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  • From: Lawrence London <lfljvenaura@gmail.com>
  • To: permaculture <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [permaculture] The Role of Beneficial Bacteria in Mental Health,
  • Date: Fri, 8 May 2015 21:48:05 -0400

The Role of Beneficial Bacteria in Mental Health
By June Rousso <http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/author/june-rousso/> | June
Rousso, Ph.D.
<http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/author/june-rousso/?post_type=all> | March
19, 2015

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/blog/the-role-of-beneficial-bacteria-in-mental-health/

"We mostly don't get sick. Most often bacteria are keeping us well." -
Bonnie Bassler

More and more research is focusing on the role of beneficial bacteria in
the intestinal tract and mental health. Beneficial bacteria help the body
function in different ways, including our supporting our emotional
well-being, in contrast to bad bacteria such as E.coli and Clostridium
difficile, which can make us ill.

Traditionally, studies have focused on the role of beneficial bacteria in
digestion and immune health. Good bacteria digest and extract nutrients
from the food we eat, and can synthesize certain nutrients, such as vitamin
K and vitamin B12. Vitamin K helps our blood to clot and plays a role in
bone health while vitamin B12 is involved in energy production, nervous
system functioning, and the formation of red blood cells. Good bacteria
also line our gut to fight off pathogens and thus reduce our risk of
illness. They actually secrete chemicals to fight off microbes entering our
body. Our gut truly has an intelligence of its own and has become known as
our “second brain.”

More recent research on beneficial bacteria reports that certain strains
produce chemicals associated with our mental health. Bifidobacterium
dentium, for example, secretes a neurotransmitter called GABA, which has a
calming effect on our body. When GABA levels are low, we become anxious.

Gut bacteria produce ninety-five percent of the serotonin in our body, a
feel-good chemical that when depleted typically results in depression and
anxiety. Gut bacteria also produce half of our dopamine levels, a chemical
that is related to functions such as movement control, the experience of
pleasure and pain, memory, attention, sleep, mood, and learning.
Epinephrine and norepinephrine are released by gut bacteria and help the
body react to emergency situations.

Treatment of mental health conditions is moving more toward using different
strains of probiotic bacteria in treating conditions, such as anxiety and
depression. Anxiety and depression are believed to be associated with
decreases or depletions of different strains of good bacteria in the
intestines. Studies are emerging showing improvements in mood and
lessening of anxiety when probiotics are introduced into the diet. This is
an emerging field, but one that holds promise for the future of mental
health. Researchers are focusing on specific strains and combinations of
strains to manage our emotions.

Until treatment with specific strains of beneficial bacteria becomes more
mainstream with further research, there are everyday steps that we can take
to support a healthy gut and a general feeling of well-being. One option
is to take a high quality probiotic supplement daily with a variety of
different strains of beneficial bacteria and at containing at least 10 to
20 CFUs of colony forming units.

Probiotics, which are live bacteria and yeasts, also are contained in
specific foods, including sauerkraut, miso soup, soft cheese, kefir (a
yogurt-like drink), sourdough bread, buttermilk, sour pickles, and tempeh
(a type of fermented soy). There also are foods that we can eat that
probiotics feed on, including legumes, oatmeal, asparagus, Jerusalem
artichoke, bananas, and red wine.

Adding probiotics to our diet has the added benefit of crowding out some of
the bad bacteria in our gut and reducing the risks of illness. Bad
bacteria can overload our intestinal tract and lead to inflammation in the
body, which in excess has been associated with such conditions with
inflammatory bowel disease and rheumatoid arthritis. Bonnie J. Kaplan et
al in their article, *The Emerging Field of Mental Health: Inflammation,
the Microbiome, Oxidative Stress, and Mitochondrial Function* (2015) report
associations between inflammation in the body and emotional states, such as
depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. While only associations
and not direct causes, current research is looking to see whether treating
inflammation will help to ameliorate symptoms.

Another tract to take for a healthy gut is to eat nutritionally, i.e. a
diet relatively free of processed foods and trans-fats, and minimizing
psychological stress. In terms of psychological stress, Bonnie J. Kaplan et
al report studies showing that emotional stress early in life can
contribute to symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome and psychiatric
disorders in adulthood. Overuse of anti-bacterial products and
anti-biotics also can kill off good bacteria along with bad bacteria and
should be considered when trying to maintain a healthy gut.

“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” – Hippocrates
*Tags:* beneficial bacteria
<http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/t/beneficial-bacteria/>good bacteria
<http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/t/good-bacteria/>gut microbes
<http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/t/gut-microbes/>mental health
<http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/t/mental-health/>



  • [permaculture] The Role of Beneficial Bacteria in Mental Health,, Lawrence London, 05/08/2015

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