Mood

Can Probiotics Protect Against Stress?

A new study adds to growing evidence confirming that probiotics can protect against stress. Researchers are studying the application of a type of good bacteria that, if successful in human trials, may result in a probiotic-based immunization to battle mood disorders such as anxiety, depression and posttraumatic stress disorder.

The Complex Link Between Gut Health and Mental Health

Over time, researchers have continued to focus their efforts on investigating the complex link between the brain and gut bacteria. In numerous studies, associations have been made between the trillions of bacteria within our digestive tracts and everything from metabolic function to mood regulation. Each new study adds to supporting evidence that our gut balance and mental health are integrally linked in a highly codependent relationship.

One study uncovered that a lack of gut bacteria altered areas of the brain associated with anxiety and depression. According to another study, disruption of gut microbial balance and the gut-brain axis has been shown to cause depression. Similarly, earlier research highlighted the fact that early life stresses altered the gut bacteria in a way that increased the risk of anxiety later in life.

The link between our guts and brains is also a two-way relationship. While a lack of, or imbalance of, beneficial bacteria in the gut can increase stress, neuroinflammation, and possibly lead to mood disorders, increasing evidence has shown that stress also bears direct, harmful impacts upon gut bacteria balance.

Given all the evidence supporting this association between our emotional wellbeing and gut bacteria, scientists are investigating methods of adjusting gut bacteria in an effort to protect us from the effects of stress.

Mycobacterium Vaccae: Probiotics Protect Against Stress

In this newest study on gut bacteria, researchers from the University of Colorado at Boulder have built upon previous research investigating the soil-based bacterium, Mycobacterium vaccae, in which it was found that mice that were inoculated with the bacteria experienced less inflammation and presented fewer symptoms of anxiety.

In their most recent work, the research team wanted to delve deeper into this good bacteria to uncover exactly how Mycobacterium vaccae affects the brain. In order to do so, researchers injected male rats with the beneficial bacteria once a week for three weeks and took measurements of the proteins in the brain. Two major findings stood out:

The team discovered that a week after the last treatment, the inoculated rats possessed significantly higher levels of a particular anti-inflammatory protein referred to as interleukin-4 in the hippocampal region of the brain. The hippocampus plays a key role in learning and memory. An integral part of the limbic system, one of the roles of the hippocampus is the regulation of anxiety and fear responses.
In addition to increasing anti-inflammatory proteins, the researchers found that when the inoculated rats were placed into a stressful situation, the Mycobacterium vaccae bacteria decreased levels of HMGB1, a stress-induced protein that sensitizes the brain to inflammation, and increased levels of CD200R1, a receptor that preserves the anti-inflammatory state of the brain’s immune cells.

“We found that in rodents this particular bacterium, Mycobacterium vaccae, actually shifts the environment in the brain toward an anti-inflammatory state. If you could do that in people, it could have broad implications for a number of neuroinflammatory diseases,” Dr. Matthew Frank, lead author of the study and senior research associate in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at CU Boulder, said in a statement.

Stress-related mood disorders such as anxiety, depression, and PTSD affects one out of every four people at least once in their lives. Strong supporting evidence suggests that these stress-related disorders are at least partially caused by inflammation. “There is a robust literature that shows if you induce an inflammatory immune response in people, they quickly show signs of depression and anxiety. Just think about how you feel when you get the flu,” added Dr. Frank.

Senior study author Christopher A. Lowry, Ph.D., associate professor of integrative physiology at CU Boulder, has been studying Mycobacterium vaccae for 17 years. He explains that their findings help further illuminate the link between probiotics and mood disorders, exhibiting that probiotics help protect against stress. According to Dr. Lowry, “if you look at the field of probiotics generally, they have been shown to have strong effects in the domains of cognitive function, anxiety and fear. This paper helps make sense of that by suggesting that these beneficial microbes, or signals derived from these microbes, somehow make their way to the hippocampus, inducing an anti-inflammatory state.”

