Probiotics: Benefits and How to Choose the Best One For You
Gut health and mental health go hand in hand. This is because the brain and the gastrointestinal tract are intricately connected through signaling pathways. Various studies that I’ve read show a vast improvement in anxiety and chronic depression when the gut health is in A1 condition. So what exactly does that mean?
All That It Does
Our gut is quite complex and even has its own nervous system, the enteric nervous system, which is referred to as the “second brain.” There are more immune cells in our gut than anywhere else in the body. The lining of our gut is packed with endocrine cells which house up to 20 types of hormones. Also, 95% of the body’s serotonin is stored in our gut. So the gut is responsible for many bodily functions and ultimately can affect how we feel.
Our gut contains bacteria, both good and bad. When we feed the good bacteria and starve the bad, we keep our gut balanced and working properly. Good bacteria help break down fiber and complex sugars, assists in making vitamin K, folic acid, and B-12 vitamins, helps with regular digestion, decrease inflammation, support healthy metabolism, and more! A diet rich in over processed foods starves our good bacteria and feeds the bad. Eating clean foods and adding in fermented foods such as yogurt, kombucha, and kimchi as well as introducing a daily probiotic can help tremendously.
How Do I Know Which One To Pick?
When you look at the aisle that has the probiotics, it is easy to feel overwhelmed as there are many brands and products available. I’ll help you.
For your specific needs, you want to choose the probiotic supplement that contains the bacteria that you’re looking for. For overall health, choose supplements that have strains which have been extensively studied such as Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, or Saccharomyces boulardii.
As for the CFUs, or colony forming units, there isn’t an official number but you want to choose a product that has at least 5 to 10 billion per dose. This will be on the front of the box usually. Bacteria are sensitive to our stomach acid, so you want to choose a product that has a coating that will bypass stomach acid and release in the intestines.
Also, look for seals of approval from certification programs such as Consumer Lab, NSF International, or the US Pharmacopeial Convention (USP). That means that the product has been tested for quality and purity. This also means that it contains exactly what it says it contains. No secrets.
I hope this helps and let’s get our guts together, together!!
References:
Ansari F, Pourjafar H, Tabrizi A, Homayouni A. The Effects of Probiotics and Prebiotics on Mental Disorders: A Review on Depression, Anxiety, Alzheimer, and Autism Spectrum Disorders. Curr Pharm Biotechnol. 2020;21(7):555-565. doi: 10.2174/1389201021666200107113812. PMID: 31914909.
Wallace CJK, Milev R. The effects of probiotics on depressive symptoms in humans: a systematic review [published correction appears in Ann Gen Psychiatry. 2017 Mar 7;16:18]. Ann Gen Psychiatry. 2017;16:14. Published 2017 Feb 20. doi:10.1186/s12991-017-0138-2