Antibiotic treatments may make us more susceptible to negative emotions

Medical Xpress / Leiden University / Physiology & Behavior ^ | July 8, 2022 | Katerina V.-A. Johnson et al,

[ConservativeMind]

People who have taken antibiotics in the past three months pay more attention to negative facial expressions, according to research by postdoc Katerina Johnson. This may explain how antibiotics increase the risk of developing depression.

The use of antibiotics negatively affects the microbial community in the gut, previous research has shown. That can then have knock-on effects on the rest of our health, Johnson explains. "We know that the gut microbiome in animals and humans not only affects physical health, but also interacts with the brain, influencing emotions and cognition."

Johnson investigated whether there are differences in the way people process emotional stimuli depending on whether they have recently taken a course of antibiotics or not. The participants were young, otherwise healthy college students who had been treated for relatively minor ailments. The participants had recovered from their infection when they were recruited for the study.

The study found that those who had taken antibiotics paid more attention to negative facial expressions. They paid more attention to sad facial expressions in particular. Steenbergen: "We know that people who pay more attention to negative emotions have a higher risk of developing mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety."

Previous studies have found that even one course of antibiotics can increase the risk of depression and anxiety. Steenbergen adds: "As well as the disruption to the microbiome caused by antibiotics, we also know that inflammation from an infection can itself affect the brain. However, studies have shown that people who have an infection treated with antifungal or antiviral drugs do not have such an increased risk of depression. This suggests that antibiotics may be a causal factor in the relationship with negative mood. In addition, we also know from animal studies that antibiotics can cause symptoms of depression."

[ConservativeMind]

We don’t really understand how intimately tied we are to our gut bacteria.

[ConservativeMind]

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[BipolarBob]

In that case I want some anti-negative-emotion pill. And I want it now. Preferably over the counter and generic.

[moovova]

[Gene Eric]

Or you could just stop looking at people :)

[BlackAdderess]

Are you sure that isn’t because they have been feeling crappy because they have been sick, in pain, and are not terribly happy about being sick and in pain?

[BipolarBob]

Sick and tired of being sick and tired?

[BlackAdderess]

Absolutely

[Bob434]

[[Antibiotic treatments may make us more susceptible to negative emotions]]

I’m sad to hear that

[AndyJackson]

I sure am having some negative emotions about this BS.

[packagingguy]

This is actually a whole area of research. One of the problems is our gut bacteria has changed due to modern diet and processed food.

In the medical literature it is called “psychobiotics”.

One good example is Lactobacillus reuteri, a bacteria common in the gut of people who live on traditional diets. It is less commonly found in humans who consume modern diets.

It does have an effect on the mind:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32082606/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30522820/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27793228/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6471505/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30522820/

Experimental evidence shows the bacteria have an effect through the vagus nerve.

[ckilmer]

sounds like Lactobacillus reuteri is a good pro biotic to take. can you recommend a couple of other bugs and the probiotics that have them?

(I find that most probiotics seem to have neutral bugs.)

[packagingguy]

L. reuteri is only available from Bio Gaia. This is the one that produces oxytocin:

https://www.biogaia.com/product-country/biogaia-osfortis/

One of the very best products on the market for general health is Visibiome:

https://www.visbiome.com

[OrangeHoof]

Is it your intent to vomit every story posted on that website? Clearly this is unsubstantiated junk science. If you removed every story you post that includes words like “may”, “could”, “might”, etc. meaning that the story could be bullshit but because some doctor somewhere says you can get x if you do y, this gets posted for the gullible to believe as if it’s scientific truth.

It’s just as possible that it’s all garbage.