Julie Matthews, Certified Nutrition Consultant, author of Nourishing Hope for Autism was interviewed by host of the Anxiety Summit, Trudy Scott, Food Mood Expert and Nutritionist, author of The Antianxiety Food Solution.
“Fermented foods and probiotics for anxiety and depression: The practical and the research”
Here is an outline of our interview:
- Types of fermentations
- Health benefits of probiotics and fermentations
- Research on probiotics and anxiety/depression/brain health/autism
- Probiotic supplements
- Prebiotics and why some people can’t use them
- Who might have trouble with fermented foods and why
- Steps and tips on making fermented foods and beverages
Here is the first 2014 study I mentioned –The impact of microbiota on brain and behavior: mechanisms & therapeutic potential.
There is increasing evidence that host-microbe interactions play a key role in maintaining homeostasis. Alterations in gut microbial composition is associated with marked changes in behaviors relevant to mood, pain and cognition, establishing the critical importance of the bi-directional pathway of communication between the microbiota and the brain in health and disease. Dysfunction of the microbiome-brain-gut axis has been implicated in stress-related disorders such as depression, anxiety and irritable bowel syndrome and neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism.
And here are 3 snippets from our interview:
There was a study that looked at human subjects under academic stress and the effects of fermented yogurt particularly Lactobacillus casei (European Journal of Nutrition in 2004 by a researcher named Marcos and their team). They found that the fermented yogurt was able to modulate the immune effects in the subjects that were under stress.
There was a study done by a researcher named Tillisch and published in 2013 in Gastroenterology. We know a lot about how the brain sends signals to the gut, but she explained that in the study they learned that the gut also sends signals to the brain. The researchers found that with yogurt, they found positive effects on the brain, including sensory processing and those areas associated with emotion and mood.
The nice thing about fermented food like sauerkraut is that it’s a form of food that is already partly digested, so it tends to create less gas. It also tends to be better digestible and can be higher in nutrients than the foods themselves that aren’t fermented. They can often help with supporting a good PH balance in the gut. The other nice thing about fermented foods is that you can get a lot of bacteria in a serving. Dr. Joseph Mercola recently tested some of his own homemade sauerkraut and found 10 trillion beneficial bacteria in a four to six ounce serving. So that’s a hundred times the amount of bacteria in a serving than you would find in a bottle of a high potency probiotic.
Here are some of the studies we discussed
Gut-brain axis: how the microbiome influences anxiety and depression.
Effects of the probiotic Bifidobacterium infantis in the maternal separation model of depression.
Consumption of fermented milk product with probiotic modulates brain activity.
We found a significant rise in both Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria in those taking the LcS, and there was also a significant decrease in anxiety symptoms among those taking the probiotic vs controls
Probiotic-induced reduction of gastrointestinal oxalate absorption in healthy subjects.
You’ll also learn how to make your own sauerkraut in the video giveaway being offered by Julie – Video: How to make sauerkraut
Practitioner video/gift – “BioIndividual Nutrition: The Importance of Personalizing Diet in your Practice”
UPDATE: Season 2 of The Anxiety Summit concluded in November 2014. If you’d like to be on the notification list for the next summit just sign up here www.theAnxietySummit.com
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What is the condition that is caused by STREP that, in turn, causes OCD. I couldn’t catch the condition. Could you please tell me what Julie called it? tks
Hi Joann
PANDAs – Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections
During season 1 Dr James Greenblatt talked about it in great detail. You can see all the speakers and topics from season 1 here http://www.theanxietysummit.com/season-1/ If you do decide to purchase season 1 it’s actually on special during this summit
Trudy
joann: I think it’s called PANDAS.
thanks Bob!
Hi Trudy from South Africa,
How can you test if you are sensitive to oxlates – elimination diet or is there a specific test?
Hi Monica
Great Plains has an organic acids/OAT test with a number of markers http://www.greatplainslaboratory.com/home/eng/oxalates.asp
You can also remove oxalates and see how you do. The recommendation is to start slowly, removing high oxalate foods first to avoid an oxalate dump. Julie went into this in a lot more detail during our interview during season 1 (http://www.theanxietysummit.com/season-1/)
Trudy
hi and thank you for this wonderful summit. I wish to ask Julie about finding the right Probiotics and Prebiotics for you. is it only a trial and error? I tried many brand names and didn’t find yet something that made a difference. Are there any tests that can help? thanks : )
Hi Rachel
I’ll comment and will have Julie pop on and comment too. Professional grade probiotics, refridgerated and I prefer those without prebiotics added if you have bloating and suspect SIBO/small intestinal bacterial overgrowth. You can do a stool test from a functional lab and organic acids testing can be very helpful too.
