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Probiotics and emotional symptoms of
chronic fatigue syndrome Fall 2009, Vol 5, Issue 17 -- Download the PDF 
In this randomized,
double-blind, placebo controlled
pilot study,
researchers sought to
investigate the possible
influence of probiotics on
symptoms of depression
and anxiety in individuals
with chronic fatigue syndrome
(CFS). A condition
with undetermined etiology,
CFS is characterized
by a number of symptoms
beyond relapsing
mental and physical
fatigue. Approximately
half of CFS patients,
assert researchers, meet
the diagnostic criteria of
anxiety disorder or major
depressive disorder, as
well as irritable bowel syndrome
(IBS). There is
also a strong correlation
among CFS patients with
IBS who also experience anxiety. Offering more background
to their hypothesis, Rao et al reference several
studies exploring the influential role of gut bacteria on the
central nervous system and mood-related psychiatric
symptoms. This interface of neuropsychiatry and gastroenterology
is an emerging field of study referred to as
enteric neuroscience.
Rao et al's two-month trial included 39 adult patients with a confirmed diagnosis of CFS who were also assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). Initial evaluation also included the collection of stool samples to determine total aerobe, anaerobe, Lactobacillus spp, and Bifidobacteria spp counts. CFS patients were randomized into a placebo or probiotic treatment group in which each meal (three times daily) for an eight-week period included the consumption of a placebo or eight billion colony forming units (cfu) dose of Lactobacillus casei strain Shirota (LcS). Thirty five patients completed the study (27 female and 8 male). The treatment group showed significant increases in total fecal content of both Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria as compared to the control group. The increase in Lactobacillus, note researchers, was expected. However, the increase in Bifidobacteria was likely a "positive result" due to the cultivation of a gut environment beneficial to healthy bacterial. The finding is especially positive, assert Rao et al, since Bifidobacteria is known to be especially low in patients with CFS, and is a bacteria associated with a healthy gastrointestinal system. Following evaluation of BDI and BAI scores, researchers observed statistically significant improvement in symptoms of anxiety among the participants taking LcS as compared to the control group. The changes noted in LcS consumption and the BDI measures were not strong enough to be statistically significant. Given the possibility that the findings reported in this study may be consequent to other physiological mechanisms of action - such as the possibility that improved bowel function contributed to lessened anxiety - researchers note that further investigation is needed. Rao et al's findings definitely contribute to a growing knowledge base regarding the potential role of probiotics in the treatment of anxiety and depression, and the complex interface of neurological function and gastrointestinal health. Study: Rao, V. et al, Gut Pathogens, 1:6 (2009) RETURN HOME from probiotics and chronic fatigue syndrome |
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