The role of the gut microbiota in the development and progression of major depressive and bipolar disorder

This 2021 article provides a review of human studies analyzing the relationship between the gut microbiota and major bipolar/depressive disorder. The reviewers found that depressed patients tended to show lower microbial diversity in their gut. This review also describes the positive effect of probiotics containing Bifidobacterium and/or Lactobacillus spp. on depressive symptoms. In addition, new approaches incorporating various probiotics and synbiotics have produced promising results. Furthermore, the analysis of twin studies identified microbial changes towards a “depression-like” microbiota in individuals with higher risk of developing depression. Overall, these findings emphasize the importance of the microbiota and the need to enhance our knowledge on its role in depression. Better understanding may lead to the development of new treatment approaches that alleviate depressive symptoms via manipulation of the gut microbiota. [NPID: depression, bipolar disorder, gut microbiota, gut microbiome, MGBA, review, probiotics, synbiotics]

Year: 2021

Reference: Knuesel, T., & Mohajeri, M. H. (2021). The Role of the Gut Microbiota in the Development and Progression of Major Depressive and Bipolar Disorder. Nutrients, 14(1), 37. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14010037

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