Gut Microbiota: How it Affects Your Mood, Sleep and Stress Levels

The gut microbiota is the community of bugs, including bacteria, that live in our intestine. It has been called the body’s “forgotten organ” because of the important role it plays beyond digestion and metabolism.

You might have read about the importance of a healthy gut microbiota for a healthy brain. Links have been made between the microbiota and depression, anxiety and stress. Your gut bacteria may even affect how well you sleep.

But it can be difficult to work out exactly how far the science has come in this emerging field of research. So what evidence is there that your gut microbiota affects your brain?

How does your gut talk to your brain?

When you’re healthy, bacteria are kept safely inside your gut. For the most part, the bacteria and your gut live in harmony. (The gut has been known to nurture or even control the behaviour of the bacteria for your well-being.)

So how do the bacteria get their signal out?

The best evidence is that the normal channels of communication from your gut are being hijacked by the bacteria.

The gut has a bidirectional relationship with the central nervous system, referred to as the “gut-brain axis”. This allows the gut to send and receive signals to and from the brain.

A recent study found that the addition of a “good” strain of the bacteria lactobacillus (which is also found in yoghurt) to the gut of normal mice reduced their anxiety levels. The effect was blocked after cutting the vagus nerve – the main connection between brain and gut. This suggests the gut-brain axis is being used by bacteria to affect the brain.

This link was clarified in a study where bacterial metabolites (by-products) from fibre digestion were found to increase the levels of the gut hormone and neurotransmitter, serotonin. Serotonin can activate the vagus, suggesting one way your gut bacteria might be linked with your brain.

There are many other ways gut bacteria might affect your brain, including via bacterial toxins and metabolites, nutrient-scavenging, changing your taste-receptors and stirring up your immune system.

A recent study found that the addition of a “good” strain of the bacteria lactobacillus (which is also found in yoghurt) to the gut of normal mice reduced their anxiety levels.

How can the gut affect your mental health?

Two human studies looked at people with major depression and found that bacteria in their faeces differed from healthy volunteers. But it’s not yet clear why there is a difference, or even what counts as a “normal” gut microbiota.

In mouse studies, changes to the gut bacteria from antibiotics, probiotics (live bacteria) or specific breeding techniques are associated with anxious and depressive behaviours. These behaviours can be “transferred” from one mouse to another after a faecal microbiota transplant.

Even more intriguingly, in a study this year, gut microbiota samples from people with major depression were used to colonise bacteria-free rats. These rats went on to show behavioural changes related to depression.

Stress is also likely to be important in gut microbiota and mental health. We’ve known for a long time that stress contributes to the onset of mental illness. We are now discovering bidirectional links between stress and the microbiota.

In rat pups, exposure to a stressor (being separated from their mums) changes their gut microbiota, their stress response, and their behaviour. Probiotics containing “good” strains of bacteria can reduce their stress behaviours.

How gut microbiota affects your mood

Medical conditions associated with changes in mood, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), might also be related to gut microbiota.

IBS is considered a “gut-brain disorder”, since it is often worsened by stress. Half of IBS sufferers also have difficulties with depression or anxiety.

Ongoing research is investigating whether gut bacteria are one reason for the mood symptoms in IBS, as well as the gastrointestinal pain, diarrhoea and constipation.

Similarly, CFS is a multi-system illness, with many patients experiencing unbalanced gut microbiota. In these patients, alterations in the gut microbiota may contribute to the development of symptoms such as depression, neurocognitive impairments (affecting memory, thought and communication), pain and sleep disturbance.

In a recent study, higher levels of lactobacillus were associated with poorer mood in CFS participants. Some improvements in sleep and mood were observed when patients used antibiotic treatment to reduce gut microbial imbalance.

The exact contributions of stress and other factors such as intestinal permeability (which allows nutrients to pass through the gut) to these disorders are not understood. But the downstream effects seem to be involved in IBS, inflammatory bowel conditions, CFS, depression and chronic pain.

How our gut affects our sleep

Our mental health is closely linked to the quality and timing of our sleep. Now evidence suggests that the gut microbiota can influence sleep quality and sleep-wake cycles (our circadian rhythm).

