Can probiotics help with depression? New research suggests a link

A gut-wrenching experience. Butterflies in your stomach.

Many of us instinctively feel the connection between our gut and our brain.That connectionand how the range of bacteria residing in our digestive tract -- our microbiome -- might help treat mental illness has become a field of interest for scientists in recent years.

A new review of medical literature has suggested that probiotics -- foods or supplements containing microbes thought to exert a positive influence on our gut -- could help ease depression.

"This is good quality research but it is a review of relatively preliminary data," Allan Young, a professor of mood disorders at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, told the Science Media Centre in London.

"So while this systematic review of the research literature supports the notion that pre and probiotics may be helpful for people with anxiety and depression, more research is needed. These data do make a case for larger trials to be carried out," said Young, who wasn't involved in the review.

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