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Can Probiotics Fight Depression?

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Those little creatures in your gut can provide you with a number of benefits. But can probiotics actually fight depression?

The connection between the gut and the brain seems to be very important for migraine patients. The same goes for the condition that often goes along with migraine – depression. Some migraine patients do take probiotics to improve the health of the gut. And a study from the Netherlands adds more evidence that probiotics may help fight depression and improve mood (A randomized controlled trial to test the effect of multispecies probiotics on cognitive reactivity to sad mood.).

Can probiotics fight depression?The patients in the study received 4 weeks of probiotic treatment, using a supplement available in the Netherlands. The probiotic was “multispecies”, meaning that there were several strains given in the supplement.

Patients were evaluated using the Leiden Index of Depression Sensitivity-Revised (LEIDS-R), both before and after treatment.

Patients who took the probiotic treatment did indeed fare better. In particular, they had lower aggression, and lower “rumination” (which refers a thought or problem repeating over and over in your mind without resolution – including thoughts such as “why am I so sad?”).

This isn’t the first time probiotics have been studied and found as a depression-fighter. Interestingly, no one in this group had serious depression. In the past, probiotics have been most useful for those already depressed.

Good bacteria in the gut can fight bad bacteria, bad bacteria which may cause problems leading to depression and headache conditions. But some good bacteria may also lead to the production of serotonin, which may help fight both depression and migraine.

The study included 80% female participants, which may make a difference because the flora in the gut of a female is different than the flora in the gut of a male. It was also a small study, but significant enough to make further study worthwhile.

For more detail on the study, see I get by with a little help from my friends: probiotics and depression. For recommended probiotics, see More Research on Probiotics – Which Should I Use? The probiotics from Garden of Life mentioned in the article are similar but not exactly the same to the supplements in the study above.

5-HTP for Migraine and Tension-Type Headache

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With all the new treatments becoming available for migraine, it’s easy to forget about some of the older treatments that have helped some people avoid attacks.

Back in the 1960s, researchers began to realize the important connection between migraine and a certain neurotransmitter – serotonin. As the decades went by, there was an increasing interest in the relationship between serotonin and migraine, and finding ways use this knowledge to treat attacks.

Today we know more about the complexity of migraine and migraine attacks. But serotonin remains an important, and at times controversial, component. Low levels of serotonin not only relate to migraine, but other comorbid diseases and disorders, including depression, sleep problems, and other types of chronic pain.
5-HTP
One complimentary treatment has been especially studied as a migraine preventative – 5-hydroxytryptophan, or 5-HTP.

The body uses 5-HTP naturally in the creation of serotonin. As a supplement, 5-HTP is made from the seeds of griffonia simplicifolia, a climbing shrub native to central and west Africa. 5-HTP supplements have been used to treat a variety of conditions, including depression, fibromyalgia, insomnia, obesity, and sleep disorders.

The use of 5-HTP for migraine and other types of headache remains controversial, because not all clinical trials showed a significant benefit. Also, it seems that very little serotonin increase can be seen in the brain itself.

However, several trials did show that 5-HTP benefited patients, with a lessened need for other medication, lower pain levels, shorter attacks, and fewer attacks. It may be that the increase in serotonin the the body as a whole does benefit patients with migraine in particular.

Taking 5-HTP for Migraine or Headache

Like many supplements, it is best to use 5-HTP as a complimentary preventative treatment. And as with any preventative, it is helpful to try it for at least three months, using a headache diary to measure its effectiveness.

Clinical trials have generally used 400-600mg of 5-HTP daily for adults (20mg per 10lbs/4.5kg of body weight for children).

You should take extra caution with 5-HTP if you have diabetes or high blood pressure. Do NOT take 5-HTP with antidepressants. If you are taking triptans, or other supplements, talk to your doctor.

5-HTP can be purchased at drugstore.com and amazon.com or amazon.co.uk, where you can find both 100mg and 200mg tablets or capsules.

Resources:

See How You can Fight Headache with just 12

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Most people don’t think of almonds as a supper food.  Well, they might not be the latest fad, but almonds are actually filled with powerful ingredients that may fight your headache.

Now some people do have trouble with almonds – some migraineurs feel that they are a trigger.  Stomach pain may indicate an allergy to almonds.

For most, however, almonds are friendly.  In fact, they can fight headache and migraine.

