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Psychobiotics | The Next Generation of Nutritional Therapeutics for Mental Health

Last Updated on August 14, 2024 by Carol Gillette

Alternative to Meds Editorial Team
Medically Reviewed by Dr Samuel Lee MD

Would you like to know more about psychobiotics, and how gut health can impact mental health? Some groundbreaking research has been filtering up for the last 2 decades, and really it should not be ignored any longer, because the research is AMAZING!!!!!!

One wonders if in a hundred years it will be possible to look back upon this time of prescription drug saturation and rising mental health statistics, and wonder why we didn’t take advantage of better principles and management techniques, when they were literally right under our noses?


Psychobiotics … Finally, Real Help for a Change?
psychobiotics for mental health

Alternative to Meds has taken a nutritional approach to improving mental wellness for nearly 2 decades, and our published evidence well-documents the positive outcomes for our clients. Nutrition is one of the most powerful tools, one of many, in our arsenal of therapeutics applied to mental health. We are glad to see psychobiotics and probiotics are now receiving the attention they truly deserve as safe and effective therapeutics for reducing anxiety, depression, ruminating thoughts, and other unwanted symptoms.
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What are Psychobiotics?

psychobiotics definedYou have likely heard of probiotics, and the benefits of these friendly (nonpathogenic) microorganisms to digestion, healthy skin, and boosting the immune system. Psychobiotics is a term coined by Wall et al in their 2014 paper 20 that describes a special class of probiotics that can be applied specifically to enhance mental wellness. These good bacteria belong to a number of types, or families, namely Lactobacilli, Streptococci, Bifidobacteria, Escherichida, and Enterococci.

The gut, commonly referred to as our “second brain” is the home base of our friendly bacteria. These essential microorganisms have some amazing characteristics! They can communicate with each other within the digestive tract, and also with other living cells in other parts of the body, including neurons in the brain. While more needs to be understood about how they do their jobs, it is known that they positively influence and facilitate efficient neurotransmission across the brain and entire CNS (central nervous system).1-5

The reason psychobiotics have received so much positive attention is that introducing adequate quantities of these microorganisms to the daily diet has been clinically demonstrated to reduce psychiatric and mental health symptoms, such as anxiety, depression, chronic fatigue syndrome, aggressiveness, ruminating thoughts, as well as many others, as outlined in many studies.

Notable Studies on Psychobiotics for Psychiatric Symptoms

Let’s take a brief look at some of these exciting clinical studies. A massive 2023 review of 51 studies involved over 3300 participants, half of whom received probiotics daily for a period of 4 to 24 weeks, and half who received placebo. Those receiving psychobiotics (primarily Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria) showed a dramatic decrease in their symptoms of depression compared to the placebo group.7

Even in the management of IBS-related pain, human studies where probiotics were administered orally to this population produced marked abdominal pain relief.6

Fermented food consumption is a great source of psychobiotics and probiotics. A study from 2015 showed that high consumption of fermented foods significantly lowered social anxiety in participants who suffered from the condition.8

Depression relief was also strongly linked to consumption of probiotics in the diet, according to another 2015 study published in the Korean Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology and Neuroscience.9

Happiness itself is linked to the health of the gut.10

How Do Psychobiotics Compare to Pharmaceutical Antidepressants?

For decades, researchers have explored new ways to not only asses the efficacy of psychobiotics, but also to compare probiotics + diet interventions against the results of taking antidepressant medication. Clinical studies have revealed some fascinating observations. One mouse study published in the 2014 Journal of Neurogastroenterology and Motility compared escitalopram with probiotics and found they both similarly reduced anxiety in the test subjects. However, the additional health benefits associated with the probiotics groups were not observed in the escitalopram group.15

Another example is a study from 2005, published in the Journal of human Psychopharmacology that showed that SSRI antidepressant use over time lowers certain hormone responses that can lead to inflammation and a compromised immune system.16

In contrast, a study from 2012 published in Frontiers in Microbiology showed that probiotics and diet interventions leading to balanced gut health actually boost the immune system, strengthen the ability to fight pathogens. remove allergens, prevent infections, and enhance overall bioavailability of nutrients.17

Pharmaceutical antidepressants may reduce symptoms like depression or anxiety, but they can also cause a concerning number of health problems. Studies show that psychobiotics ENHANCE MENTAL WELLNESS WITHOUT SUCH RISKS.

