However, almost 70 percent of patients don’t achieve remission after initial treatment, and up to 30 percent don’t respond at all. New research indicates that probiotics may help restore MDD patients’ mental health.

Recent research (pdf) that’s still in the preprint stage reveals that there are apparent differences between the gut microbiota of those with psychological disorders and those without. The microbiome is a “plausible target for the treatment and prevention of depressive symptoms,” the study authors stated.

New evidence from an eight-week trial that involved 50 participants with MDD found that those who used probiotic supplements with 14 strains of beneficial bacteria showed reduced symptoms of depression and anxiety after four weeks.

“This is the first trial in a Western population to demonstrate the safety, acceptability, and therapeutic potential of a readily available and scalable probiotic intervention in patients with MDD,” the study authors wrote, acknowledging that further investigation of probiotics as an add-on treatment for people struggling with depression is needed.

Processing Emotions

A 2013 randomized, controlled study found that regularly consuming probiotics could influence brain activity associated with the control and processing of emotions in healthy women.

Researchers divided 36 women aged 18 to 55 into three groups. One group ate yogurt with probiotics twice daily for four weeks. Another ate a dairy product such as yogurt without probiotics. The third group ate neither.

Brain scans conducted before and after the four-week experiment showed that only the probiotic group had enhanced connections between the periaqueductal gray, a brainstem region that modulates pain response, and areas tied to cognition, emotion, and sensation.

What to Eat on a Psychobiotic Diet

Maintaining a healthy microbiome involves multiple strategies.

Dr. Kumar recommends the following:

• Eating fermented foods such as yogurt, kombucha, miso, and sauerkraut.
• Eating prebiotic foods, including bananas, oats, and asparagus, to promote the growth of beneficial bacteria.
• Breastfeeding infants for at least six months to develop their gut microbiome.
• Consuming high-fiber foods such as chickpeas, lentils, and whole grains to promote diversity in gut bacteria types.

On a tastier note, compounds called polyphenols found in plant-based foods, such as blueberries and dark chocolate, can also nurture a healthy microbiome. Polyphenols impact the gut microbiota by boosting the proliferation of beneficial bacteria.

A psychobiotic diet may benefit mental health by supporting gut microbiome health, but it may not treat severe mental disorders alone. By taking a holistic approach focused on your gut bacteria, you may note improvements in mood, anxiety, and general well-being.