Anxiety begins in the intestines

Research on the gut microbiome is still an emerging field, but that does not mean that we will be able to enjoy all kinds of new discoveries about how our set of bacteria helps us function. For example, new research this week has suggested a link between the population of intestinal bacteria and our mental health. Although the discovery is still preliminary – and we still have a lot to learn – it raises interesting questions about whether or not regulating bacteria in the gut affects anxiety. And if that is the case, would better regulation of this microbiome with the help of items such as probiotics could it improve the mood?

In an attempt to answer this question, among others, a team of researchers in China conducted a meta-study of 21 published studies badyzing more than 1,500 subjects. About two-thirds of the studies focused on the various effects of probiotics on the gut microbiome. The other third of the studies looked at whether and how non-probiotic interventions, such as dietary changes, could have an effect. Finally, the 21 studies included a way to measure anxiety symptoms one way or the other.

Interestingly, the results of the meta-study found that only 36% of probiotic trials successfully reduced the symptoms of anxiety. However, 86% of non-probiotic interventions have been shown to be effective. The researchers then concluded that while we have the ability to regulate intestinal flora in both ways, the non-probiotic intervention is significantly better than that involving probiotics.

The study also poses three hypotheses about why non-probiotic intervention was more than twice as effective as probiotic interventions. First, the stdy suggests that intestinal bacteria are, for the most part, fed by the foods we consume, because diet can fundamentally regulate the growth of various bacterial populations in the body. Secondly, the study indicates that the 14 probiotic studies involved used a wide variety of bacterial species among themselves. This had varying effects on the microbiome. Finally, the study suggests that the brevity of most studies, often no more than two months, limits the observation of the direct impact that probiotic bacteria may have over time.

Although the studies do not provide definitive conclusions, the meta-study offers a new insight into how our physical health is related to our mental and emotional health. This will certainly lead to further investigation and, perhaps, to the development of diet- or supplement-based anxiety treatment methods rather than medication.

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