A study this year examined patients with CFS. The researchers found that higher levels of the “bad” clostridium bacteria were associated with an increased likelihood of sleep problems and fatigue, but this was specific to females only. This suggests that an unbalanced gut may precipitate or perpetuate sleep problems.

There is emerging evidence that circadian rhythms regulate the gut immune response. The effect of immune cells on the biological clock could provide insights into the possible bidirectional relationship between sleep and the gut. For example, data from animal studies suggests that circadian misalignment can lead to an unbalanced gut microbiota. But this effect can be moderated by diet.

There is growing concern that disruptions to our circadian timing of sleep leads to a range of health issues, such as obesity, metabolic and inflammatory disease, and mood disorders. This is particularly important for shiftworkers and others who experience changes to their sleep/wake patterns.

For example, data from animal studies suggests that circadian misalignment can lead to an unbalanced gut microbiota. But this effect can be moderated by diet. 

What this means for treatment

In terms of using interventions directed at the gut to treat brain disorders – so called “psychobiotics” – there is a lot of promise but little clear evidence.

Probiotic (live bacteria) treatments in mice have been shown to reduce cortisol, an important stress hormone, and decrease anxious and depressive behaviours.

But there are very few studies in humans. A recent systematic review of all the human studies showed the majority do not show any effect of probiotics on mood, stress or symptoms of mental illness.

On the plus side, large studies show us that people who eat a balanced diet with all the usual good stuff (fibre, fresh fruit and vegetables) have lower rates of mental illness as adults and adolescents.

Clearly, diet affects both the gut microbiota and mental health. Research is ongoing to see whether it is a healthy gut microbiota that underlies this relationship.

A healthy gut microbiota is linked to a healthy brain. However there are only a handful of human studies demonstrating real-world relevance of this link to mental health outcomes.

There is still a way to go before we can say exactly how best to harness the microbiota in order to improve brain function and mental health.

This article originally appeared on The Source and was written by By 

Paul Bertrand, RMIT University, Amy Loughman, RMIT University, Melinda Jackson, RMIT University

Social Inclusion as a Determinant of Mental Health and Wellbeing

The link between social inclusion and mental health & wellbeing

A study of 2000 people in Finland found that social support strengthened mental health in all respondents (Sohlman 2004).

Young people reporting poor social connectedness (that is, having no-one to talk to, no-one to trust, no-one to depend on, and no-one who knows them well) are between two and three times more likely to experience depressive symptoms compared with peers who reported the availability of more confiding relationships (Glover et al, 1998).

A large meta-analysis of routinely collected data from 1952-1993 found a significant increase in mean levels of anxiety among US college students and school children which was correlated with reduced social connectedness (Twenge, 2000).

Evidence of significant and persistent correlations has been found between poor social networks (weak social ties, social connectedness, social integration, social activity, and social embeddedness) and mortality from almost every cause of death (Seeman 2000; Berkman & Glass 2000; Eng et. al 2002).

Studies have consistently demonstrated people who are socially isolated or disconnected from others have between two and five times the risk of dying from all causes compared to those who maintain strong ties with family, friends & community (Berkman & Glass 2000).

Belonging to a social network of communication and mutual obligation makes people feel cared for, loved, esteemed and valued. This has a powerful protective effect on health. Supportive relationships may also encourage healthier behaviour patterns (Wilkinson & Marmot 2003).

Two different but potentially complimentary mechanisms have been proposed to explain how social networks influence mental health. Social networks may have a beneficial effect on mental health regardless of whether or not the individuals are under stress, social networks may also improve the wellbeing of those under stress by acting as a buffer or moderator of that stress (Kawachi & Berkman, 2001).

By providing emotional support, companionship and opportunities for meaningful social engagement, social networks have an influence on self-esteem, coping effectiveness, depression, distress and sense of wellbeing (Berkman & Glass, 2000).

Social networks and social ties have a beneficial effect on mental health outcomes, including stress reactions, psychological wellbeing, and symptoms of psychological distress including depression and anxiety (Kawachi & Berkman 2001).

