Probiotics have been getting a lot of attention recently. These bacteria, which you can consume from fermented foods, yogurt or even pills, are linked to a number of health and wellness benefits, including reducing gastrointestinal distress, urinary tract infections and eczema. But can they improve your mood, too?
Behavior and mental health are complicated. But the short answer, according to my team’s recently published research, is likely yes.
The beneficial bacteria in probiotics become part of a community of other microscopic organisms living in your digestive system called the gut microbiome. Your gut microbiome contains trillions of a diverse range of bacteria, fungi and viruses.
Hundreds of species of bacteria are native to the intestinal tract. Each species can be broken down into hundreds of strains that can also be dramatically different from each other in their metabolism, byproducts and environmental preferences.
This bacterial diversity is why not all probiotics are built the same. Many research groups have shown that specific strains of Lactobacillus have mood-enhancing effects.
But these effects seem to happen only with the right mix of bacteria in the right conditions. For example, a probiotic that can reduce symptoms of stress in someone who is worried about their calculus final may not work in someone with symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.
Probiotics have been getting a lot of attention recently. These bacteria, which you can consume from fermented foods, yogurt or even pills, are linked to a number of health and wellness benefits, including reducing gastrointestinal distress, urinary tract infections and eczema. But can they improve your mood, too?
Behavior and mental health are complicated. But the short answer, according to my team’s recently published research, is likely yes.
The beneficial bacteria in probiotics become part of a community of other microscopic organisms living in your digestive system called the gut microbiome. Your gut microbiome contains trillions of a diverse range of bacteria, fungi and viruses.
Hundreds of species of bacteria are native to the intestinal tract. Each species can be broken down into hundreds of strains that can also be dramatically different from each other in their metabolism, byproducts and environmental preferences.
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