You've Heard Of Probiotics, But What Are Psychobiotics? Scientists Explain

When it comes to supporting your brain health, proper nutrition is key. (We may have mentioned it once or twice.) Leading scientists and co-authors of The Better Brain Bonnie J. Kaplan, Ph.D., and Julia J. Rucklidge, Ph.D., would wholeheartedly agree: On this episode of the mindbodygreen podcast, they dive into all the healthy foods and supplements that can help you manage stress, support cognitive health, and supercharge emotional resilience. 

For those familiar with probiotics (and if you're not, head on over to our handy guide), psychobiotics follow a similar beat. "You're taking those good bacteria, the bacteria that we know are healthy for our gut, but putting them in a pill or powder form rather than ingesting them through your whole foods," says Rucklidge. What makes them "psychobiotics" rather than regular ol' probiotics is the fact that these bacteria have been specifically studied for their brain health benefits. "That's where the psycho part comes in," Rucklidge explains, a term coined by Scott Anderson, John Cryan, Ph.D., and Ted Dinan, M.D., Ph.D., in their book, The Psychobiotic Revolution. 

The thing is, the science is still pretty new: So we can't say for sure which specific strains benefit brain health. You have trillions of bacteria in your gut, after all, so it would take an extensive amount of time to isolate each and every one and assess their benefits for the brain.  

"Everybody has their favorite bacteria, and so every investigator does their own favorite couple of bacterial strains and then looks to see whether or not it helps [e.g., with mood]. In some cases it does; in some cases it doesn't," Rucklidge explains. For example: One animal study found the strain Lactobacillus plantarum 1PS1281 was associated with behaviors tied to anxiousness and stress and an increase in dopamine and serotonin levels in the prefrontal cortex; another study found the bacterial strain Lactobacillus helveticus2 NS82 had increased the serotonin, norepinephrine, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels in the hippocampus. 

As for Rucklidge's own research3? "We weren't able to say that specific strains could benefit mental health more than what [typical] care provides you," she explains. "So I don't want to say it didn't work but that it didn't work any better than the placebo effect."