Whiteford, Cullen and Baingana (in press) indicate that :

• The benchmark Whitehall study demonstrated the link between social exclusion and ill health, and social isolation has been linked to unhappiness, illness, and shortened life.
• Socialising with colleagues from work, attending religious services and participation in clubs is related to positive health status.
• Vulnerability for depression includes the lack of confiding relationships, unemployment and low social status all of which can derive from a breakdown in social cohesion. Even in conditions where psychosocial factors are generally not considered to be pathological, this relationship has been reported. For example, socially isolated elderly people have a relatively greater risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.

Social relationships have potentially health promoting and health damaging effects. Positive mental and physical health effects are associated with social interactions among older adults, including better recovery after disease onset. Critical and/or overly demanding social ties have however been correlated with increased stress and risk of depression among the elderly (Seeman, 2000).

The amount of emotional and practical social support people get varies by social and economic status. Poverty can contribute to social exclusion and isolation. People who get less social and emotional support are more likely to experience more depression (Wilkinson & Marmot 2003).

The Victorian Population Health Survey (VPHS) 2002 found that people with few social networks were more likely to report fair to poor health and to be experiencing some level of psychological distress. The study identifies higher network scores were associated with those who lived in rural areas, older age groups, those who were Australian born and those who were employed. Higher network scores were also associated with a range of benefits including an increased ability to get help in an emergency, feeling valued by society, accepting diversity and better health outcomes (DHS 2003).

An analysis of VPHS community strength indicator data undertaken by the Department of Victorian Communities shows that people who participate and those who can get help when needed are healthier and feel more positive about the communities in which they live. It also shows inequalities between population groups, most notably between socio-economic and ethnic groups (DVC 2004).

Baum et al. (2000) found mental health status was more strongly correlated with levels of participation in social and community life than physical health.

A national survey conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics in 2001 found rates of mental and behavioural problems and 'a very high level of psychological distress' were higher amongst adults who lived alone compared with adults living in a household with at least one other person (ABS 2003).

People are increasingly more likely to live alone and spend much more time by themselves according to an Australian Bureau of Statistics study which found that between 1992 and 1997, the percentage of our waking time spent alone increased by 14% to 3 hours a day (ABS 2000). The link between social capital and mental health & wellbeing.

There is growing evidence of correlations between various dimensions of social capital and aspects of mental health such as: common mental illnesses (Pevalin, 2002; Pevalin & Rose, 2002); happiness and wellbeing (Saguaro Seminar, 2001; Putnam, 2001); self-assessed mental health status (Baum et al, 2000); depressive symptoms (Ostir et al, 2003); feelings of insecurity related to crime (Lindstrom et al, 2003); general psychological distress (Berry & Rickwood, 2000; Berry & Rogers, 2003); emotional health (Rose, 2000); and binge drinking (Weitzman & Kawachi, 2000).

Although low levels of social capital have been correlated with poorer health, including mental health, a large UK study has found that social capital does not moderate or buffer the negative impact of structural socio-economic factors on health or common mental illness (Pevalin and Rose, 2002).

Greater levels of community participation, social support and trust in others in the community have been associated with reduced experience of psychological distress (Berry & Rickwood, 2000). 

Lower levels of social trust have been associated with higher rates of most causes of death, including heart attacks, cancer, stroke, unintentional injury and infant mortality (Kawachi & Berkman 2000).

Variations in anti-social behaviour and suicidal behaviour have been traced to strengths or absences of social cohesion (OECD 2001). Whiteford, Cullen and Bangana (in press) indicate that :
• There is a correlation between poor health and lower levels of social capital as evidenced by levels of interpersonal trust and norms of reciprocity (both of which can serve as indicators for social capital).
• There is evidence for an inverse relationship between social capital and the presence of mental disorders in populations.
• Social scientists have demonstrated higher social capital may protect individuals from social isolation, create social safety, lower crime levels, improve schooling and education, enhance community life and improve work outcomes.
• The same strong ties that are needed for people to act together can also exclude non-members, such as the poor or minority groups. Strong ties within the group may lead to less trust and reciprocity to those outside the group.
• Analysis of ecological factors indicates societies with low trust levels exhibit higher rates of violent and property crime, such as homicide, assault, robbery and burglary.

This article originally appeared on www.vichealth.vic.gov.au

What Does Arthritis Mean For Younger People?

