Probiotic supplementation
CFU/day
A live bacterial capsule with one or a few named strains, often Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. It is that capsule, not fiber or biotin.
Trials use one or a few named strains for four to eight weeks and score mood or gut outcomes. Acacia fiber, a probiotic-plus-biotin pack, or a calorie-restriction program is a different product.
Also called probiotics, psychobiotic, Lactobacillus.
Connected relationships
MECHANISM− DECREASES
Randomized trial · Contested
Probiotic supplementation→Depression
Higher Probiotic supplementation decreases Depression.
Kazemi 2020 found that eight weeks of Lactobacillus helveticus and Bifidobacterium longum lowered the Beck Depression Inventory from 17.39 to 9.1 versus 18.18 to 15.55 on placebo in 81 completers with major depression. Akkasheh 2016 saw a similar Beck drop in 40 people.
Sources
- A Kazemi et al. (2020). Effect of probiotic and prebiotic vs placebo on psychological outcomes in patients with major depressive disorder: A randomized clinical trial.
- G Akkasheh et al. (2016). Clinical and metabolic response to probiotic administration in patients with major depressive disorder: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.
- L Sempach et al. (2024). Examining immune-inflammatory mechanisms of probiotic supplementation in depression: secondary findings from a randomized clinical trial.