In recent years, with the continuous exploration of researchers, it has been found that there are significant differences in the intestinal flora composition between patients with depression and healthy individuals. The close relationship between emotional health and intestinal flora has also brought new breakthroughs to the development and market application of related health foods.
Intestinal flora has a great impact on the occurrence and development of depression. It can regulate the function of the nervous system, and even the normal work of the brain is inseparable from it. Abnormal or missing flora can trigger a series of physical and emotional problems.
Intestinal Flora: A "Key Player" in Regulating the Nervous System
Intestinal flora is not just an aid to digestion, but also deeply involved in the regulation of the nervous system.
It can affect the core links of the nervous system, such as the growth of nerve cells, the ability of nerves to transmit signals, the neurotransmitters that regulate mood in the brain, as well as the development of nerves and inflammatory responses.
Once the flora is abnormal, it may not only induce depression, but also be related to neurological diseases such as autism and Parkinson's disease.
Missing Intestinal Flora Triggers a Chain of Problems
If there are no probiotics in the intestines at all, the body will have a series of serious problems, which in turn affect mood and behavior.
At the physiological level, it can lead to a fragile protective barrier of the brain, a decline in the immune function of microglia, an increase in the protective layer of nerves, and overactivity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (the endocrine axis that regulates stress).
At the emotional and behavioral level, it can lead to an imbalance of chemicals in the brain, making people anxious and unwilling to socialize with others.
Probiotics represented by Lactobacillus paracasei are becoming a new hope for mood regulation. Studies have found that this type of strain can specifically increase the abundance of intestinal flora that produces short-chain fatty acids. On the one hand, it enhances the intestinal barrier function through butyric acid and reduces the entry of harmful bacterial metabolites into the brain; on the other hand, it promotes the conversion of tryptophan to serotonin, improving mood from the source.
Intestinal flora is by no means a bystander of mood, but a behind-the-scenes manipulator that regulates mood. The shift in perspective from the brain to the intestines has given mood health management a more specific focus. Perhaps, safeguarding the microecological balance of gut microbiota is the key to solving the dilemma of emotional issues.