Mental health: It’s All About that Microbiome. #gutlife
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Yoghurt could be the new treatment for depression - stay with me here.
These mice were depressed.
Nearly 7% of all people in the UK suffer from anxiety and depression - and as a former sufferer who struggled to cope with and talk about it myself, I understand that what you’re about to read is going to sound absurd, but I am living proof having eaten my way out of it too…
Side Note: Depression in the US is around 7% (well actually 6.7% but there’s more of them), so we can’t even blame Brexit.
Actually, we can blame everything on Brexit, but I digress, this is about a study on mice.
Didn’t you mention something about yoghurt too?
Right, sorry, here’s the good bit. Researchers at The University of Virginiareversed depression symptoms in mice by feeding them lactobacillus, a common strain of probiotic bacteria found in live-cultured yoghurt.
The amount of lactobacillus in the gut affects kynurenine, a metabolite found in the blood which has been shown to drive depression. When lactobacillus levels went down, kynurenine levels rose – and depression symptoms set in.
Turns out all those women in yoghurt commercials are happy for a reason.
It’s worth clicking on that link, my search history credibility just took a serious hit.
Anyway, although human tests haven’t been done yet, we have the same biological systems that lactobacillus uses to affect mood as mice, which suggests results would be the same.
So, eating probiotic yoghurt could be a simple and cost-effective way to deal with depression with little to no side-effects.
Not all yoghurt is created equal
If you want to get into yoghurt for your mental and gut health, make sure to look for live-cultured and probiotic on the label to get the most benefit.
Organic, unsweetened, natural versions are best too, regardless of what the yoghurt ladies tell you.
FOR THE NERDY: Whiskered lid-lickers get a mood-lift with yoghurt.[source: neurosciencenews.com]