While the Mycobacterium vaccae injections have yet to see human trials, the team is hopeful that a similar method of treatment will soon be available to those at risk of developing these inflammation-induced mood disorders. “More research is necessary, but it’s possible that other strains of beneficial bacteria or probiotics may have a similar effect on the brain,” said Dr. Lowry.

Their findings have been published in the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity.

Resveratrol and Depression: Recent Research Offers Hope for New Treatments

Feb 23 by Ewcopywriting Leave a Comment

Resveratrol, a compound most commonly know to be found in grapes and wine, has been hailed in research as a potential future treatment benefiting everything from cellular health to cardiovascular health. Many of these health benefits appear to be linked to the compound’s anti-inflammatory actions. According to new research on resveratrol and depression, this safe and natural supplement may also be an effective way of tackling one of the United States’ most challenging mood disorders.

Treating Depression: A Modern Challenge

Modern people report experiencing depression and anxiety more than generations past. In fact, over 18 percent of American adults are suffering from this mood disorder at any given time. Although all people have times when they are sad, clinical depression is more than mere sadness. In fact, it can be incredibly debilitating. People with this illness suffer from a wide variety of symptoms including fatigue, difficulty eating and sleeping, a loss of pleasure in normal daily activities and even physical pain.

Despite the growing prevalence of depression, there are very few evidence-based treatment options. The current recommendations call for antidepressant medications combined with therapy and lifestyle changes. Although there is a wide availability of these treatments, more than half of people with clinical depression do not respond to medical therapies. For these people, depression is often a long term and even lifelong battle simply to enjoy life. However, new research suggests that resveratrol may be a natural solution to the treatment of certain types of depression.

Resveratrol and Depression Treatment: New Hope

Prior research on resveratrol and mood disorders has been promising. A prior study found that mice who are given supplements of this flavonoid had a smaller inflammatory response to stress. They showed epigenetic changes consistent with higher levels of resilience. These mice also had smaller amounts of the brain synapse changes that are associated with both stress and major depressive disorder. Mice who take resveratrol have also been found to show lower levels of behaviors associated with clinical depression.

New research has shown more light on the connection between stress-related inflammation and depression. For this study, researchers distilled the three polyphenols present in grapes — including resveratrol — that they believed were responsible for preventing the inflammation and changes in brain synapses. Mice who received a supplement containing these polyphenols showed less of an inflammatory response. Surprisingly, the polyphenols each appear to reduce inflammation and neurological changes in different ways. They work synergistically to produce a measurable decrease in symptoms of depression. This could shed light on the mechanisms behind many of the health benefits attributed to resveratrol.

Are You Getting Enough Resveratrol?

Although more research will be needed to determine if the same effect is present in humans, this is promising research. Not only does it propose a new and potentially more effective therapy for depression, but it also offers new insight into the physiological cause of depression. Resveratrol appears to have a variety of positive effects on both physical and emotional health, which leads many to wonder: Are we getting enough resveratrol in our diets?

Many of the foods that contain high levels of resveratrol are not common in the Western diet. These foods include:

certain nuts such as peanuts and pistachios
red grapes and foods and drinks that contain these, such as wine
red and blue berries such as cranberries and blueberries
chocolate and cocoa, especially dark chocolate

Many people in the United States and Europe are not eating enough of these foods to get the health benefits of resveratrol. If you are concerned about getting enough of this disease-fighting compound, there are also resveratrol supplements. These can ensure that you get the health benefits of this compound even when your diet isn’t perfect.

Natural Ways to Improve Your Mood

Although there are few medical options for treating depression, there are several natural remedies that have been found to be effective. In addition to resveratrol, consider trying the following strategies:

Keep a set routine even if you don’t feel like it.
Get plenty of physical exercise, especially in the outdoors.
Make sure you are getting enough sleep and sleeping at roughly the same times every day.
Set small and easily attainable goals.
Consider taking supplements that have been found to have an effect on depression, such as fish oil, folic acid, and SAMe.

Although depression is a difficult battle regardless of your treatment approach, it does not have to be a lifelong struggle. There are a variety of different options, many completely natural, that may be able to help you overcome this illness. Resveratrol is not yet approved as a remedy for depression, but ongoing studies show that it is very promising in treating this difficult-to-treat illness.

