Health
Probiotics Work as a Mood Booster in Healthy Adults
It’s become increasingly clear that there’s much more to our guts than the simple breakdown and digestion of food. In recent years, studies have repeatedly shown that: Now, a new paper just published in npj Mental Health Research argues that – at least in healthy adults – probiotics can fight back against negative feelings. “The […]
It’s become increasingly clear that there’s much more to our guts than the simple breakdown and digestion of food.
In recent years, studies have repeatedly shown that:
Now, a new paper just published in npj Mental Health Research argues that – at least in healthy adults – probiotics can fight back against negative feelings.
“The gut–brain connection provides various routes through which bacteria in the gut can influence how we feel and behave, including via the vagus nerve, immune system and hormones,” co-author and Research Associate in Oxford University’s Experimental Psychology Department Katerina Johnson, PhD, said.
The study offers up some new information about how probiotics might influence our mental health.
“We found that various traits, most notably a propensity for risk avoidance, were associated with a greater effect of probiotics on mood,” Johnson added.
Methodology
The researchers recruited 88 healthy young adults. They relied on a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled design to explore how a multispecies probiotic might influence emotion regulation and mood. Throughout the four-week study, participants ran through a battery of assessments. They included psychological questionnaires, emotional processing tasks, and daily mood ratings.
The standard psychological questionnaires revealed almost no change in participants’ emotional states after the probiotic intervention. But the daily mood tracking offered up a revelation. The researchers noticed a clear and consistent drop in negative mood in those taking probiotics. It was a trend the authors first noticed about halfway through the study.
“It is striking that by simply asking participants how they were feeling each day, we could detect the beneficial effects of probiotics on mood,” co-author and Leiden University assistant professor Laura Steenbergen, PhD, remarked. “In contrast, the standard psychological questionnaires that are common in this field were not sensitive enough to pick up these changes.”
Larger Implications of Probiotics
The research underscores the growing importance of methodological design in evaluating mental health interventions. Traditional tools, such as symptom questionnaires, while valid, might miss some of the more nuanced changes in one’s emotional experience. This particular study’s use of daily mood ratings, for example, provided a high-resolution view of the participants’ emotional trajectories.
The implications could be huge. As public interest in gut health accelerates and mood disorders rise worldwide, more people recognize probiotics as a potential tool for supporting mental well-being.
Interestingly, the researchers also identified psychological traits that predicted who benefited the most. Participants who scored higher in risk aversion — a trait linked to vulnerability to depression — were more likely to experience a reduction in negative mood. This suggests probiotics might offer the greatest benefit as an early intervention strategy.
Though probiotics didn’t make much of a difference in cognitive tasks, the authors noticed signs that they might boost emotional awareness. In one example, the authors discussed how the probiotic group showed slight improvements in accurately recognizing facial expressions, hinting at a possible bump in emotional processing.
Notably, the timeline parallels that of traditional antidepressants, which typically take about two weeks to start curbing symptoms. While probiotics and antidepressants operate differently, the researchers point out that both might influence mood via anti-inflammatory effects and neural pathways.
Digging Deeper
Finally, the authors suggest that probiotics might offer a subtle but meaningful mental health benefit for the general population. Specifically, this study opens the door to targeted probiotic use. It suggests probiotics could serve as a mental health support strategy. This approach might help stave off the onset of more serious conditions.
“Perhaps in the future probiotics could be used in a targeted way as an early intervention to reduce the chances of negative feelings progressing to mental health conditions such as depression, though more research would be needed to confirm that,” Steenbergen suggested.
Further Reading
The Road Between The Gut And Schizophrenia Runs Both Ways
California Wildfires Leave Mental Scars
Paper Suggests Link Between Gut Biome and ADHD, Autism
Health
BYU women's basketball guard injures ACL twice
Many people look up to athletes, but people hardly talk about the challenges they go through. Arielle Mackey-Williams tells her story of how her injury impacted her life and mental health. “There’s been a lot of nights where I’m at home trying to go to sleep and I’m just crying myself to sleep because it […]
Many people look up to athletes, but people hardly talk about the challenges they go through.