For example, in North Africa and Asia a common headache home remedy is eating 12 almonds.

Some migraine and headache sufferers have tried eating a few almonds every day – and have found that eventually their headaches decrease!

Why do almonds have such a powerful effect?

For one thing, almonds are high in tryptophans.  When your body gets tryptophans, it makes serotonin, and important compound in the body.  Low levels have been linked to migraine.  Eating almonds may improve your mood and relax you.

But there’s more.

Eating anything of course will impact your blood sugar.  Almonds are a popular food for diabetics and hypoglycemics.  Eat a few between meals.

But there’s more!

Almonds also contain salicin – which when eaten becomes salicylic acid – which can relieve pain.  Yes, almonds are a natural painkiller.

But there are other things in almonds that can fight headache and migraine.  Almonds are rich in magnesium – one of the most important minerals for a migraine sufferer.  They contain even more headache fighting ingredients in small quantities, such as riboflavin (B2) and vitamin E.

So yes!  Almonds most certainly are a super food when it comes to headache.

Where possible, choose raw almonds.  And watch out for roasted almonds with flavouring that could include MSG!

Did I mention that almonds are an aphrodisiac? 😉 And after you’ve eaten a few, what about an almond oil massage?

If you’re ready to have some fun and go beyond just eating 12 almonds, try almond milk.  It’s amazingly easy to make!

Probiotics: Fighting Migraine and More?

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We’ve discussed probiotics here before, as part of the arsenal that could fight migraine in particular.  Probiotics are the good bacteria that comes in fermented foods like yogurt, as well as certain supplements.

Studies on how probiotics are used by the body suggest that they may have some very tangible health benefits (of course – we knew that!).  The head researcher, Professor Mark Lyte, points out:  "There is already evidence to suggest that the connection between gut microbes and the nervous system represents a viable route for influencing neurological function.  A recent study in mice, for example, showed that the presence of neurochemicals such a serotonin in the bloodstream was due to direct uptake from the gut."

Serotonin?  That’s a very common word in migraine research for sure.  Could this be one reason why probiotics are helping migraine patients?

Commenting on the research, Dr Gregor Reid writes:

Until recently the idea that probiotic bacteria administered to the intestine could influence the brain seemed almost surreal.  Yet in Lyte’s paper the concept is supported by studies showing that microbes can produce and respond to neurochemicals, which can induce neurological and immunological effects on the host.

The research presents an idea for selecting probiotic strains with neurological applications and linking this with immune-modulatory effects, while highlighting the fact that microbial strains already being widely ingested in fermented food can produce neurochemicals.

The moral of the story is that probiotics could fight not only migraine, but things like depression and anxiety.  That’s in addition to issues such as irritable bowel syndrome.

Could it be that in the future there will be specific migraine probiotic supplements?  I bet there will be – but before you buy them, wait until the research catches up with the marketing! 🙂

Meanwhile, try a quality brand of probiotics, such as these ones.

via A Gut-Full of Probiotics for Your Neurological Well-Being

Genetics and Triptans

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A recent study suggests that there may be a genetic reason for why some patients respond well to triptan type drugs, and others don’t.

We can expect to see more and more studies on migraine and genetics.  We know that there is a strong genetic component to migraine, but in most cases we still aren’t ready to diagnose and treat based on genetic factors.  With so many different types of medications and treatments out there (more combinations than you will try in a lifetime), we want a way to predict which patients will respond to which treatments.

A study out of Italy this month found a strong correlation between “STin2 VNTR polymorphism of serotonin transporter gene” and inconsistent response to triptan medications (such as Relpax, Zomig, and Imitrex).  Focusing on biology related to serotonin is a natural way to start, since we know there is a connection between serotonin levels and migraine.

There was one more factor – patients who were not taking preventatives were also less likely to consistently respond well to triptans.

We can consider this another early study on the road to accurately predicting which medication you’ll respond to.  The more we can predict, the more time, money, and suffering we’ll save.  These seemingly "fringe" studies are not fringe at all – they could be the key to a transformation in the treatment of migraine.

Read more about the study here: The serotonin transporter gene polymorphism STin2 VNTR confers an increased risk of inconsistent response to triptans in migraine patients.

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Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of each article, and to point you to further sources of information. However, this site is for informational purposes only and should never replace a visit to your doctor.