Curcumin Brain Benefits Include Boosting Memory and Mood

Feb 14 by Ewcopywriting Leave a Comment

A lot has been written lately about the health benefits of curcumin. Although many people enjoy this spice for its distinctive flavor, it appears to have even more to offer. In fact, it appears to have a variety of positive effects on health. According to several studies on curcumin and the benefits to the brain, it may even help to protect our brains from disease while helping us to feel better on a daily basis.

What Is Curcumin?

Curcumin is a compound found in turmeric that gives turmeric powder its distinctive yellow color and spicy taste. Although it is best known for its place in Indian food, particularly yellow curries, it also is used in Latin food and a variety of spicy cuisines. Although it is a flavor loved by many people, some people dislike both curcumin and spicy foods. While these people may feel they are not missing out on any cuisine, they may in fact be missing out on some very important health benefits, as curcumin appears to be a healthy choice in a wide variety of ways.

Could a Curry Be Good For Your Health?

Many cultures have used turmeric root as a traditional home remedy for a variety of medical conditions, from infections to pain, and new research is suggesting that this spice may indeed have a variety of medical uses. Curcumin in particular has been found to possess powerful anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properites, both of which encourage health by fighting the underlying causes of many diseases.

As early as 2010, researchers noted that curcumin was effective in supporting healthy cell growth in several different cancers, including cancers of the head, neck, prostate and colon. It was also found to sooth minor pain and inflammation associated with osteoarthritis and tendinitis. However, the real benefits of this compound may lie in its effects on the brain.

New Curcumin Brain Benefits Found

Researchers began studying curcumin’s effects on the brain after noting that Alzheimer’s disease is significantly less common in India, where people consume turmeric as part of their traditional daily diet. They found that curcumin appears to have neuroprotective effects, encouraging the repair and regrowth of brain tissues. Later studies on rats found that curcumin’s effects on brain regeneration can be seen not just in Alzheimer’s disease, but in stroke as well. In fact, it promotes the growth of new brain tissue by around 80 percent.

However, even younger people may be able to enjoy benefits from taking a supplement that contains curcumin. According to new research this year, people who take a curcumin supplement score higher on tests of memory. In addition, this spice appears to support healthy mood, performing as well as several prescription antidepressants in clinical trials.

Researchers are currently performing more studies to find out exactly how curcumin can have such a wide range of positive effects. Its proven role as an anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory likely contribute, but there may also be special factors unique to this compound. We still do not understand completely how this compound interacts with our cells. Because there are no serious side effects associated with curcumin, a growing number of people are beginning to take supplements that contain this ingredient.

Nutrition as Medicine: Eating Your Way to Good Health

Can you really lower disease risk, improve your memory and feel better simply by eating curry? The recommendations are mixed. Most experts do not feel that the turmeric in your spice cabinet contains enough bioavailable curcumin to make a measurable difference. However, people in India who routinely eat turmeric on a daily basis have around one-tenth the Alzheimer’s risk of Americans. Clearly, eating turmeric can make a difference if you eat enough of it.

Diet and nutrition appear to have a greater impact on our general health than we previously realized. The Western diet in particular appears to fall short
when it comes to promoting good health and preventing disease. However, the wide availability of foods from other countries along with the range of supplements on the market have made it so we all can enjoy the health benefits of a balanced diet even when our lifestyle choices fall a bit short.

Most people in the West do not eat spicy curries every day. We still can enjoy the disease-fighting benefits of turmeric. Although there is no way to guarantee that you will maintain optimal brain health throughout your life span, getting enough curcumin in your daily life just may increase your odds.

How to Recognize the Telltale Signs of Burnout Before it’s Too Late

Jan 22 by Ewcopywriting Leave a Comment

Modern people may not be fighting lions and tigers, but we are under more stress than ever. From job-related stress to long commutes to balancing the demands of family and personal life, many just have too much on their plate. According to many psychologists, this is leading to a disorder known as burn out, which can have dire consequences for psychological health, physical health and even career success. However, there are natural ways to prevent getting burned out and to restore our emotional and physical balance.

