View Full Version : probiotics relation to gut brain happiness.
This might be jumping the gun a bit however based on a recommendation from a member here about eating probiotic rich foods i suddenly remembered an article that i had read based on the gut -brain connection.
basically I started to modify my breakfast from a muffin sandwich and orange juice to the following.
8 oz kombucha
coconut yogurt with 6 live and active cultures (I choose coconut because dairy can be hard on the digestive system.)
A probiotic pill 2 times a day. Morning and night
and a banana for prebiotics
so far my anxiety has been progressively better over the last 2 weeks.. and it seems that everyday it's getting easier and easier.
My situation may differ from yours because iv come to the conclusion based on a Time line Ii created. That my anxiety started almost a month after iwas put on a high dose antibiotic. CClemdemiacine. . And I'veread that this broad spectrum antibiotic can cause havoc in the gut.
anyway just thought I would share some success.
here's an article if you'd like to read up.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/11/18/244526773/gut-bacteria-might-guide-the-workings-of-our-minds
I have done a lot of research into gut bacteria since I got sick with chronic fatigue and severe anxiety. I take a probiotic powder a few times a day, which also contains prebiotics and natural anti-inflammatories. I also make my own fermented vegetables and raw milk yogurt and I buy coconut kefir. I whole heartedly believe that gut flora is the key to good health.
Something else you might want to look into for added health benefits is resistant starch. It feeds the good bacteria in your gut. Cold cooked potato is supposed to contain it!
I"m so pleased to read of someone else who has found relief through probiotics. If I had to advise someone who had just started suffering from anxiety or any other weird symptom, I would suggest probiotics as a first step. I would also suggest diet changes that optimise gut flora - ie removing sugar and cutting back on carbs.
All the best with your journey to good health!
I have done a lot of research into gut bacteria since I got sick with chronic fatigue and severe anxiety. I take a probiotic powder a few times a day, which also contains prebiotics and natural anti-inflammatories. I also make my own fermented vegetables and raw milk yogurt and I buy coconut kefir. I whole heartedly believe that gut flora is the key to good health.
Something else you might want to look into for added health benefits is resistant starch. It feeds the good bacteria in your gut. Cold cooked potato is supposed to contain it!
I"m so pleased to read of someone else who has found relief through probiotics. If I had to advise someone who had just started suffering from anxiety or any other weird symptom, I would suggest probiotics as a first step. I would also suggest diet changes that optimise gut flora - ie removing sugar and cutting back on carbs.
All the best with your journey to good health!
I've been wanting to try fermenting my own foods.. but I'm not sure where to start. I put up olives once a year, do you have to worry about botulism? When fermenting?
Also I've tried the vitamin route and that did absolutely nothing for me.. The b vitamins actually made my symptoms worse.
I'd be interested in seeing some recipes that you us.
what brand of probiotics do you take? Currently I'm using a pill form how does the ppowder work for you?
stoked I'm not the only that has had positive results!
I see a naturopath who has identified some vitamin deficincies, but you should be able to get most of them from your food. However, if your gut is compromised your body will find it difficult to absorb nutrients which is often why we get anxious. Vitamin C is one vitamin that is really useful at high doses - you can take 1-4 g a day. It's great at fighting infections, so if you have an overgrowth of bad bacteria in the gut it will help with this. I also take a magnesium supplement as I was having heart palpitations - it helped with this after about a week.
There are tons of recipes for making your own fermented vegetables online. I make a combo of red cabbage and ginger - it's delicious! I chop it all up and add a couple of tablespoons of himilayan rock salt, then pound it with a pestle in a big pot until there is loads of juice. Then pack it into jars and leave it to ferment for 3 days. You have to make sure the veges stay under the juice, so you can put a rock or something heavy in with it to hold them down.
I think there's always a risk, but a very small one when it comes to fermenting foods. If it doesn't look or smell right, then don't eat it. I've had mould growing on top a couple of times, so I've thrown that batch away, or just scraped it off the top. It's usually due to the fact that it hasnt' stayed under the juice.