Think arthritis only affects the elderly? Think again. By 2030, an estimated 580 million people worldwide, ages 18 and older, will have been diagnosed with the disease. Pretty eye-opening, right?

Conventional medicine tends to treat arthritis with strong, immune-suppressing medications that temporarily relieve the symptoms of the disease. Unfortunately, I've seen how these medications can also damage your gut and how they fail to truly address the root cause of the issue. This World Arthritis Day, it’s time to make a change. I’m here to tell you that there’s another way—a way that’s designed to address the underlying causes—in order to reduce inflammation without medication. Here’s how:

1. You can treat all kinds of arthritis with one approach.

There are more than a dozen different kinds of arthritis, and while there are certainly differences in conventional understanding and treatment for each one, they all have common root causes and triggers for inflammation and pain. For example, the two most common diagnoses are rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis (OA). While RA is considered an inflammatory (autoimmune) disease and OA is typically thought of as the result of "wear and tear" and injury to the joint, both of these conditions are influenced by lifestyle choices such as diet and exercise. No matter what kind of arthritis you have, it’s important to know that it can be made worse by inflammation that starts elsewhere in the body, including the gut. Which brings me to my next point…

2. Heal the gut, and you heal the joints.

You may have heard some talk about gut health—and the gut-brain connection or the gut-pain connection—and you’ve probably heard the word "microbiome," or the friendly bacteria in your body. Fascinating studies have confirmed that the root cause of your arthritis is most likely lurking in your digestive system, so to heal your joints, you must first heal your gut. But where do you start? The best first step is to take a probiotic daily to help remove the harmful microbes that might be causing your symptoms, but some require a more intensive plan.

3. Treat your terrain with inflammation-fighting foods.

A fresh start for your microbiome means a new chance to influence your "terrain," or what I think of as the body’s deepest soil, where cells either thrive or wither. There’s a strong connection between your diet, your gut microbiome, and your pain level, so I recommend choosing foods that fight inflammation like organic plants and foods high in fiber and healthy fats, while avoiding refined sugars, dairy products, and red meats. Here are some of my guiding principles:

• Increase fiber, micronutrients, and phytonutrients, or, in less-scary terms, eat more vegetables and fruits, and choose organic whenever possible.
• Reduce refined sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, and refined grains.
• Improve the quality of fat by removing refined oils and hydrogenated fats.
• Improve the quality of the animal protein you eat by choosing 100 percent grass-fed and finished beef, free-range chicken, and sustainably farmed, low-mercury fish.
• Limit salt, food dyes, and preservatives (which happens naturally when you limit processed foods).

4. Carve out time for daily stress-reduction activities.

Traumatic events and ongoing stress are very real triggers for inflammatory diseases. In our go-go-go world, we’re always rushing; we can’t miss this deadline or that meeting, and we very rarely take the time to sit back, relax, and let our minds reset. Diet and stress are two root causes of a damaged gut, inflammation, and chronic disease, so it’s no surprise that in order to heal your arthritis naturally, you must take time to practice your favorite stress reduction activities daily. I recommend meditation, yoga, long walks through nature, and journaling to ease the mind.

This article originally appeared on mindbodygreen.com and was written by Susan Blum, M.D., MPH

Upcoming Posture & Movement Training Workshop: Alexander Technique

Re-learning to move easily & efficiently, the way we were designed to, by identifying and changing learned overcompensation habits. Unlock your body...

The Alexander Technique

...is an intelligent way to solve body problems.  Many people are mystified by their own back pain, excess tension or lack of coordination.  They often see problems in their joints or muscles as structural, unchangeable.  As an Alexander teacher, I hear clients say things like, "I've always walked like a duck," or "My posture is just like my father's."  But, as they learn the Technique, they are surprised that they really can make lasting changes in the way they walk, their degree of muscular tension or the shape of their posture.  They learn how dynamic and changeable the body really is.  They find that, by learning the Technique, they can improve their overall movement and achieve optimal health for both body and mind.
 

We all have unconscious movement habits. 

Without realizing it, we put undue pressure on ourselves.  We use more force than we need to lift a coffee pot or a weight bar.  We slouch as we sit, unaware that our way of doing things gives our bodies a certain look.  We blame body problems on activities -- carpal tunnel syndrome on computer work, tennis elbow on tennis.  But often it is how we do something that creates the problem, not the activity itself.