What Is Burnout?

Most people have experienced burn out to some degree, either in themselves or in coworkers. You begin to take less pride in your work and express cynical attitudes. Some people begin to depersonalize others, caring less about the person’s feelings and acting without consideration. Although everyone feels burned out at times, it is merely a short phase for most of us.

However, some people deal with it at toxic levels. The results are easily recognized. People who are burned out feel physically and emotionally exhausted, similar to depression. They have reduced feelings of accomplishment and often suffer from symptoms of depression, such as low mood and difficulty sleeping. They also become disengaged, showing less care for their work and more apathy toward their professional and personal commitments.

A Modern Occupational Hazard

The causes of burn out are diverse, but it usually stems from one main factor: occupational stress. The disorder was first identified by a psychologist who observed the effects in staff and volunteers at a clinic for drug addicts. Other professionals have noticed it in teachers, social workers and health professionals. A variety of jobs can cause workers to become burned out, but they all have one key factor in common: long-term stress that cannot be resolved. Unfortunately, this is extremely common in many modern careers.

According to research, physicians are particularly at risk of becoming burned out. Modern doctors often face chaotic environments along with high levels of responsibility over outcomes that they cannot entirely control. They increasingly are saddled with growing amounts of documentation as well as nearly unbearable student loan debt. When you combine these factors with long work hours that can prevent recharging, it is not surprising that up to 75 percent of physicians and medical residents are burned out. However, this trend is not limited to medicine. Many jobs present similar stresses to varying degrees, with similar results. The lack of time to recharge appears to be particularly important. Believe it or not, it is likely that many people are suffering from the symptoms of this disorder without even realizing it.

Burnout Warning Signs to Watch For

Are you suffering from burnout? Here are a few of the warning signs of this common disorder:

physical fatigue
a feeling of cynicism and pessimism
disengagement from issues and activities that were once engaging
a sense of ineffectiveness, that nothing you do will make a difference
taking less pride in one’s work
acting rude or uncaring to coworkers and loved ones
insomnia and other sleep disorders
difficulty concentrating
getting sick more often than usual
vague physical symptoms such as stomach aches and head aches
negative emotions such as anger, depression and anxiety
poor performance and/or low productivity

If these symptoms begin interfering with one’s daily life, it is important to take action quickly. There are natural, healthy ways of treating burn out and restoring both pride and a sense of accomplishment.

Keeping Your Stress Levels Low, Naturally

Are you or a loved one at risk of becoming burned out? There are several things you can do to maintain work-life balance. First and most importantly, avoid the modern trend of incorporating work into your daily life. Although modern jobs encourage 24/7 availability, activities such as checking emails at home can increase burn out by keeping people from having the space to recharge. This may be the number one factor in burning workers out.

Second, it is important to take good care of oneself. Eat a healthy diet, drink plenty of water and get enough sleep at night. Take time to exercise and spend time with loved ones. Consider taking up new hobbies that help you unwind, whether yoga or skydiving. Last, make sure your body has the nutrients that it needs to work well even under pressure. Your body needs a wide range of vitamins, amino acids, and other building blocks to keep up with your lifestyle. B vitamins, for example, help your body to continue producing energy even under stress. Glutathione is important for producing mood-boosting neurotransmitters such as serotonin.

Stressful jobs are often the most rewarding. However, it is important to maintain good health and avoid becoming burned out. Taking good care of your psychological and physiological health will ensure that you can continue feeling rewarded and engaged with your career for a lifetime.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD): How Changing Seasons Can Change Your Mood

Nov 27 by Ewcopywriting Leave a Comment

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that comes and goes with the seasons. The most typical pattern for SAD is that symptoms start in the late fall or early winter and go away with the arrival of spring. It is also possible for someone to experience seasonal affective disorder in a summer pattern, though this is quite rare.