Arielle Mackey-Williams tells her story of how her injury impacted her life and mental health.
“There’s been a lot of nights where I’m at home trying to go to sleep and I’m just crying myself to sleep because it just really hurts,” Mackey-Williams said.
10% of college athletes experience severe injuries according to the national athletic trainers association.
This is the second time that BYU women’s basketball player Arielle Mackey-Williams has injured her ACL. It has kept her from playing in another season.
“My first ACL injury, I went in to do a backdoor cut and my leg went inwards,” Mackey Williams-said. “The second time I definitely knew I tore my ACL again.”
Mackey-Williams said that staying positive has been more challenging during her second injury.
Newly-named BYU women’s basketball head coach Lee Cummard said he saw the mental toll the injury took on Mackey-Williams.
“On the court, Ari is a fierce competitor,” Cummard said. “The second time around, you can see it wearing on her a little bit more.”
Others close to her, including her mother and former coach, Mary Dawn described her firsthand experience.
“The hardest thing was, I couldn’t simply hug her and let her cry out loud and embrace that pain,” Dawn said.
BYU’s assistant athletic director of clinical mental health, Holly Binks, said athletes face tough challenges physically and mentally when they are dealing with an injury.
“There has to be almost a mourning period where they have to have grief, because they’ve had like a loss of like dreams of playing,“ Binks said.
Binks said that injuries are more than just a physical setback, they can impact scholarships and grades.
Binks and Cummard said that the sports culture is evolving to include a greater focus on mental health.
“Having a optimistic but a real point of view of where they’re at will really help,” Cummard said.
Dawn offered advice on how parents of athletes can support their mental health.
“Be a source of emotional support,” Dawn said. “Validate the feelings and remind them it’s okay to feel upset.”
Mackey-Williams said she has grown throughout her mental health journey.
“I think my injuries helped me just to be more grateful for knowing not only just basketball, but just the little things in life,” Mackey-Williams said.
Mackey-Williams said she has been able to maintain her mental health through this challenge while finding joy in the little things in life.
Health
QUOTES
Story Links Recap: Terps Beat Georgetown Maryland Postgame Quotes “Really proud of our guys. Kind of had a feeling it would feel like a Big Ten game, and that’s really what it was. Obviously give credit to Kevin Warne and Georgetown on a great year. They’ve been playing as hot as anybody and certainly their […]
Maryland Postgame Quotes
“Really proud of our guys. Kind of had a feeling it would feel like a Big Ten game, and that’s really what it was. Obviously give credit to Kevin Warne and Georgetown on a great year. They’ve been playing as hot as anybody and certainly their future is bright there. The crowd was phenomenal. Navy is such a good host for this game. I think I heard the attendance was 17-18,000 and they were awesome. We felt them all game long. Just a gritty performance. Defensively, (associate head coach) Jesse Bernhardt always does a great job with the game plan and these guys do a great job executing it. And then offensively, just kind of grinded. Not our best but when we needed to make plays we did.”
On the defense
“Jesse put together a really good plan. We have really good parts, but really smart parts. We have good athletes down there, but also guys who understand how play, not only on the ball, but off the ball. The combination of having a really good scout team and guys that buy into that role, which is not easy, then guys who know how to play and also a really good game plan put it all together.”
“We played this game like a Big Ten game, like we have played all year. Don’t change anything. It is going to be a grind; don’t flinch. We talked about it with these guys, breaking the game down and each possession matters. Don’t overthink it. We did put a big emphasis on starting strong. The first five minutes for us was huge, because if you watch the Duke game, they came out hot. Everyday at practice, the first five minutes was a focus.”
Jack MacDonald
On the pace of the game
“The prior experiences, playing Rutgers, playing Michigan, playing Penn State and all of the Big Ten teams gave us a great trial run for today. And I think we were ready. I think we knew what was coming with Georgetown; it was going to be a slower game, kind of a rock fight we called it all week. And we were prepared. We knew we were going to have to play a lot of defense, but we love it.”
