Probiotics can help treat depression

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Probiotics, "Good bacteria" often claimed to lead to positive health reactions, could play a role in treating depression, according to a new study of 47 volunteers who experienced depressive episodes.

Study participants taking probiotic supplements with antidepressants showed better symptoms of depression than those taking placebo for 31 days.

The researchers also noticed changes caused by probiotics in the intestinal flora of those who took them - an increase in lactic acid-producing bacteria. However, monitoring after four weeks showed that the level of these bacteria decreased again during that period, writes "sciencealert".

"Perhaps a four-week treatment period is not enough and it takes a long time to stabilize the new composition of the intestinal flora," said Dr. Ana-Chiara Schaub, a psychiatrist at the University of Basel, Switzerland.

The research deals with something that scientists already know - that the gut and the mixture of bacteria in it can play an important role in our mental health. The team also looked at another previously explored link between depression and the way we process the emotions we encounter in other people.

In people with depression, certain regions of the brain handle this processing differently and are often measured by observing the responses to facial expressions. This study took the same approach, using a scan to see how participants responded to neutral or frightened individuals.

Probiotics have been shown to have an effect here as well - for those taking "good bacteria", the wrong brain processes were normalized. Although the reasons why this happens are not fully explained, the initial signs are positive, the treatment affects several aspects of depression.

The health benefits of probiotics are unclear, and research continues into whether they can do more harm than good. However, based on this small sample, they seem to have at least some potential when it comes to treating people with depression.

The team behind the study emphasizes that in this case probiotics would not act as a treatment in itself, without antidepressants. At present, about two-thirds of patients prescribed antidepressants do not show a significant long-term response.

"With additional knowledge about the specific effect of certain bacteria, it may be possible to optimize bacterial selection and use the best blend to support the treatment of depression," says Dr. Schwab.

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