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A team of scientists from the Oppenheimer Center for Neurobiology and Stress at UCLA and Oxford University has explored the effect of depression in the gut.
Nature Communications notes that although depression is considered a mental illness, it affects other parts of the body as well.
In two studies, researchers were able to identify 13 groups of bacteria in the gut that are associated with the risk of depression in adults.
Also read: 7 physical symptoms of depression
A total of 1,054 volunteers underwent a depression test and a stool analysis to determine the types of bacteria in their gut.
It turned out to the researchers that, in most cases, the number of gut microbes in people with depression was low, but some groups of bacteria such as Sellimonas and Eggerthella were present in large numbers.
In this way, scientists have proven a relationship between depression and intestinal changes.
However, the researchers point out, it is currently too early to talk regarding a direct relationship between depression and changes in the gut microbiome. It is also difficult to determine the causal relationship, because depression sometimes causes nutritional problems, and diet is a major factor in the formation of gut bacteria.
However, if experiments prove that the imbalance of bacteria in the gut actually leads to the emergence of depression, then it will become the basis for new methods of treating mental disorders.