"Its common for people who suffer from irritable bowel syndrome IBS to also struggle with depression. Now a small study published in the journal Gastroenterology http suggests that taking a probiotic supplement may provide relief from both conditions. The randomized placebocontrolled trial shows a connection between probiotics and mood improvement in people with IBS and depression or anxiety as well as changes in brain regions related to emotional processing. Most previous research httptime.comprobioticsdepression on this topic has been on healthy people without mood disorders. For the new research scientists from McMaster University in Canada recruited  adults with IBS as well as mild to moderate anxiety or depression. They were followed for  weeks half took a daily dose of the probiotic Bifidobacterium longum and half took a placebo. The probiotics were manufactured and provided by Nestle which also funded the study. Nestle was not involved in collection analysis or interpretation of study data. You Might Like Squatty Potty Toilet Stool  How Toilet Posture Affects Your Health Women in the U.S. Are Having Fewer BabiesEspecially Here After six weeks twice as many people who took the probiotic had decreased depression scores compared to those who took the placebo  versus . Results were similar after  weeks as well. When people in the study were given functional MRI scans the researchers found that improved depression scores were associated with changes in activity of several brain areas involved in mood regulation. Those changes in brain activity support the notion that this probiotic has antidepressive properties the authors wrote in their paper. While their data did not show significant independent changes in anxiety constipation diarrhea or pain people who took the probiotic did report improvements in overall symptoms of IBS and in quality of life. One explanation for the improved mood in the group taking probiotics could be that because their physical symptoms feel better their mood gets better too. Thats why Dr. Roger McIntyre professor of psychiatry and pharmacology at the University of Toronto thinks the fMRI findings are the most interesting and important aspect of the new study they signal that the probiotics may really be working on the brain itself. MORE You Asked Should I Take Probiotics httptime.comprobioticsprobioticsupplementsiidsrlink We know that one part of the brain the amygdala tends to be red hot in people with depression and it seemed to cool down with this intervention says McIntyre who was not involved in the new research. It provides more scientific believability that something in the brain at a very biological level seems to be affected by this probiotic. No serious side effects related to the probiotic were reported suggesting that such a supplement could be a safe way to treat both stomach and moodrelated symptoms. Studies have looked at various types of probiotics for IBS patients the authors wrote and a recent review found that bifidobacteria seemed to work better for gastrointestinal symptoms than another common probiotic lactobacilli. Some experts believe that gut bacteria influence the brain and vice versa mainly through systemic inflammation http But in this study the researchers found no difference in inflammatory markers between the probiotic and the placebo group. McIntyre points out that the bowel communicates with the brain through other pathways as well including the metabolic and nervous systems. MORE Should I Eat Olives httptime.comolivesnutritionprobioticsiidsrlink The studys findings need to be confirmed in larger independent trials and McIntyre says he wouldnt yet recommend taking a probiotic for symptoms associated with mental disorders like depression or anxiety. Study coauthor Premysl Bercik associate professor of medicine at McMaster University says the formula used in the new research isnt commercially available anyway. The evidence at this point is promising says McIntyre but it is not sufficient to justify recommending to patients as a viable treatment strategy. But McIntyre says the results are encouraging. They seem credible to me and they might hint that there are other mechanisms besides just inflammation linking the GI tract to the brain he says."