In previous decades, seasonal affective disorder was considered a completely separate condition than major depressive disorder. However, professionals now consider it to simply be a subset of major depressive disorder, with a seasonal aspect attached.

In order to be diagnosed with SAD, you have to meet the full criteria for clinical depression, you must only experience the depression during a particular season and it must occur for a minimum of two years. If you are experiencing several of the following symptoms, you may meet the diagnostic criteria for a major depressive episode:

anxiety
changes in appetite or weight
difficulty concentrating
feeling hopeless
feeling sad
feeling worthless
feelings of guilt
irritability
lack of energy
lethargy or sluggishness
losing interest in activities you once enjoyed
sleep disturbances
thoughts of death or suicide
symptoms must be present across most days and situations

There are certain risk factors for seasonal affective disorder. Women are four times as likely to be diagnosed with seasonal affective disorder. Those who live far from the equator—whether far north or far south—are many times more likely to suffer from this condition. For example, whereas only 1 percent of Florida residents experience seasonal affective disorder, 9 percent of Alaska residents do. Seasonal affective disorder is most commonly diagnosed in adolescents and young adults, which may indicate that younger age is a risk factor, though it may also be that older adults are less likely to seek out diagnosis and help for this disorder. Lastly, a family history of seasonal affective disorder, major depression and possibly other psychiatric illnesses may raise your risk of developing seasonal affective disorder yourself.

Why Does SAD Occur?

There are several factors that contribute to depression in the darker months of the year (the causes of summertime depression are much less understood). Serotonin is a neurotransmitter highly responsible for maintaining a normal mood; production of this chemical is partly triggered by sunlight exposure. Since there is much less sunlight during the fall and winter, serotonin levels can plummet. Less sunlight also means less vitamin D production; a lack of this nutrient has been highly linked to depression and mood.

Melatonin is another neurotransmitter—its presence promotes mental and physical sleepiness, which is important for falling asleep at night. Melatonin begins to be secreted once the sun goes down; its release is triggered by darkness. When the world around you is dark all the time, melatonin may be released at inappropriate times, leading to lethargy and lack of concentration, which are integral symptoms of depression for many people.

In the fall and winter, the generalized darkness of the outside world can have a negative effect on brain chemistry, causing depression. The cold and gloomy weather can also drive many people to stay inside. Though it may feel cozy to stay at home in the winter, the downside of this is that it could lead to social isolation. Social isolation may be a contributing factor for wintertime depression for some sufferers.

How Can SAD Be Treated?

There are many possible angles to take when it comes to treating seasonal depression. The mainstays of treatment are medication to help re-balance brain chemistry, and specialized psychotherapy for seasonal depression. Therapy is great for helping the patient learn to identify and change negative thoughts and behaviors that perpetuate depression, learn healthy ways to cope with depression and learn how to manage stress.

The principal aspect of treating seasonal affective disorder, that isn’t used to treat conventional depression, is light therapy. The purpose of light therapy is to mimic natural outdoor light to replace the sunlight lost during winter. This treatment has been used for seasonal depression since the 1980s. Traditional light therapy consists of sitting in front of a specially-made bright light for 20 to 60 minutes, usually within the first hour of waking up in the morning.

A common complaint of people who use light therapy is that they do not always have time to sit in front of the light every single morning. To make light therapy more flexible and convenient, a number of companies have developed special light-emitting glasses. With these special glasses, the wearer can continue to carry out everyday tasks while receiving therapeutical doses of light that does not affect the quality of vision.

In addition to these treatments, another great addition to a seasonal depression treatment plan is taking a supplement that contains vitamin D, which has been shown in research to help relieve depressive symptoms. Lastly, an important habit for sufferers of any type of depression to develop is exercise. Research shows that regular exercise can be as effective as medication or psychotherapy. Even just 30 minutes of aerobic exercise three times a week can make a big difference. Exercise relieves depression because it releases endorphins, regulates the circadian rhythm, reduces stress, increases light exposure if done outside and can help improve self-esteem.

