Depression is a psychological illness that affects a person's emotional health, thinking process, and even decision-making. In a breakthrough study, researchers were able to determine that gut microbes are linked with depression.
Other related studies also show that different types microbes affect the overall health of its host body. For gut microbes, neuralpathways between the gastrointestinal tract and the brain may be link to the unexplored areas of depression.
Gut Microbes Attributed to Depression
Researchers conducted a new study in Finland, indicating gut microbe is linked with depression. The new study was published in the journal Nature Genetics on February 3. The new study sheds light on the correlation between depression and gut microbe and how our brains are connected with the gastrointestinal tract through some neural pathways.
The researchers of the new study sampled data from thousands of people in Finland. The researchers held the sampling by collecting data from participants on the following factors: diets, lifestyle, drug prescription, genetics, and current health.
The researchers then analyzed how these factors affect the participant's health. The new study showed that two bacteria, Morganella and Klebsiella, were responsible for causing infection and sending some patients to be hospitalized.
Furthermore, the new study explored that certain human genetic variant significantly influence the abundance of microbes in our gastrointestinal tract. In addition, these genetic variants were linked to 46 common diseases, including clinical depression.
Also read: Gut Microbe Help Squirrels Retain Their Muscle During Hibernation
Related Studies on Gut Microbe
In separate studies, researchers explored if there is a connection-not only between the gut microbe and depression-but also how the gut microbe is affecting the health, brain, and bodily functions of its host. These studies add to the growing body of research and interest in gut microbes.
In another study published in the journal Translational Psychiatry on January 10. The researchers attempted to explore the undefined connection between the pathophysiology of major depressive disorder and the microbiota-gut-brain axis' role in depression.
The study observed the specific mechanisms on how gut microbe affects its host metabolism, immunity, and brain structure is still unclear. Although the study confirmed there is a connection, its researchers said their study was unable to clarify if the gut microbe is the cause or the consequence of depression.
Meanwhile, researchers in a 2017 study concluded that gut microbes can make the immune system turn against nerve cells-which opens opportunities for microbe-based treatments in the future, as per a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences cited by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
In the 2017 study, researchers also postulated that trillions of bacteria inside and outside our bodies can improve our health or cause us disease. The study's researchers were able to determine this by comparing the microbes of healthy and unhealthy people, where the latter contains more harmful microbes.
In light of the studies about how gut microbe is linked with depression and with its host body, researchers are hoping we can harness gut and other microbes in the body-to improve overall health, including psychological disorders and physical illness.
Related article: Can Microbes Affect Your Mood? When Gut Bacteria Feed on Brain Chemicals
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