TDNet Discover

Background: Depression is one of the most common causes of disability worldwide. Its effects can be crippling to those who suffer from the disorder. Recent findings suggest the gut microbiome can be a target in the treatment of depression due to the flora’s production of neuroactive chemicals. Because the disorder is often chronically recurring, increasing the variety of treatment options is of interest to the medical field. Purpose: To determine if there is sufficient data to support the use of probiotics in the treatment of depression, either as adjuncts or stand-alone treatment. Methods: An evidence-based medicine literature review study design was completed by searching databases such as PubMed, Google Scholar, and ScienceDirect using search phrases like “depression AND probiotics” and “gut AND depression AND treatment”. Limits applied include: Last 10 years, Human, English, Systematic Review, Meta-analysis, Randomized Controlled Trials, Peer Reviewed. Duplicates were omitted in the search and review process. Each included article was qualitatively analyzed using a quality assessment and data extraction tool. Results: A systematic review and meta-analysis, a meta-analysis, and a randomized doubleblind-placebo-controlled study were included in this review. The study population ranged from healthy individuals to those with depression/postpartum depression. Depression severity was measured using a variety of established tools. One of the articles was rated as “good”, and two of the articles were rated as “fair” for internal validity. All three studies found a positive effect of probiotics in the treatment of depressive symptoms. Conclusion: The addition of probiotics to pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy treatment for depression appears to be safe and beneficial for the improvement of depression and depression iv symptoms in different population groups. However, research is not conclusive as to which probiotic, if any, is more beneficial than others and thus further research needs to be done to determine if there is a specific probiotic that could be more beneficial. The results of this review are promising for the addition of probiotics to pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy in patients searching for improved depression symptoms without adding more medication to their current regimen and potentially suffering side effects from more medication.