Trudy
HI Rachel, either option is possible. Some people prefer to try certain ones and see which seem to work best based on experience, while other people have their doctor do some testing to determine the strains that may be lacking. Stool tests can determine both the beneficial and pathogenic strains present. And there are other tests like OAT tests that can specifically look for markers of pathogens. If someone is looking for specific strains or functions, they might choose single strain or specific probiotic formulas. Other people might prefer more of a “broad spectrum” of probiotics in a supplement.
What brands of probiotics are recommended?
I see so many other supplements out there with prebiotics. And soil based organisms, with conflicting reviews. Why might these be bad? It’s so confusing.
Rebekah, it’s easier to comment, when I have specifics. Each brand is so different.
I was just wondering if you had a few over the counter probiotics brands that you recommend for anxiety?
Thanks
Mel
I prefer recommending professional grade supplements – that way I have vetted them. For OTC probiotics I’d look for something that is refrigerated and doesn’t contain any wheat, soy, colors, additives etc
Trudy
Does a large bowel movement indicate a GI issue? My daughter has epilepsy,anxiety,social skills are poor, poor executive functioning skills,and other learning difficulties. Could the large bowels be related?
Esther
It’s hard to say but it’s generally considered that having a nice large BM is a good thing, provided it’s at least happening every day
Trudy
Julie, I am always listening to your very passionate lectures and every time learning a lot. I started to work with autistic children in Latvia recently using GAPS and Homeopathy, and CEASE therapy, and supplements. Glad to report some first good improvements what gives me even more passion to learn. I have your books, and the plan is to study them in detail. From todays lecture the big news for me was that even Probiotics, or sauerkraut or kefir might not be good for everyone. I know, individualisation is one of your strong points.
The question after todays talk is – how would you suggest taking Probiotic supplements – with meals, before meals, after or in between. The question is how much of good bacterias would survive stomach acid? Thanks, I am very inspired by your work.
Hi Silvija,
Thanks for the kind words. I will often suggest probiotic timing based on the particular company’s recommendations, as each have different coatings and other things that may determine the best timing. Personally, I most often take probiotics with meals, as they would normally come in food naturally. I’m not necessarily concerned with “surviving stomach acid” – common sense tells me that if we normally “eat” probiotics with food (i.e. sauerkraut, yogurt, etc) if they were killed by stomach acid, how would we ever colonize bacteria? So my feeling is that that concept may not be of concern. I tend to go with either what the company suggests, or whatever is easier for the individual.
Thanks, Julie. It all makes sense, really.
Thanks for sharing this information Trudy. It’s an exciting time in nutrition science – there are more studies coming out all the time. This subject of our microbiome and mental health is so important.
Thank you for the very valuable work you’re doing in the area – and you’re so right, it is an exciting time in nutrition science. Thanks again for being one of our amazing summit speakers – it’s always a pleasure interviewing you!
Fascinating topics!!! Thanks for spotlighting them! XO, Katherine.
I always enjoy your deeply informational articles, Trudy. There are SO many things to consider with mental health. I also enjoy your responses to questions to articles! What brand of professional probiotics do you recommend?
Tandy
Glad you enjoyed it! One product that I like is Designs for Health Probiotic Synergy
Thank you Julie and Trudy for this good information, particularly about sauerkraut. I know first hand the value of a good probiotic and read this post with great interest.
Great article ladies! I am pretty much obsessed with learning about the human microbiome and its role in autoimmune disorders, food allergies, and mental health. I love fermented foods–especially my homemade sauerkraut.
Agreed Tiffany, the human microbiome and what we are learning on a daily basis is quite fascinating!
I was under the impression that their are different probiotics for different body needs, is that accurate? And if so, how would one know which to get unless they are working with a nutritionist who can guide them.
ps I love sauerkraut and yogurt… I sure hope Greek Yogurt counts!
Jessica
Doing a stool test is a good way to see where you may be low – this would need to be a test done by a functional lab such as Genova.
And yes Greek yogurt does count! enjoy!
Trudy
Trudy,
Excellent information! One area I personally
have not explored. Now I must after reading
what you have presented here.
This was a great interview. Gut health is so important to overall health. Helping people understand the connection between our intestinal ecosystem and our health is key to supporting their needs. Thanks for all of your work on this issue.
Thanks Mira – I always enjoy my interviews with Julie!
Thanks for this excellent information. I have recently been experimenting with prebiotics (Bimuno) and it made my brain and nerves considerably worse. In some ways this is encouraging, as it confirms for me the link between my gut and the way I’ve been feeling all this time, but I would also like to know how to proceed. Have you heard of people becoming worse with prebiotics before? What might the solution be? Thanks.
John
When prebiotics make things worse I start looking at SIBO. Here is a great interview I recently did on the Anxiety Summit https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/anxiety-summit-intestinal-bacterial-overgrowth-anxiety/
The SIBO Symposium was last weekend but is available as an online purchase https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/sibo-symposium-2015/