Gut Bacteria Found to Influence Diet, Reproductive Success and More

Aug 09 by Ewcopywriting Leave a Comment

A growing body of research suggests that bacteria in the gut influence overall human health. While past research has indicated that trillions of bacteria thriving in the human digestive tract can affect everything from immune system function and nutrition to mood, two new studies have found that gut bacteria influence diet as well as reproductive success in fruit flies. These new findings may have important implications for humans.

How Gut Bacteria Influence Diet

The digestive tract of humans and most other animals contain trillions of microorganisms that are known to affect many physiological traits. Two new studies from the Macquarie University Department of Biological Sciences and the University of Sydney’s SOLES department examined the impact of gut bacteria in fruit flies.

The research, which was published in Current Biology, found that gut bacteria in the flies had an effect on their foraging habits and ultimately their reproductive success. The research also indicated that this influence could be passed down to the next generation of fruit flies.

The teams found that fruit flies do not simply forage for nutrients that will balance their diet; they also forage for bacteria to encourage healthy cultures in their digestive tract. The fruit flies showed a strong preference for smells associated with beneficial forms of bacteria in food with less preference shown for foods lacking these types of bacteria.

Gut Bacteria Also Influences Reproductive Success

A separate study, conducted by the same team of researchers, examined the reproductive success of fruit flies based on changes in gut bacteria. Researchers began by inoculating fruit flies with different species of microbes to examine how the changes in gut bacteria influenced the sexual interaction of the flies.

This study, published in Biology Letters, found that the investment the flies make in reproduction and their ultimate success, along with offspring body mass, was influenced by bacteria in the gut.

Gut Bacteria Can Trick Flies Into Reproduction

These are not the only studies published this year on fruit flies and gut bacteria. Another study, published in PLOS Biology, demonstrated how the bacteria influence the flies’ nutritional decisions. Researchers divided the flies into three groups. One was fed a solution with all necessary amino acids and the second group received a mix of amino acids necessary to make protein but without the amino acids to synthesize it. With the third group, researchers removed amino acids one by one to analyze which could be detected by the bacteria.

After three days, flies in all groups received a buffet with their typical solution or the option of a protein-rich yeast. The flies in the groups without amino acids got a strong craving for the yeast to make up for the nutrients. When five types of bacteria were introduced, the flies lost the desire to eat protein. The team also found that the amino acid levels in the flies were not replenishing, which indicates the bacteria were not replacing nutrients in the flies’ diet by producing the amino acids but instead turning them into new chemicals. The researchers believe the bacteria was producing chemicals that may tell the host fly it could continue without amino acids. This would trick the flies into continuing reproduction, even though the deficiency would impact cell growth.

This study found that Acetobacter and Lactobacillus bacteria were the most effective at influencing the flies’ appetites. Increasing the levels of both bacteria could essentially suppress a fly’s appetite for protein and encourage sugar consumption, restoring reproductive function when it would normally be hampered by the nutritional deficiency.

Previous research has also shown that fruit flies prefer mating with partners who have a similar gut bacteria composition rather than flies whose gut bacteria is too different from their own.

Maintaining a Healthy Balance of Gut Bacteria

In humans and other animals, microorganisms in the gut and on the body—collectively called the microbiome—play a role in many physiological traits and behaviors. The immune system, gastrointestinal system and stress have all been found to interact. For example, psychological stress causes a near-immediate change in the population of gut bacteria, and some of the bacteria influence the effect of stress on the immune system.

Stress, through its effect on gut bacteria, and the immune system can also alter brain function. In some people, gut bacteria can play a role in anxiety, stress, depression and memory. Researchers have even found that to communicate, gut microbes can produce many of the same neurochemicals that relay information in the human brain. Among these neurochemicals are dopamine, serotonin and GABA, all of which are used by human neurons to regulate mood.

All of this research indicates that it may be more important than anyone really understands to maintain a healthy balance of gut flora. There are several ways to do this, including eating a diet rich in vegetables, legumes, fruit and beans, eating fermented foods like yogurt, kefir and sauerkraut, supplementing with a high-quality probiotic formula and cutting back on artificial sweetener, which may negatively affect gut bacteria.