CHANCES ARE IF YOU POP A PROBIOTIC REGULARLY you’re trying to improve gut symptoms such as bloating, diarrhoea, cramps and constipation. Indeed, there’s solid evidence in scientific literature that certain strains of bacteria can help with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) symptoms, and probiotic supplements have recently become a popular self-help remedy for this debilitating and difficult-to-treat condition.
Now there’s more. Scientists have discovered gut microbes (and we have 10 trillion of them) may influence your brain health, too. Researchers studying the gut-brain axis have discovered there is in fact a two-way highway – information is carried from brain to gut but also from gut to brain. An emerging field of research known as psychobiotics is based on the premise that ingesting certain live organisms (microbes) may benefit patients suffering from psychiatric illnesses such as low mood, anxiety and depression, as well as neurological conditions such as migraines and Parkinson’s disease.