Can pre and probiotics improve mental health?
As we have seen earlier, a number of studies have shown that there is an inextricable bidirectional pathway that links the gut and the brain: the gut-brain axis. In other words, what happens in the gut microbiota significantly affects the way the brain operates.
Anxiety, depression and poor cognitive process can be the result of an impoverished, or less diverse microbiome, also known as gut microbiota or gut flora, resulting in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis being off balance and less prone to efficiently respond to external stressors entering what is known as dysbiotic state. In fact, through the enteric nervous system (ENS) - dubbed the second brain - the bacteria present in the gut lining send messages to the spinal cord and the brain.
For that reason, the lack of diversity in the gut microbiota, dysbiosis, due to a diet poor in probiotics - which are beneficial live bacteria - and prebiotics or synbiotics - non-digestible food components that stimulate the growth and activity of good bacteria - can influence gut neurotransmitters making us less able to deal with everyday stress and more likely to send the sympathetic nervous system - part of the autonomic nervous system that prepares the body response to events - in an overdrive mode, activating an exaggerated “fight or flight response”, resulting in more anxiety.
Given that more than 50% of dopamine and 95% of serotonin - the happiness hormones - are produced in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract it is not surprising that an increasing number of people who struggle with mental health try to improve their situation by trying what are known as “psychobiotics”.
Psychobiotics can help in fighting off mild depression but restoring gut balance.
Of course diet is not the only factor affecting our mood, lack of exercises as well significantly lowers the production of serotonin and dopamine making us feel more lethargic.
It’s a vicious cycle that can be addressed right from the start by making simple lifestyle changes: diet and physical activity. This doesn’t mean that depression can be fought off without the use of proper medication, but that mild depression can be helped also with a more diverse gut microbiome and, that even the adequate medications need to be accompanied by a proper diet that takes into consideration the brain-gut axis.
As we have seen, a diet rich in anti-inflammatory foods and physical exercise can also lead to a better state of mind and improved cognitive functions. With that in mind, aside from having a good diet and exercising regularly, I also like to take Semaine Health pre and probiotic supplements which contain simple, but very effective ingredients to keep the gut in balance.
Try it and let us know what you think!
