Resources

• There is a growing number of clinical studies, research reports and published articles about the microbiome and it’s role in supporting health. We have provided a few resource links that outline these issues and how the microbiome affects emotional well-being. This should get you started if you are interested in the science, but we welcome your feedback and would love to share many more resources.

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• Feeling Depressed? Bacteria in Your Gut May Be to BlameDr. Robynne Chutkan on the microbiome
• Tim Spector discusses differences in microbiome (epigenetics)
• The Gut Microbiome and The Brain explores the various mechanisms through which the microbiome can influence the brain: by stimulating and over-stimulating the immune system, producing neurotoxic agents, releasing hormones or neurotransmitters identical to those made by the human body, or through direct neuronal stimulation that sends signals to the brain.
• Directing psychobiotic ‘talk’ via gut-brain network is key to neurological benefits. This review — published in Cell — discusses the most effective ways of implanting brain-altering bacteria in the gut to provide mental benefits.
• Your gut is directly connected to your brain, by a newly discovered neuron circuit.
• The emerging role of the microbial-gastrointestinal-neural axis
• Stress & the gut-brain axis: Regulation by the microbiome
• When Gut Bacteria Change Brain Function. This article in The Atlantic shows how some researchers believe that the microbiome may play a role in regulating how people think and feel.
• The microbiota composition of the human gut changes with age, and alterations in this composition influence human health.
• Diet affects the make-up of the microbiome
• Diet Rapidly and Reproducibly Alters the Human Gut Microbiome. There is growing concern that recent lifestyle innovations, most notably the high-fat/high-sugar ‘Western’ diet, have altered the genetic composition and metabolic activity of our resident microorganisms
• What The Bacteria In Your Gut Have To Do With Your Physical And Mental Health
• The Tantalizing Links between Gut Microbes and the Brain. Neuroscientists are probing the idea that intestinal microbiota might influence brain development and behavior.
• This study shows healthy individuals found significant improvements in day-to-day depression, anger, anxiety, as well as lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol in those taking a particular probiotic compared to those taking placebo.
• The Surprising Link Between Gut Bacteria And Anxiety
• Effects of regulating intestinal microbiota on anxiety symptoms: A systematic review
• Compared to participants who received the placebo intervention, the participants in this study who received the 4-week multispecies probiotics intervention showed a significantly reduced overall cognitive reactivity to sad mood, which was largely accounted for by reduced rumination and aggressive thoughts.
• Chronic gut disorders are associated with higher rates of anxiety and depression. This well-publicized study in mice suggested a possible role for probiotics in reducing anxiety associated with gut inflammation.
• Probiotics have a ‘positive effect’ on stress and anxiety. This meta-analysis shows probiotic consumption may have advantageous effects on mental health by lessening the psychological symptoms of perceived stress, depression and anxiety.
• Probiotics show potential against stress-related conditions. The link between gut and brain may extend to reducing stress, as data from animal and human studies show a reduction in anxiety following probiotic supplementation.
• What Your Gut Bacteria Say About You
• Research suggests consuming probiotics during puberty may help build resistance to anxiety, depression later in life
• This animal study found that when anxious mice were given gut bacteria from mice who were not anxious, they experienced less anxiety and changes in their brain chemistry.
• Clinical and metabolic response to probiotic administration in patients with major depressive disorder: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial
• A Possible Link Between Gut Bacteria and PTSD. Could bacteria in your gut be used to cure or prevent neurological conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety or even depression? Two researchers sponsored by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) think that’s a strong possibility.
• A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study of a probiotic in emotional symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome.
• The Stomach Bacteria That Could Prolong Your Life
• Animal models and clinical trials in humans suggest that probiotics can have an anxiolytic effect. This study looked at its role in social anxiety.
• Gut Bacteria Plays a Role in Brain Protection. The journal article provides evidence that our native microbes contributes to the mechanism that closes the blood-brain barrier before birth and supports the belief that the molecules that cross the blood-brain barrier can be influenced by gut microbes.
• Gut Bacteria Help Regulate Inflammation In The Brain