The gut microbiota It is the set of microorganisms (millions of bacteria, archaea, eukaryotes and viruses) that live in the digestive system. It is also popularly known as intestinal flora.
The microbiota is related to body functions such as nutrition, digestion, immunity, protection against pathogens, etc. Through different studies it has also been proven that people with depression usually have an imbalance in the intestinal microbiota called dysbiosis.
To understand this phenomenon, we must take into account the bidirectional connection that exists between the microbiota of the digestive system and the brain.
A healthy microbiota, necessary for good mental health
Alterations in the microbiota are common in patients with depression. Therefore, it is recommended that all people who suffer from this disorder take care of their diet to have a healthier microbiota.
Thus, this imbalance can be compensated through a balanced diet that improves the person’s depressive state and can help make their psychological treatment more effective.
It should be noted that depression is a systemic disease, in which different systems of the body come together. If poor diet or other inappropriate habits cause intestinal dysbiosis, the gut-brain axis is altered and complicates the evolution of the depressive disorder.
Therefore, this microbiota imbalance must be treated for absolute recovery from depression.
Differences in the intestinal microbiota in patients with depression
The latest research indicates significant differences in the intestinal microbiota of individuals with depression compared to the healthy control group. Evidence from studies with animals, mainly rodents, indicates that, broadly speaking, these differences take the form of a lower richness and diversity of bacterial species. That is Bacterial diversity usually decreases in cases of depression.
As for studies with human beings, they have the disadvantage that they have been done with few people. In addition, they may be conditioned by the intake of antibiotics and antidepressants that can vary the composition of the microbiota.
However, people with an active episode of depression show elevated levels of the liposaccharide from bacteria of the genus Bilophila and Alistipesdecrease in Anaerostipes and an absolute disappearance of Dialister. All of them are alterations that do not appear in the remission phase of the disorder.
These are the conclusions of a collaborative study coordinated by the CIBERSAM group (Center for Biomedical Research in Mental Health Network) led by Juan Carlos Leza from the Department of Pharmacology of the Faculty of Medicine of the Complutense University of Madrid.
For its part, among the relevant results of a study published in Nature Microbiology and led by Valles-Colomer and his team, a reduction of two genera of bacteria (Coprococcus and Dialister) in the microbiota of people with depression stands out, excluding the effects of antidepressant drugs.
On the other hand, the Flavonifractor bacteria has higher values in patients with major depression. A positive correlation was also observed between the patient’s quality of life and the ability of their microbiota to synthesize dopamine (also known as the pleasure hormone).
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