Experts say probiotic yoghurts could relieve anxiety in humans
- Probiotic products have become popular to help improve stomach health
- But experts say they have more benefits than just promoting digestion
- They found giving zebrafish the beneficial bacteria they were less stressed
- But the US scientists say the findings could be replicated in humans
Stephen Matthews For Mailonline
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Eating probiotic yoghurts could help to cure stress and anxiety, new research suggests.
Beneficial live bacteria that are introduced to the body have become increasingly popular as a way to improve gut health.
But the benefits of products like Yakult and Activia yoghurts could spread much further than just promoting a healthy digestive tract, scientists claim.
Despite being tested on zebrafish, experts say the findings could be replicated in humans in future.
Eating probiotic yoghurts, such as Activia and Yakult, could help to cure stress and anxiety, new research suggests
Researchers at the University of Missouri tested how the animals behaved after doses of a common bacteria found in probiotic supplements.
In the first study, scientists added it to tanks that housed the animals. Other tanks received no probiotics.
They then introduced human-like stress to both groups by draining small amounts of water from the tank and overcrowding, replicating isolation and overcrowding.
Gene pathways were then analysed, allowing scientists to discover those who had probiotics showed a reduction in stress.
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Lead researcher Daniel Davis said: ‘By measuring the genes associated with stress and anxiety, our tests were able to predict how this common probiotic is able to benefit behavioral responses in these fish.
‘Essentially, bacteria in the gut altered the gene expression associated with stress- and anxiety-related pathways in the fish allowing for increased signaling of particular neurotransmitters.’
To test their theory further, the researchers measured the movements of fish in their tanks using computer measuring and imaging tools.
Despite being tested on zebrafish, experts say the findings could be replicated to help relieve humans of stress in future
Previous studies of fish behavior have found those that are stressed tend to spend more time at the bottom of their tanks.
Once the fish were administered probiotics, they tended to spend more time toward the top of the tanks – showing less signs of anxiety.
Study co-author Aaron Ericsson added: ‘Using zebrafish, we’ve developed a relatively inexpensive platform for testing of other species of bacteria and probiotics and their potential benefit on different systems of the body.
It’s not the first time scientists have found benefits to a daily dose of probiotics.
Earlier this year, research found that a daily dose of probiotics could help to ward off type 2 diabetes.
Danish scientists found that imbalances in the gut bacteria within a person’s gut can cause insulin resistance – thus causing the condition.
And research conducted in the US found that probiotic yogurts may be able to reverse some symptoms of autism
Studies carried out by Baylor College of Medicine in Texas discovered that adding bacteria back to the gut helped to fight the disease.
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