One way to address IBS, mental disorders: stop your gut bacteria from behaving badly

For the first time, researchers have conclusive evidence that bacteria residing in the gut influence brain chemistry and behavior. The findings, appearing in the journal Gastroenterology, are important because several common types of gastrointestinal disease, including irritable bowel syndrome, are frequently associated with anxiety or depression. In addition there has been speculation that some psychiatric disorders, such as late onset autism, may be associated with an abnormal bacterial content in the gut. For each person, the gut is home to about 1,000 trillion bacteria with which we live in harmony. These bacteria perform a number of functions vital to health: they harvest energy from the diet, protect against infections and provide nutrition to cells in the gut. Any disruption can result in life-threatening conditions, such as antibiotic-induced colitis. The researchers showed that disrupting the normal bacterial content of the gut with antibiotics produced an increase in brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which has been linked to depression and anxiety. When oral antibiotics were discontinued, bacteria in the gut returned to normal, and was accompanied by restoration of normal behaviour and brain chemistry.

Cedars-Sinai researchers have also reported an understanding between bacterial overgrowth and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Scientists looked at small bowel cultures to confirm the presence of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth -- or SIBO -- in patients with IBS. Of those patients with IBS, 37.5 percent were positive for bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine, compared to fewer than 10 percent of those who did not have the disorder.

Steve - these findings further legitimize the results a recent study in Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology showing that taking a combination probiotic that we have recommend for years, containing specific strains of lactobacillus acidophilus and bifidus, reduced abdominal bloating by 27 percent after taking twice daily compared to placebo in subjects with IBS. As we have said so many times, probiotics are crucial for normalizing the balance of gut bacteria. The importance cannot be overstated.