The Gut’s effect on Mental Health

By Andy Leung, of the Brain Food Society

Abstract: 

The article “The Gut Microbiota and Mental Health in Adults” by Ellionore Järbrink-Sehgal and Anna Andreasson is a detailed article analyzing multiple different studies of how the health of a person’s gut can influence their mental health. Sehgal and Andreasson focus on the correlations between the amount of gut microbiota (the system of microorganisms in a person's gastrointestinal system) and different mental disorders being depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, and stress. 

Introduction: 

For the longest time, there was a bad stigma attached to the idea of mental disorders. Many people thought mental disorders were a made up concept – something that was a choice and could easily be cured. However, with the decreased cost of gut microbiota research, the data proves otherwise: the link between the production of different microorganisms in your gut and the brain shows deficiency of said organisms has a correlation with a person’s mental health. With the amount of studies showing the correlation between the gut microbiota and the brain, there is no doubt that mental disorders are real, and it affects our

physiology. 

Methodology: 

Sehgal and Andreasson show many different case studies with similar methodologies. A method shown in two different case studies was examining the difference of a probiotic treatment involving gut bacterias and a placebo (a harmless pill that has no physical effect). Healthy adult volunteers were studied from 4-8 weeks, and would be analyzed after said treatment was done. One study also included the patients being in different social situations: one at a “resting state” and another after social stress. The second method was to look at the gut health of multiple different patients: ones without any disorder, relatives of people with depression, and people with bipolar disorder. 

Results: 

The results of all studies were positive: the patients who had taken real probiotic treatment did see an increase in mood and behavior. One example is of patients who had taken probiotic “Bifidobacterium longum 1714TM”, where they were reported to have “higher self-reported vitality” and “reduced mental fatigue.” Another example of such is probiotic “Lactobacillus gasseri CP2305 (CP2305)”, where patients were reported to have a boost in multiple different areas in life – their mental state, sleep quality, and amount of anxiety. Additionally, many studies reported a lack of multiple different gut microbiotas and an abundance of certain microbiotas is correlated with different mental disorders. The findings showed that microorganisms such as Bacteroides, Clostridium, Bifidobacterium, Oscillibacter and Streptococcus are found in patients with BD. SImilarly enough, patients that suffer from depression also see an influx in said microorganisms. Another study found that patients with depression had less Dialister and Coprococcus in their gut. The studies prove a claim: gut health has a correlation to mental health. 

Conclusion: 

To conclude, the article “The Gut Microbiota and Mental Health in Adults” by Ellionore Järbrink-Sehgal and Anna Andreasson shows the relation of our physical body and our mental health. As technology progresses further, scientists can expand the knowledge between gut health and mental disorders. Someday there will be a cure to disorders such as depression – through the usage of different gut probiotics.