What is Probiotic Yogurt?
Probiotics are a type of “good” bacteria. This particular
bacteria helps strengthening the immune system and improves general digestion
process. The probiotic food can be purchased in any grocery or convenience store.
The cultures in probiotic yogurt work in the intestines and
are symbiotic with your body. These micro-organisms help to fight off the “bad”
bacteria by developing protein that kills it. Note that our bodies do not have
the ability to create these types of bacteria themselves.
Sometimes when we take antibiotics, it is not too selective,
killing both good and bad bacteria in our bodies, probiotic yogurt will help
you to replenish your friendly bacteria.
There are different types of bacteria in these foods such as
Lactobacillus. These are
"friendly" bacteria that normally live in our digestive, urinary, and
genital systems without causing disease and protecting its environment from
enemies.
It is been proven to be the most effective at helping
improve the immune system and promote good health. One thing to note is that
when you buy a probiotic food is to check and see how much cultures it contain.
You can check this by looking at the label for CFU. CFU is colony forming
units. You want anywhere from one billion to five million in your food or
supplement. You can ask your doctor for more information and what brands he/she
recommends.
Probiotic for
Depression
While the positive effects of probiotic yogurt on your
health and wellbeing have been already properly researched and documented, the
recent Irish study has found the
first evidence that probiotics benefit brain chemistry as well, helping
in the treatment of anxiety and depression-related disorders.
For the study, a team of Canadian and Irish researchers
regularly fed one group of mice a broth spiked with a strain of bacteria called
lactobacillus rhamnosus JB-1. Other mice were given a bacteria-free broth.
Normally timid creatures, the mice were put through a series
of challenging experiments, such as being placed in a pool of water and forced
to swim. The mice given the bacterial-enhanced diet seemed better able to cope
with the stressful conditions. They showed far less anxiety and depression-like
behavior than the bacteria-deprived rodents.
Blood tests also revealed they had lower levels of the
stress hormone corticosterone flowing through their veins. What’s even more
remarkable is that there was evidence of a change in certain neurochemical
receptors in the brain, according to the findings published in the Proceedings
of the National Academy of Sciences.
The scientists say that bacteria in the gut ‘communicate’
with the brain via a nerve called the vagus. “This is the first-ever
demonstration that harmless bacteria, found naturally in the intestine, can
influence mood and behavior in a normal animal,” said John Bienenstock, a
co-author of the study and director of the McMaster Brain-Body Institute at St.
Joseph’s Healthcare in Hamilton.
Professor John Cryan of University College, Cork, added: “By
affecting gut bacteria, you can have very robust and quite broad-spectrum
effects on brain chemistry and behavior. Without overstating things, this does
open up the concept that we could develop therapies that can treat psychiatric
disorders by targeting the gut”.
The Canadian researchers, along with their Irish colleagues
at University College Cork, eventually hope to conduct human trials. Much work
needs to be done to prove that what helps mice can also benefit people. And
even if further research establishes that bacteria can provided a lift to those
who are stressed or depressed, it’s unlikely that you would get the same
results from just any brand of yogurt.
Dr. Bienenstock noted the specific strain of lactobacillus
used in the animal experiments is not currently found in commercial yogurts. “Not
all probiotics are the same,” he said. “We tested bacteria that didn’t work. So
these effects are very likely to be strain specific.” That suggests tests would
have to be carried out on individual products to evaluate their mind-altering
potential.
So, this is quite promising but mostly forward-looking
approach, requiring additional research and development. As of today, you still
have to choose more traditional ways dealing with your depression.
Sources and Additional Information:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2031716/Probiotic-yoghurt-help-treat-depression-scientists-say.html
