FEATURE
THE BRAIN CHANGERSthat disrupts its normal functioning.
There’s enough evidence to suggest
that a wide-ranging diet results in a
microbiome full of different types of
bacter ia a nd leads to better menta l
health. A diversity of plant-based food
is particularly important, says Dinan
(see box, opposite page). He points out
that studies have indicated that, because
of the rise of processed food, most of
us have many fewer different types of
gut microbes than our grandparents
and great grandparents. “We’re missing
microbes,” he says. “That might mean
we’re dealing with stress less effectively.”
Spector agrees. “I do think the first
t h i ng to do before t h i n k i ng about
probiotics is to improve your diet first.
We have to realise that one of the reasons
we’re getting so much depression and
anxiety in the UK is because of our very
poor diet and our high rate of eating
processed food. We need to get our diet
diverse and cut out the chemicals before
thinking about psychobiotics.”ABOVE Prof Ted Dinan
says that lots of
plant-based foods can
help boost the microbiome
TOP RIGHT Studies
suggest that some gut
bacteria produce
tryptophan (pictured)
which is a building block
of serotonin
ABOVE RIGHT Serotonin
(pictured) is a
neurotransmier that
plays a key role in mood
regulation. Low serotonin
levels are linked to
depressionThe public too have become wa ry. The hype t hat has
surrounded probiotic and prebiotic food products, with
companies claiming that sugary products with added bacteria
improve gut health and boost your immune system, has often
not been backed up by good science. The danger now is that
the genuine promise of psychobiotics may be underestimated.
“Regulation of the food industry has been very lax in the
past, so people have been able to ma ke a lot of claims
without very good data,” says Dinan. “Fortunately, I think
that’s changing now.”GOOD DIET, GOOD MENTAL HEALTH
But waiting for new psychobiotic treatments may be overlooking
the single most important lesson from this research: that our
diet has a crucial effect on our mental health. Psychiatrists
and dietitians have, for years, been saying that changing our
eating habits can make us happier, or at least help keep us
on an even emotional keel.
“We may not have the trials at the moment to make exact
recommendations,” says Dinan. “But I’m of the view that,
even now, in psychiatry, there is no question that a poor
diet is associated with poor mental health. I run clinics
for people with severe forms of depression who are not
responding to antidepressants and if you give them appropriate
dietary advice, in association with antidepressants, there’s
no doubt you can get responses that you don’t get with the
antidepressants alone.”
Dietary diversity is the key. The reason that probiotics work
as treatments is that they fill a gap in your gut microbiomeby SIMON CROMPTON (@Sim o n cro m pto n2)
Simon is a freelance health writer.FEATURE
THE BRAIN CHANGERSthat disrupts its normal functioning.
There’s enough evidence to suggest
that a wide-ranging diet results in a
microbiome full of different types of
bacter ia a nd leads to better menta l
health. A diversity of plant-based food
is particularly important, says Dinan
(see box, opposite page). He points out
that studies have indicated that, because
of the rise of processed food, most of
us have many fewer different types of
gut microbes than our grandparents
and great grandparents. “We’re missing
microbes,” he says. “That might mean
we’re dealing with stress less effectively.”
Spector agrees. “I do think the first
t h i ng to do before t h i n k i ng about
probiotics is to improve your diet first.
We have to realise that one of the reasons
we’re getting so much depression and
anxiety in the UK is because of our very
poor diet and our high rate of eating
processed food. We need to get our diet
diverse and cut out the chemicals before
thinking about psychobiotics.”ABOVEProf Ted Dinan
says that lots of
plant-based foods can
help boost the microbiome
TOP RIGHTStudies
suggest that some gut
bacteria produce
tryptophan (pictured)
which is a building block
of serotonin
ABOVE RIGHTSerotonin
(pictured) is a
neurotransmier that
plays a key role in mood
regulation. Low serotonin
levels are linked to
depression
The public too have become wa ry. The hype t hat has
surrounded probiotic and prebiotic food products, with
companies claiming that sugary products with added bacteria
improve gut health and boost your immune system, has often
not been backed up by good science. The danger now is that
the genuine promise of psychobiotics may be underestimated.
“Regulation of the food industry has been very lax in the
past, so people have been able to ma ke a lot of claims
without very good data,” says Dinan. “Fortunately, I think
that’s changing now.”GOOD DIET, GOOD MENTAL HEALTH
But waiting for new psychobiotic treatments may be overlooking
the single most important lesson from this research: that our
diet has a crucial effect on our mental health. Psychiatrists
and dietitians have, for years, been saying that changing our
eating habits can make us happier, or at least help keep us
on an even emotional keel.
“We may not have the trials at the moment to make exact
recommendations,” says Dinan. “But I’m of the view that,
even now, in psychiatry, there is no question that a poor
diet is associated with poor mental health. I run clinics
for people with severe forms of depression who are not
responding to antidepressants and if you give them appropriate
dietary advice, in association with antidepressants, there’s
no doubt you can get responses that you don’t get with the
antidepressants alone.”
Dietary diversity is the key. The reason that probiotics work
as treatments is that they fill a gap in your gut microbiomebySIMON CROMPTON(@Sim o n cro m pto n2)
Simon is a freelance health writer.