This question “Can probiotics help reduce anxiety?” can be answered only when we have an understanding of what anxiety is, how probiotics work and the interconnection between the two.
I will go into more detail on anxiety in another article. But for this post, I will give you a brief definition. just to cover this post. Click here to see what Wikipedia says.
Anxiety is an unfocused worry, a general unease. It is closely associated with fear.
Anxiety is a natural part of the human condition and is essential in our “fight or flight” mechanism or acute stress response. What is a problem is the triggers may be too fine for you, resulting in panic attacks, an extreme form of anxiety, which can be debilitating.
Another problem if the anxiety persists for extended periods of time, typically 6 months or more.
It then starts to rule your life.
What causes this hair-trigger response or persistent anxiety?
Many anxious people have co-occurring gastrointestinal disorders, such as IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), IBD (irritable bowel disease), bloating etc. They generally blame the gastric effects on the anxiety, but it’s probably the other way around. The guts normal processes are disrupted by the general inflammation of the lining of the gut which is caused by the imbalance of the gut probiotics.
This disruption affects the gut-brain axis. This axis includes the vagus nerve and a host of hormones and chemicals such as serotonin, the feel-good hormone. The gut produces most of the serotonin.
This disruption affects a range of other processes that I will cover in other articles.
The hair-trigger and the constant worry is probably due to the low levels of serotonin and other hormones and neurotransmitters not being produced in the gut due to the gut microbe imbalance.
The obvious answer to all of this is to take a decent probiotic, such as our Noster ProBiotic. The probiotic should be a live culture with a wide range of strains.
Serotonin’s importance
By getting the balance right we enable the smooth running of the gut, ensuring the continual production of serotonin.
A class of drug called serotonin reuptake inhibitors are used in the treatment of anxiety. The idea is to increase the amount of serotonin so rather do that in a more body-friendly manner with probiotics.
Interestingly not all strains help or some are more effective than others. The “top dog” seems to be Lactobacillus rhamnosus. If your probiotic doesn’t have this strain it is not going to be too effective in the treatment of anxiety. Fortunately, Noster ProBiotics has it as a strain.
Please remember all treatment by probiotics is not an instant cure, it will take a number of weeks before you feel the effects. It will also be a gradual change and you may not even notice it until one day you wonder why you are no longer anxious.