Probiotics – live microbes that live in your gut and support its health – have become a popular treatment for digestive issues. But as it turns out, probiotics might also help with depression and other mental health issues.

Just take a look at this recent review from BMJ Nutrition, Prevention and Health. In it, researchers found that adults with depression and/or anxiety disorders showed significant improvements after taking probiotics.

While it wasn’t clear how probiotics were able to do that, the researchers had two theories. First, the probiotics might have helped stop the production of pro-inflammatory chemicals like cytokines. Inflammation is believed to worsen or even trigger the development of depression.

Their second idea was that the probiotics might have eased preexisting conditions common among people who have depression, such as irritable bowel syndrome, thereby influencing how they experience depression.

However, both theories have little evidence to support them. The review also did not look at whether or not the probiotics’ beneficial effects on depression were due to specific strains. Therefore, the next step now is to study specific strains of probiotics to better understand their effects on mental health issues like depression.

Boost gut health with probiotics

Even if you don’t have a mental health disorder, it pays to eat more foods rich in probiotics. For one, probiotics help maintain the balance between the good and the bad bacteria in your gut.

Your gut houses trillions of bacteria, both good and bad. But the main reason you don’t get sick from infections despite the presence of bad bacteria is that the good bacteria keep them in check.

Therefore, people who frequently suffer from digestive problems like constipation, diarrhea and gas likely have imbalanced guts, meaning their bad gut bacteria outnumber their good ones.

Here are some of the other telltale signs of an imbalanced gut to look out for:

• Mood swings – Your gut microbiome plays an extremely important role in your mental health. Even if you don’t develop depression, you’ll likely experience frequent mood swings if your gut is unhealthy.
• Poor concentration – Your mood isn’t the only thing that poor gut health can affect. Studies find that having an imbalanced gut can negatively affect key cognitive functions like learning and memory as well.
• Skin problems – Poor gut health can also show as bad skin. That’s because your skin has its own store of bacteria that keep it healthy. The bacteria in your gut affects the balance of bacteria on your skin.
• Cravings – Different types of gut microbes like different types of foods. And it just so happens that bad bacteria thrive on sugar. So if you have an unhealthy gut, you’re more likely to get sugar cravings.
• Chronic fatigue – Research shows that people who struggle with chronic fatigue have abnormal levels of different gut bacteria, which negatively affect their body’s natural sleep-wake cycle.
• Weight gain – People who are overweight or obese tend to have less diverse groups of bacteria in their guts than those who aren’t.
• Autoimmune diseases – Having an unhealthy gut can put you at risk of immune abnormalities, such as Type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis and autoimmune liver disease.

Probiotic breakfast bowl recipe

Jumpstart your digestion first thing in the morning with this probiotic breakfast bowl. Featuring quinoa, hemp seeds and avocado, among other superfoods, this breakfast bowl is sure to do wonders for gut health.

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 4 eggs
• 2 scallions
• 1 medium avocado
• 4 cups baby spinach
• 1 3/4 cups water
• 1 cup quinoa
• 1 cup Greek yogurt
• 1 cup fermented cabbage
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 4 teaspoons hemp seeds
• Kosher salt

Preparation:

1. Rinse the quinoa and place it in a saucepan. Pour the water and add a generous pinch of salt. Bring it to a boil. Reduce heat and cook, uncovered, for 10–12 minutes. Once tender, remove from the heat, cover and let steam for 5 minutes.
2. Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Then cook the spinach, tossing frequently, for 1–2 minutes or until wilted. Divide this into 4 serving bowls. Wipe the pan clean.
3. Heat the remaining oil and cook the eggs for 2 minutes or until the whites are set. Season with a pinch of salt.
4. Divide the cooked quinoa between the bowls. Top each one with a fried egg and fermented cabbage. Slice the avocado and scallions and divide them between the bowls. Finish with yogurt and hemp seeds.

Probiotics are essential for good gut health. But new research shows these beneficial microbes might help treat mental health disorders like depression, too. To reap the benefits of probiotics, eat more fermented foods or, if advised by a professional, take probiotic supplements.

Sources:

Edition.CNN.com

PsychologyToday.com

MindBodyGreen.com

TheKitchn.com