My anxiety started AS I was on a second round of brutal antibiotics. I know for a fact that the two are related!!!, doctors don't believe it, but I don't care. I know it. As my guts slowly get back to normal...my anxiety improves a little here and there. I have been making Keifer also, and that helps immensely!! It is disturbing that not too many people know the gut-brain connection. 90percent of your serotonin is produced in the guts. I can't tell you how many people find out about my anxiety tell me to try to relax. Uh...yeah sure. OR I could fix the bacteria in my gut. So frustrating!! But at least we know there is a connection there...
Cindy
MyNameIsTerry
31-03-14, 05:50
What is best in terms of probiotics? I've read this and I recall Lillharry posting some links in other threads that I found very interesting.
I think my digestion has suffered due to anxiety and I'm wondering if thats going to be part of the key to recovery since I just feel rough a lot and no amount of acceptance or Mindfulness is really helping with it.
What sort of dosages are best i.e. how many million or billion?
What should you really look for in a probiotic i.e. multi strains, specific strains, etc?
I've read that a dairy base is a bad move in a probiotic as that also feeds Candida. I've been looked at a few porducts that state they don't contain dairy or gluten but contain maltodextrin which is a sugar so what is the difference?
Any advice would be appreciated?
I'm not really sure. Personally, I would stay away from one that contains maltodextrin as you don't want added sugar. The one I take is called Bio-kult in the UK and supposedly has a good reputation.
I can vouch for the Bio-Kult probiotics, I've felt better each day since starting them :)
Thankyou for the recommendation Lilharry!
MyNameIsTerry
02-04-14, 04:19
Thanks Lilharry & LunaLuina.
I've looked at a few and seen Bio-Kult. I think I was leaning towards them anyway as the reviews on Amazon are very positive.
It sounds like it's worth starting on one and seeing if it's enough, if not, move up a level.
Thanks for alll the useful info on Candida. I read a list of symptoms on another website after reading the link you provided and ticked off quite a few symptoms.
Initially, I will go the probiotic route and cut down on some sugar. Long term eliminating more sugar might not be fully possible for me as I intend to get back into weight training which is going to mean some extra sugar intake, although I have spotted a product without but it's a bit pricey for me right now, so if anything I can bring those levels down and increase the healthy flora which will be useful.
I wonder if it's all sugars given some are required? Do they all stimulate Candida growth or are some worse than others? I can probably work around some of them if so.
Yes, you do need carbs. Paul Jamminet who wrote the Perfect Health Diet (which is pretty much what I follow now) lists "safe" starches as vegetables - root vegetables, potatoes, sweet potatoes and also rice. It does make a difference what form the sugar comes in. Your body also converts protein into sugar. Eating refined sugar in all its forms just feeds the bad guys - I've cut it out entirely. You might be interested in reading Mark Sisson's blog, Mark's Daily Apple, as he has great dietary advice and was once an endurance runner and triathlete - http://www.marksdailyapple.com/welcome-to-marks-daily-apple/#axzz2xi38XPdU
Also, I just remembered that Paul Jamminet has a list of safe sweetners on his website too. I think rice syrup is one and xylitol another. Personally, I have tried rice syrup and I reacted to it, so it's too soon for me yet. I can't even tolerate fruit at this stage.
MyNameIsTerry
03-04-14, 04:18
Thanks Lilharry, I'll have a look at those.
Thats quite useful for me because I will be greatly increasing my protein intake and eventually I will cut down the carbs in favour or higher protein. So, I need to make sure I don't include too much protein to avoid the conversion to sugar.
I will have to have a look around for articles about all that from the bodybuilding community which will probably explain about how this could cause problems in bulking. I will read the one youn posted first though as it may cover the principles, it's just that athletes don't tend to know as much about nutrition for bulking, but if the principles are there, I can probably work it out. I will be very useful after the bulking though. I think after initial bulking, I should be able to look at a healthier diet that just has a lot of protein in since I would be reducing the calories anyway.