On the defensive plan
“It starts with coach Bernhardt. We go over all week putting together a game plan and then watching an extensive amount of film as a group and that’s when you get to know the opposing side so well. I think that’s where we get our edge.”
“I definitely felt we left some (goals) out there. I was super thrilled with how we finished the game (offensively). Coach Warne does a great job with their defense and Georgetown as a whole. I have a lot of respect for what he’s doing over there and how that defense plays so tight knit. They slide and recover real well. We found some opportunities late, but we should play better.”
On playing against his brother Jacob
“It is hard to get emotional because we shared a big stage today. I’m super proud of him and all that he is doing at Georgetown and the player he is going to be. He has a bright future. It was a great stage and fun to share it with him. It was cool for my family to experience that, but I’m definitely happy big brother came out on top.”
Health
New training facility opens in Reading for athletes' mental and physical advancement
READING, Pa. – A training facility in Reading is officially open. Athlete’s IQ Institute celebrated their grand opening earlier on Saturday. The facility operates as a space to train athletes in almost every area – mentally and physically. The goal? Help shape them into a “total package” athlete. “Training that we deliver here… …that you […]
READING, Pa. – A training facility in Reading is officially open.
Athlete’s IQ Institute celebrated their grand opening earlier on Saturday.
The facility operates as a space to train athletes in almost every area – mentally and physically.
The goal? Help shape them into a “total package” athlete.
“Training that we deliver here…
…that you need to be for an athlete,” said Avory Cole, lead trainer/performance coach for Athlete’s IQ Institute.
Athletes IQ also partners with local colleges for tutoring and mentorship programs for their trainees.
Health
May is Mental Health Awareness Month
May is Mental Health Awareness Month – WTVQ 23 hours ago 6
Health
Why Personal Growth Drives Business Success
About Icebug Icebug is a Swedish footwear brand on a mission to empower people to get outside — regardless of the season. Founded in 2001, the company is best known for its innovative traction technologies, making it a go-to for runners, hikers, and outdoor lovers facing slippery or challenging terrain. As the first outdoor footwear […]
About Icebug
Icebug is a Swedish footwear brand on a mission to empower people to get outside — regardless of the season. Founded in 2001, the company is best known for its innovative traction technologies, making it a go-to for runners, hikers, and outdoor lovers facing slippery or challenging terrain. As the first outdoor footwear brand to become climate positive, Icebug leads with bold sustainability actions, transparency, and a commitment to doing business differently. Headquartered in Jonsered, just outside Gothenburg, Icebug combines nature-first values with cutting-edge design and a deep respect for the planet.
CEO David Ekelund believes this connection to nature is essential for both mental health and in-novative thinking. With mandatory “Wellness Hours” three times a week, all employees spend at least an hour outside — whether walking, running, or simply breathing fresh forest air. It’s part of a bigger shift: a commitment to inner development and new ways of working in a changing world. As Ekelund shares on a walk through the forests of Västra Götaland, breaking with business-as-usual has helped Icebug thrive — from the inside out.
It’s quite difficult to isolate where mental issues are coming from. Is it really because of work? Or can it be a parent who is ill or a child having problems at school? But it’s for sure, that you’re not one person at work and then you’re another person in your private life. We are basically one person.
The underlying assumption is, that people get more dusk worn down at work. They need the weekend or a vacation to rest. I think it’s not a really good way of having it. What if instead, we can make the workplace the place where actual health and well-being are increased? Where people can develop towards their full potential.
David Ekelund gave valuable insights about his vision for the sports industry.
Image credit:
Thomas Plettenberg/Messe München
We know that physical activity also gives mental well-being, but that’s only one part of it. About 3 years ago, we decided that we wanted to work on inner development. This was really a departure from business as usual.
The core idea of business as usual being professional at work. But we all have strong sides and weak sides. And if we go to work, spending a lot of time trying to hide our weak side and always show our strong side, our “better side”, we lose a lot of opportunities to learn. Instead spending a lot of energy doing that, we could use it to develop together.
