Abstract
- Background
Irritable bowel syndrome is frequently linked with coexisting mental illnesses. Previous research discovered that 32.1 percent of irritable bowel syndrome patients had subthreshold depression, placing them at higher risk of developing major depression. Gut microbiota modulation through psychobiotics was found to influence depression via the gut-brain axis; however, the efficacy of lessening depression among irritable bowel syndrome patients remains ambiguous. This study aimed to investigate the roles of cultured milk drinks containing 10⁹ colony-forming units of Lactobacillus acidophilus LA-5 and Lactobacillus paracasei L. CASEI-01 on depression and related variables among irritable bowel syndrome participants with subthreshold depression.
- Methods
A total of 110 irritable bowel syndrome participants with normal mood and subthreshold depression were randomly assigned to one of four intervention groups: normal mood with placebo, normal mood with probiotic, subthreshold depression with placebo, and subthreshold depression with probiotic. Each participant consumed two bottles of cultured milk daily for 12 weeks. Assessed outcomes included depression risk, quality of life, irritable bowel syndrome severity, and hormonal changes.
- Results
Depression scores were significantly reduced in subthreshold depression groups receiving both the probiotic and placebo from baseline. Only the subthreshold depression group receiving the probiotic showed a significant rise in serum serotonin levels. Significantly higher quality of life measures were observed in the subthreshold depression probiotic group, subthreshold depression placebo group, and normal mood placebo group. All groups, across both placebo and probiotic interventions, reported significant improvements in irritable bowel syndrome severity post-intervention, showing a higher prevalence of remission and mild symptoms.
- Conclusions
A dual-strain Lactobacillus-containing cultured milk drink, through its regulation of relevant biomarkers, serves as a potential anti-depressive prophylactic agent for irritable bowel syndrome patients at risk.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11043363/