An Alexander Technique teacher helps you see what in your movement style contributes to your recurring difficulties -- whether it's a bad back, neck and shoulder pain, restricted breathing, perpetual exhaustion or limitations in performing a task or sport.  Analyzing your whole movement pattern -- not just your symptom -- the teacher alerts you to habits of compression in your characteristic way of sitting, standing and walking.  He or she then guides you -- with words and a gentle, encouraging touch -- to move in a freer, more integrated way. 

The Technique's basic idea is that when the neck muscles do not overwork, the head balances lightly at the top of spine.  The relationship between the head and the spine is of utmost importance.  How we manage that relationship has ramifications throughout the rest of the body.  As the boss -- good or bad -- sets the tone for an organization, the head / spine relationship -- compressed or free -- determines the quality of the body's overall coordination.  Our neuromuscular system is designed to work in concert with gravity.  Delicate poise of the head sparks the body's anti-gravity response: a natural oppositional force in the torso that easily guides us upward and invites the spine to lengthen, rather than compress, as we move.  Instead of slouching or holding ourselves in a rigid posture, we can learn to mobilize this support system and use it wherever we go -- in the car, at the computer, in the gym.

Young children have this natural poise. If you watch a toddler in action, you will see an erect spine, free joints and a large head balancing easily on a little neck.  A healthy child walks and plays with regal posture.  Barring birth defects, we all began that way.  But over the years, we often lose that spontaneity and ease.
 

Using the Alexander Technique

...you can learn to strip away harmful habits, heighten your self-awareness, and use your thought process to restore your original poise.  In a way, you are learning something that, deep down, your body already knows.  With the Alexander Technique, you come to understand much more about how your body works, and how to make it work for you.  You can tap more of your internal resources, and begin on a path to enhancing your comfort and pleasure in all your activities. (Originally written by Joan Arnold and appeared on alexandertechnique.com)

The Alexander Technique is a way to feel better, and move in a more relaxed and comfortable way... the way nature intended.

An Alexander Technique teacher helps you to identify and lose the harmful habits you have built up over a lifetime of stress and learn to move more freely.

The Alexander Technique is for you if you are ready to feel more comfortable in your own body.

The Alexander Technique can also help you if:

• You suffer from repetitive strain injury or carpal tunnel syndrome.

• You have a backache or stiff neck and shoulders.

• You become uncomfortable when sitting at your computer for long periods of time.

• You are a singer, musician, actor, dancer or athlete and feel you are not performing at your full potential.
   

Upcoming Alexander Technique Workshop

December 27, 10am - 12pm workshop*
12:30pm - 6:30pm 60 minute private lessons**

PAY BY DONATION* **
** bring with you what you want to work on, like an instrument or a movement, or discuss a posture problem or goal you'd like addressed.

Learn to move with momentum, with the natural fascial lines in your body and how to identify and unravel compensations and tensions in your musculoskeletal system that contribute / lead to chronic pain.

Performing artist, actor, singer and theatre director, Holly Cinnamon, returns to Edmonton from her theatre studies in Boston for a limited time. Sharing strategies she has applied in her personal life and career to train and fine tune her body like a musical instrument and tool.

Holly’s journey as a yogini began 8 years ago when she started attending classes at Shanti Yoga in Edmonton while studying her undergraduate degree in theatre. As a trauma survivor, Holly discovered yoga’s power to heal and free tensions and traumas from the body, allowing her to regain an ownership of her body and a sense of wholeness that she felt she had lost. From digging deeply to rediscover her own body, Holly became deeply interested in experiential anatomy - asking how we experience our structure thorough internal sensation rather than external analysis. 

An incredibly sensitive person since birth, Holly has discovered strength in sensitivity through her work as a yoga teacher. She enjoys giving her students the gift of rediscovering themselves in the present moment, freeing themselves from judgment, and finding joy in the gift of living in a body on this earth and moving with gratitude. Holly has trained in Yin Yoga with Joe Barnett, a primary teaching assistant of Paul Grilley and completed her 200-hour teacher training through YogaWorks with Catherine Munro.