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Are Probiotics the Secret to Better Mental Health?
In the last decade, the number of people living with mental health conditions has risen by 13%, and 20% of children and adolescents around the world have a mental illness (WHO 2021). It begs the question: why are the rates of mental illness continuing to grow in a century where we have access to so many different medical treatments? Why haven’t we worked out clear ways to reduce the likelihood of mental illnesses occurring in future generations?
In the last decade, the number of people living with mental health conditions has risen by 13%, and 20% of children and adolescents around the world have a mental illness (WHO 2021). It begs the question: why are the rates of mental illness continuing to grow in a century where we have access to so many different medical treatments? Why haven’t we worked out clear ways to reduce the likelihood of mental illnesses occurring in future generations? These questions suggest that maybe the current model of mental health treatment involving psychology and medications isn’t sufficiently holistic in addressing the bigger picture of why people are becoming mentally ill in the first place. To assess mental health holistically, we cannot just look to the brain and do our best to replace the levels of neurotransmitters like serotonin with medications.
Medications are an important part of a mental health treatment plan for many. My emphasis is that we can be doing more.
It may sound strange, but often, mental health starts in the gut. This is due to multidirectional communication via the vagus nerve, creating a feedback loop between the brain, the gut, and the immune system, often referred to as the gut-brain-immune axis. This means that stress can take a toll on our gut health, and poor gut health can provoke our mental health too.
Since the food we eat becomes the building blocks of our body, diet plays an enormous role which is commonly overlooked. Our gut is what receives our food and processes it, and the way we nourish our bodies impacts how our gut may communicate with our brain and immune system. For example, 90% of the serotonin we naturally produce is created in the gut (De Vadder 2018). So, while we can take medicines to increase the reuptake of serotonin, we also need to consider the underlying cause of why the body is struggling to manufacture its own serotonin too!
If only this was as simple as eating more salad.
Increasing anti-oxidant rich foods like fruits and vegetables is a great start, as antioxidants can help to lower inflammation, but our guts need a bit more love than that. Our guts are full of trillions of micro-organisms that play numerous roles in the body. When these microbes are in balance, they function like a well-oiled machine helping to maintain the integrity of the gut lining, support healthy nerve signalling and facilitate neurotransmitter production.
When hydrated and well-fed with prebiotic dietary fibre that suits our individual needs, our gut bacteria help to make neurotransmitters such as serotonin which is important for people with depression, and GABA (Gamma Aminobutyric Acid) which is important for people with anxiety (Strandwitz 2018). This means that a deficiency of neurotransmitters might actually result from a deficiency of certain gut bacteria. If there is not enough gut bacteria producing helpful compounds like SCFAs (Short Chain Fatty Acids), we are susceptible to increased levels of inflammation and a higher likelihood of neurodegeneration (Silva, Bernadi & Frozza 2020).
This entire concept spurs a lot of hope! It means that we may have the power to help our bodies to heal and increase the effectiveness of future mental health treatments with an integrative approach that emphasises the importance of individualised nutrition and probiotic therapy under the guidance of a qualified health professional.
REFERENCES
De Vadder, F, Grasset, E, Holm, L, Karsenty, G, Macpherson, A, Olofsson, L & Backhed, F 2018, Gut Microbiota regulations maturation of the adult enteric nervous system via enteric serotonin networks, PNAS, vol. 115, no. 25, p6458-6463.
Silva, Y, Bernardi, A & Frozza, R 2020, The role of Short-Chain Fatty Acids from Gut Microbiota in Gut-Brain Communication, Frontiers in Endocrinology.
Strandwitz, P 2018, Neurotransmitter Modulation by the Gut Microbiota, Brain Research, vol. 1693, p128-133.
World Health Organisation 2021, Mental Health, https://www.who.int/health-topics/mental-health
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Name:
Celeste Bishop
Pronouns:
she / her
Location:
Gold Coast, Australia
Qualification:
Senior Student Naturopath & Nutritionist (BHSc)
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