A recent study by the University of Virginia School of Medicine has found a significant association between Lactobacillus, a bacterium found in fermented foods and yoghurt, and stress management which may aid in depression and anxiety mitigation.
This research done at UVA and led by Alban Gaultier has uncovered that Lactobacillus is among the few distinctively functioning microorganisms present in human beings.
Scientists now see these microorganisms as microbiota whose effects on health include mental well-being.
Their research went beyond the previous studies done by isolating the specific influence of Lactobacillus rather than all other microbes that live in intestines, he said.
It is a resident bacterium in our gut that has a role in mood disorder, among other things, as explained by Gaultier.
This discovery is important because it shows how closely Lactobacillus which resides in intestines and mental health are connected, according to Gaultier who works with UVA’s Department of Neuroscience and the Center for Brain Immunology and Glia.
Microbiota, a combination of diverse bacteria, fungi, and viruses; are known to affect immune systems, overall health, and even sanity.
When this fine equilibrium is disrupted due to illness or diet or many other reasons it can lead to various diseases such as cancer metastasis risk.
The use of probiotics to change gut flora has been inconsistent and unpredictable, reflecting the fact that it is a hit-or-miss approach.
This fluctuating result greatly complicates the task of understanding and managing the microbiome, a vast ecosystem comprising about 39 trillion microbial cells.
In his analogy, Gaultier demonstrates the magnitude of this complexity by likening it to trying to count every grain of sand on a beach without knowing or recognizing what constitutes one grain at a time.
However, Gaultier’s team went against previous approaches by concentrating on lactobacilli.
Their previous studies hinted that those bacteria could relieve depression in mice confined at labs. With this interest in mind they embarked on this path.
Focusing on eight different species including two Lactobacillus strains and four more belonging to the Altered Schaedler Flora, this research study was geared towards.
Such selection allowed the researchers to establish an environment where mice were deliberately exposed to Lactobacillus. In simpler terms, it was a way used by scientists to watch mice in their entire behavior.
To avoid antibiotics, this approach was adopted specifically to understand how mice behaved under the influence of Lactobacillus. This helped in keeping a clean environment for all the observations during this study.
The results were encouraging. Gaultier and his colleagues understood how exactly Lactobacilli modified behaviors, and why depression and anxiety worsened in their absence.
Specifically, Lactobaccilacea-family Lactobacilli maintained optimal levels of interferon gamma, an immune mediator that regulates stress response and helps prevent depression.
These findings can offer new ways for preventing and treating depression as well as other mental conditions which involve Lactobacillus.
One possibility is creating probiotic supplements that are specifically designed to improve levels of Lactobacillus; this would give hope to people with or at risk of developing depression.
The researcher from the study, Andrea R. Merchak, conveyed her enthusiasm about what their findings mean.
In addition, she mentioned that they have some new tools at the moment which can help in speeding up probiotic development as well as making it easier to explore and identify new therapeutic strategies.
Furthermore, Merchak underlined how important their research was as an avenue for further investigation into managing usual levels of Lactobacillus or interferon gamma as potential ways of preventing anxiety and depression.
A UVA study is a major step ahead in elucidating the complex connection between gut bacteria, the immune system and mental health.
It offers some hope for future treatments and interventions that could help to relieve depression and anxiety; potentially transforming the way mental health therapies are approached.