I did find a weight gainer that avoided the usual maltodextrin in favour of barley. It's a bit pricey for me right now and last time I had a barley meal I was up half the night so not sure thats going to agree with me!
Are you able to juice the fruit and remove the pump or can't you tolerate it at all?
I can't tolerate any fruit at the moment because I have a candida overgrowth and it flares up with fructose or any refined sugar. So no juice either.
I would be very careful with barley too, especially if you are intolerant to it. The paleo type communities warn against all grains and lots of people are gluten intolerant, which might be what you are experiencing with the barley.
Your body needs sugar to operate, so that's why if you go low carb your body starts converting protein to sugar - it's not something to worry about. Paul Jaminet talks about our bodies requiring a certain level of carbs because your good bacteria need them. He also discovered that when he cut out carbs after a time he got scurvy, which is supposedly quite common on a no carb diet - it must inhibit your vitamin c uptake, so be careful with that too and supplement with vit c.
MyNameIsTerry
04-04-14, 04:46
Thanks. 'Scurvy', I think I would have to get my old bandana out for that one ha ha!!!
The point you raise about gluten is very interesting. I was spending some time reading threads on Bodybuilding.com earlier in the year. Some were from anxiety sufferers who were using Whey protein and found it spikes their anxiety. Not all experienced this but there was some debate over whether it was gluten. Others attributed it to BCAA's.
It does make you think there is much left to find out about the impact of diet on anxiety and perhaps it's a bit of trial and error. We know the meds don't really do anything, it's how we deal with it ourselves and diet does seem to be very important in this.
I know right - scurvy! Crazy.
Do they put gluten in the whey protein? I suppose they do, there's gluten in just about everything these days. Some people have a dairy intolerance so that could be what's causing the anxiety too.
I really do think the health system has a lot to answer for when it comes to why we get all these crazy symptoms. Our diets have changed a lot in the past 40 years and the stuff they've promoted as healthy - seeds oils, low fat, whole grains and cereals etc are just plain bad for us! It's pretty scary. Luckily now we have the internet and can research things for ourselves and also it's good to see more and more stuff coming out in the media about how we've got it wrong.
It all sounds so very complicated and expensive to do. Would just taking a supplement help as there are loads of them in the shops and if so what should we look for.
What is it that you think is complicated and expensive Humly? I think looking for a quick fix probably won't help you that much, but if you are wanting to experiment with a probiotic people have found the bio-kult brand helpful, so that could be a good place to start.
MyNameIsTerry
06-04-14, 04:23
I know right - scurvy! Crazy.
Do they put gluten in the whey protein? I suppose they do, there's gluten in just about everything these days. Some people have a dairy intolerance so that could be what's causing the anxiety too.
I really do think the health system has a lot to answer for when it comes to why we get all these crazy symptoms. Our diets have changed a lot in the past 40 years and the stuff they've promoted as healthy - seeds oils, low fat, whole grains and cereals etc are just plain bad for us! It's pretty scary. Luckily now we have the internet and can research things for ourselves and also it's good to see more and more stuff coming out in the media about how we've got it wrong.
Yeah, it may be a lactose intolerance issue.
Glutamic acid is often in the profile, so there is a possibility but some people report the same taking BCAA's which don't.
I wonder a lot of the time whether it's just plain old anxiety when people say this. Some supplements can give you a bit of a rush which can feel similar to anxiety and post heavy workout periods are bound to have highly levels of adrenaline.
Weight gainers, high protein shakes, etc can contain all sorts of things these days. This was where my first panic attacks came from exercise (when I had started experiencing GAD a couple of months beforehand) because I mixed some supplements that gave a huge rush (all legal of course) as a new one I was trying was just too strong for me, result = anxiety trigger and ever since it's been an avoidance and a concern in taking any supplement.
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