How Diet Can Improve Mental Wellness

The typical Western diet does not enhance a healthy microbiome, and is associated with obesity, digestive issues, IBS, mental health symptoms, and many other negative impacts on human health.14

gut-friendly foods for mental healthMost doctors are not trained in nutrition for health. A doctor trained in pharmacology will most likely turn to drugs to help the patient deal with unwanted symptoms. In contrast, a holistic health practitioner who is knowledgeable in nutrition will offer strategies that are safe and effective based on diet modification, and supplementation, including psychobiotics to help their patient.

One such strategy is to include adequate short-chain fatty acids in the daily diet. Good sources of short-chain fatty acids include fruits and vegetables, nuts, legumes and many other common foods. It is the fiber in these foods that the body cannot digest, so the fiber is fermented (broken down) in the gut. Through this fermentation the gut produces the psychobiotics that are needed to support overall physical and mental health.12,13

Fermented foods is another very efficient way to introduce adequate probiotics into the body, including sauerkraut, kimchi, miso, sourdough bread, and yogurt. Probiotic supplements are also readily available in health food and most grocery stores. A nutrition-based practitioner might also offer testing to determine more exactly which probiotics would be most beneficial for an individual.

Drinking milk containing lactobacilli is another strategy to consider. A randomized controlled trial involving over 120 healthy volunteers demonstrated that consuming a glass of milk with probiotics for 3 weeks resulted in improved mood in the participants who had previously reported their mood as poor. The worst third of the group reported after 3 weeks described themselves as now “happy” and no longer depressed.21

The Many Roads to Natural Mental Health

There are many safe and effective avenues to improve mood, reduce symptoms, and better one’s mood that don’t involve medications. Certainly medications have a role to play in certain cases, but their efficacy in the general population has come under question, as has a growing concern over side effects that can worsen a person’s overall health.

Through the implementation of psychobiotics, CBT, exercise, improved diet, coaching and counseling, and many other strategies, one can improve one’s mood and overall health in ways that are not harmful.22

Cleansing toxins from the body is another important consideration, as in the presence of toxins, the ability of the cell wall to absorb and distribute nutrients including psychobiotics is diminished.23,24

Alternative to Meds Center’s Nutritional Approach to Treatment

psychobiotics definedAlternative to Meds Center is an inpatient recovery center that treats mental health, medication dependence, and addiction-related issues through holistic treatments that include orthomolecular diet modification, supplementation, lab testing, safe neurotoxin removal, neurotransmitter rehabilitation, medication weaning, IV therapy, and a wide range of other strategies geared toward recovery of natural mental health. Diet and psychobiotics are intimately connected and we want you to reap the benefits!

It is likely that our program is covered (at least in part) by your health insurance, and the center is fully accredited and licensed for residential services. Our staff of over 40 licensed professionals can guide you on your journey back to robust mental health without relying on medication. We are dedicated and compassionate in our service.

Many of our clients may be struggling with prescription medication issues. Thankfully, clients can reduce or even eliminate their medication within a finite period of time, under medical supervision, without suffering lingering withdrawals or discomfort. Please call us for more information about how our program could be the answer you or your loved one has been searching for.

Sources:


1. Sharma R, Gupta D, Mehrotra R, Mago P. Psychobiotics: The Next-Generation Probiotics for the Brain. Curr Microbiol. 2021 Feb;78(2):449-463. doi: 10.1007/s00284-020-02289-5. Epub 2021 Jan 4. PMID: 33394083. [cited 2024 Aug 13]

2. Borre YE, Moloney RD, Clarke G, Dinan TG, Cryan JF. The impact of microbiota on brain and behavior: mechanisms & therapeutic potential. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2014;817:373-403. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4939-0897-4_17. PMID: 24997043. [cited 2024 Aug 13]

3. Oleskin AV, Shenderov BA. Probiotics and Psychobiotics: the Role of Microbial Neurochemicals. Probiotics Antimicrob Proteins. 2019 Dec;11(4):1071-1085. doi: 10.1007/s12602-019-09583-0. PMID: 31493127.  [cited 2024 Aug 13]

