artur737
08.04.09, 01:08
Nowa praca kanadyjska potwierdzila znaczna poprawe takich objawow jak
niepokoj, depresja, bezsennosc po podawaniu probiotykow u chorych z zespolem
przewleklego zmeczenia.
Hipoteza jest taka, ze zastapienie zlych bakterii w jelitach z ktorych
niektore sa toksyczne, dobrymi bakteriami jest odpowiedzialne za ten efekt.
Najlepsze probiotyki to takie, ktore zawieraja ilosc dobrych bakterii liczone
w miliardach. Polskie probiotyki w wiekszosci sa duzo slabsze.
Probiotic may ease fatigue syndrome anxiety
Updated Mon. Apr. 6 2009 10:15 PM ET
CTV.ca News Staff
Taking a daily probiotic supplement appears to improve anxiety in patients
with chronic fatigue syndrome, new Canadian research suggests, a finding that
might one day impact how depression and other mental disorders are treated.
The researchers, led by A. Venket Rao of the University of Toronto, found that
giving patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) a probiotic for two months
not only boosted so-called "good" bacteria in their stomachs, it also led to a
significant decrease in their anxiety symptoms.
A probiotic is a dietary supplement, most often in pill or powder form, that
contains live bacteria such as Lactobacillus or Bifidobacteria. These bacteria
help maintain gut flora, microbes in the stomach that perform a variety of
functions, including aiding digestion, boosting the immune system and warding
off harmful bacteria.
"We were quite excited with the fact that these were positive results and we
felt that probiotics truly have a role to play in the management of
neurophysiological disorders such as anxiety, such as depression and other
symptoms associated with that," Rao told CTV News.
"Rather than going into medications, which may result in side effects, it's a
safe, it's a very easy way to manage problems such as that."
The findings are published in the journal BMC Gut Pathogens.
Patients who are diagnosed with CFS often experience a broad range of
symptoms, the most significant being persistent fatigue. Nearly all CFS
patients also experience neuropsychological problems, such as cognitive
dysfunction, sleep disturbances, anxiety and depression. In fact, according to
the researchers, about half of all CFS patients meet the diagnostic criteria
for an anxiety disorder or major depressive disorder.
As well, CFS patients often complain of gastrointestinal problems and many are
diagnosed with digestive disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome. Tests
show that they often have lower levels of so-called "good" bacteria in their
stomachs, which can regulate digestive activity.
All of this has led researchers to begin probing a link between gut bacteria
and mental disorders and early findings suggest that bacteria levels may
influence behaviour related to anxiety and depression.
Researchers believe that probiotics "crowd out" the more toxic stomach
bacteria that are linked to an increase in depression and other mood
disorders, study co-author Dr. Alison C. Bested told CTV News.
For this study, Rao, Bested and their team gave 39 CFS patients either three
doses of Lactobacillus casei Shirota a day, or a placebo, for two months.
They found that 73 per cent of subjects taking the probiotic experienced an
increase in levels of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria in the gut, which
corresponded with a significant decrease in anxiety symptoms.
In the placebo group, only 37.5 per cent showed an increase in Bifidobacteria,
while only 43.8 per cent showed an increase in Lactobacillus bacteria. The
researchers found no statistically significant change in anxiety symptoms
among this group.
According to Bested, Bifidobacteria appears to increase levels of tryptophan
in the brain, a chemical that "helps people feel better."
Patients taking the probiotic also showed a marked improvement in their
digestion, experiencing less bloating and gas and a reduction in inflammation.
The findings are "huge," Bested said.
"(Subjects) felt less anxious, they felt calmer, they felt better able to cope
with their illness, they were sleeping better, had less heart palpitations and
less symptoms of anxiety," she said.
"We were pleasantly surprised, that people who were taking probiotics were
able to lower their anxiety."
Rao explained that the good bacteria produce "compounds that get to the brain
and help the brain to manage problems associated with behavioural and mood
problems, such as anxiety and depression."
He said the findings open "a door to a whole new field, and that is the
relationship of gut micro flora, or gut bacteria, to many disorders - mental
disorders being one of them. So it opens a door to many future research and
applications in this area."
