Is depression just a symptom of bad gut health? Study confirms link between gut and brain health

( Natural News ) One area of research that has been getting a lot of attention recently is the connection between gut and brain health. With mental health problems a growing concern, scientists have been trying to uncover some of their causes, and a new study out of Belgium shows that depression could well be a symptom of poor gut health . In the study, which was published in Nature Microbiology , the researchers looked at the fecal microbiome data of more than 1,000 people who were enrolled in the Flemish Gut Flora Project. They pooled this data with data on depression diagnoses in the hopes of exploring the link between gut bacteria, depression and quality of life. After looking at more than 500 bacteria that were isolated from the human gastrointestinal tract, they found that people suffering from depression had persistent low levels of two gut bacteria in particular, Dialister and Coprococcus. This was true even among those who took antidepressants. An independent cohort of more than 1,000 people who took part in the Dutch LifeLinesDEEP and clinically depressed patients was used to validate the results. It’s an exciting finding that could well lead to a probiotic-based treatment for depression – something that is sorely needed when you consider all the side effects that come with modern antidepressants. Many of the most widely used antidepressants today come with black box warnings because they raise the risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Common side effects of antidepressants can include insomnia, constipation, nausea, blurred vision, weight gain, increased appetite, and sexual problems. It appears to be no coincidence that many mass shooting perpetrators happened to be using these medications at the time of their deadly rampages. Probiotics, on the other hand, are relatively safe for most people and can have […]

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