4. Dinan TG, Stanton C, Cryan JF. Psychobiotics: a novel class of psychotropic. Biol Psychiatry. 2013 Nov 15;74(10):720-6. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2013.05.001. Epub 2013 Jun 10. PMID: 23759244. [cited 2024 Aug 13]

5. Steenbergen L, Sellaro R, van Hemert S, Bosch JA, Colzato LS. A randomized controlled trial to test the effect of multispecies probiotics on cognitive reactivity to sad mood. Brain Behav Immun. 2015 Aug;48:258-64. doi: 10.1016/j.bbi.2015.04.003. Epub 2015 Apr 7. PMID: 25862297. [cited 2024 Aug 13]

6. Rousseaux C, Thuru X, Gelot A, Barnich N, Neut C, Dubuquoy L, Dubuquoy C, Merour E, Geboes K, Chamaillard M, Ouwehand A, Leyer G, Carcano D, Colombel JF, Ardid D, Desreumaux P. Lactobacillus acidophilus modulates intestinal pain and induces opioid and cannabinoid receptors. Nat Med. 2007 Jan;13(1):35-7. doi: 10.1038/nm1521. Epub 2006 Dec 10. PMID: 17159985. [cited 2024 Aug 13]

7. Mosquera FEC, Lizcano Martinez S, Liscano Y. Effectiveness of Psychobiotics in the Treatment of Psychiatric and Cognitive Disorders: A Systematic Review of Randomized Clinical Trials. Nutrients. 2024 Apr 30;16(9):1352. doi: 10.3390/nu16091352. PMID: 38732599; PMCID: PMC11085935. [cited 2024 Aug 13]

8. Hilimire MR, DeVylder JE, Forestell CA. Fermented foods, neuroticism, and social anxiety: An interaction model. Psychiatry Res. 2015 Aug 15;228(2):203-8. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2015.04.023. Epub 2015 Apr 28. PMID: 25998000. [cited 2024 Aug 13]

9. Evrensel A, Ceylan ME. The Gut-Brain Axis: The Missing Link in Depression. Clin Psychopharmacol Neurosci. 2015 Dec 31;13(3):239-44. doi: 10.9758/cpn.2015.13.3.239. PMID: 26598580; PMCID: PMC4662178. [cited 2024 Aug 13]

10. Zhou L, Foster JA. Psychobiotics and the gut-brain axis: in the pursuit of happiness. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2015 Mar 16;11:715-23. doi: 10.2147/NDT.S61997. PMID: 25834446; PMCID: PMC4370913. [cited 2024 Aug 13]

11. Liu X, Cao S, Zhang X. Modulation of Gut Microbiota-Brain Axis by Probiotics, Prebiotics, and Diet. J Agric Food Chem. 2015 Sep 16;63(36):7885-95. doi: 10.1021/acs.jafc.5b02404. Epub 2015 Sep 1. PMID: 26306709. [cited 2024 Aug 13]

12. Cheng Y, Liu J, Ling Z. Short-chain fatty acids-producing probiotics: A novel source of psychobiotics. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2022;62(28):7929-7959. doi: 10.1080/10408398.2021.1920884. Epub 2021 May 6. PMID: 33955288. [cited 2024 Aug 13]

13. Selhub EM, Logan AC, Bested AC. Fermented foods, microbiota, and mental health: ancient practice meets nutritional psychiatry. J Physiol Anthropol. 2014 Jan 15;33(1):2. doi: 10.1186/1880-6805-33-2. PMID: 24422720; PMCID: PMC3904694.  [cited 2024 Aug 13]

14. Hills RD Jr, Pontefract BA, Mishcon HR, Black CA, Sutton SC, Theberge CR. Gut Microbiome: Profound Implications for Diet and Disease. Nutrients. 2019 Jul 16;11(7):1613. doi: 10.3390/nu11071613. PMID: 31315227; PMCID: PMC6682904. [cited 2024 Aug 13]

15. Savignac HM, Kiely B, Dinan TG, Cryan JF. Bifidobacteria exert strain-specific effects on stress-related behavior and physiology in BALB/c mice. Neurogastroenterol Motil. 2014 Nov;26(11):1615-27. doi: 10.1111/nmo.12427. Epub 2014 Sep 24. PMID: 25251188. [cited 2024 Aug 13]

