New Study: Probiotics May Help Ease Pain of Negative Thoughts/Depression.

From ScienceDaily.

Linking probiotics and mood

Probiotics are live microorganisms which, when administered in adequate amounts, are fundamental in improving digestion and immune function.  A new study found that people focus less on bad feelings and experiences from the past (i.e. rumination) after four weeks of probiotics administration.   The study was published in the journal, Brain, Behavior and Immunity.   

In the study, half of the people received a placebo powder, while the other half received the probiotics mixture.  Compared to subjects who received the placebo intervention, participants who received the  multispecies probiotics intervention showed significantly reduced ruminative thoughts. Colzato: “Even if preliminary, these results provide the first evidence that the intake of probiotics may help reduce negative thoughts associated with sad mood. As such, our findings shed an interesting new light on the potential of probiotics to serve as adjuvant or preventive therapy for depression.”  READ MORE

For more information on how your gut, “your second brain”, affects mood, check out this article from Scientific American.  Think Twice: How the Gut’s Second Brain Influences Mood and Well-Being.