16. Basterzi AD, Aydemir C, Kisa C, Aksaray S, Tuzer V, Yazici K, Göka E. IL-6 levels decrease with SSRI treatment in patients with major depression. Hum Psychopharmacol. 2005 Oct;20(7):473-6. doi: 10.1002/hup.717. PMID: 16158446. [cited 2024 Aug 13]

17. Taverniti V, Guglielmetti S. Health-Promoting Properties of Lactobacillus helveticus. Front Microbiol. 2012 Nov 19;3:392. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2012.00392. PMID: 23181058; PMCID: PMC3500876. [cited 2024 Aug 13]

18. Eide TO, Hjelle KM, Sætre IU, Solem S, Olsen T, Sköld RO, Kvale G, Hansen B, Hagen K. The Bergen 4-day treatment for panic disorder: implementation in a rural clinical setting. BMC Psychiatry. 2023 May 1;23(1):305. doi: 10.1186/s12888-023-04812-x. PMID: 37127598; PMCID: PMC10152771. [cited 2024 Aug 13]

19. Dimidi E, Cox SR, Rossi M, Whelan K. Fermented Foods: Definitions and Characteristics, Impact on the Gut Microbiota and Effects on Gastrointestinal Health and Disease. Nutrients. 2019 Aug 5;11(8):1806. doi: 10.3390/nu11081806. PMID: 31387262; PMCID: PMC6723656. [cited 2024 Aug 13]

20. Wall R, Cryan JF, Ross RP, Fitzgerald GF, Dinan TG, Stanton C. Bacterial neuroactive compounds produced by psychobiotics. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2014;817:221-39. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4939-0897-4_10. PMID: 24997036. [cited 2024 Aug 13]

21. Benton D, Williams C, Brown A. Impact of consuming a milk drink containing a probiotic on mood and cognition. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2007 Mar;61(3):355-61. doi: 10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602546. Epub 2006 Dec 6. PMID: 17151594. [cited 2024 Aug 13]

22. Nakao M, Shirotsuki K, Sugaya N. Cognitive-behavioral therapy for management of mental health and stress-related disorders: Recent advances in techniques and technologies. Biopsychosoc Med. 2021 Oct 3;15(1):16. doi: 10.1186/s13030-021-00219-w. PMID: 34602086; PMCID: PMC8489050. [cited 2024 Aug 13]

23. Bjørklund G, Hilt B, Dadar M, Lindh U, Aaseth J. Neurotoxic effects of mercury exposure in dental personnel. Basic Clin Pharmacol Toxicol. 2019 May;124(5):568-574. doi: 10.1111/bcpt.13199. Epub 2019 Mar 12. PMID: 30589214. [cited 2024 Aug 13]

24. Dufault R, Schnoll R, Lukiw WJ, Leblanc B, Cornett C, Patrick L, Wallinga D, Gilbert SG, Crider R. Mercury exposure, nutritional deficiencies and metabolic disruptions may affect learning in children. Behav Brain Funct. 2009 Oct 27;5:44. doi: 10.1186/1744-9081-5-44. Erratum in: Behav Brain Funct. 2018 Feb 7;14(1):3. doi: 10.1186/s12993-018-0136-9. PMID: 19860886; PMCID: PMC2773803. [cited 2024 Aug 13]


Originally Published August 13, 2024 by Diane Ridaeus


This content has been reviewed and approved by a licensed physician.

Dr. Samuel Lee

Dr. Samuel Lee is a board-certified psychiatrist, specializing in a spiritually-based mental health discipline and integrative approaches. He graduated with an MD at Loma Linda University School of Medicine and did a residency in psychiatry at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle. He has also been an inpatient adult psychiatrist at Kaweah Delta Mental Health Hospital and the primary attending geriatric psychiatrist at the Auerbach Inpatient Psychiatric Jewish Home Hospital. In addition, he served as the general adult outpatient psychiatrist at Kaiser Permanente.  He is board-certified in psychiatry and neurology and has a B.A. Magna Cum Laude in Religion from Pacific Union College. His specialty is in natural healing techniques that promote the body’s innate ability to heal itself.

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Nothing on this Website is intended to be taken as medical advice. The information provided on the website is intended to encourage, not replace, direct patient-health professional relationships. Always consult with your doctor before altering your medications. Adding nutritional supplements may alter the effect of medication. Any medication changes should be done only after proper evaluation and under medical supervision.

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