Summary: Researchers know that changes in gut microbiota have an adverse impact on mental health management. These changes are among the significant reasons for the rise of common mental health problems. Using germ-free mice, researchers can now understand the role of different types of gut microbiota in mental health. Additionally, they can also start using gut microbiota to manage mental health issues. It means that science can now progress from developing the understanding to practical application.

Different types of mental illnesses like anxiety, depression, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and various neurodegenerative diseases are rising. However, science has been struggling to explain why these mental health disorders have been rising so briskly in the last few decades. It now appears that most adults are living with one or another common mental health problems.

It is pretty easy to guess that it has much to do with a fast-changing environment. These diseases used to be rare just a century back. So, it means that fast-changing environmental factors and lifestyles predispose humans to mental health issues.

However, perhaps the bigger question remains: What kind of environmental and lifestyle changes are causing a rise in mental health issues, what is the role of various such changes, and what is the underlying mechanism? 

It is not easy to understand, as tens of factors are implicated in the rise of mental health issues. One such factor contributing to the increase in mental health issues is dysbiosis or severe changes in the gut microbiota. It has been seen that painkiller addiction helps in the rise of such cases as well. 

Studies show that changes in gut microbiota may affect physical and mental health. But, understanding what changes cause these health disorders is challenging. There are trillions of microorganisms living in the gut, and health disorders occur due to minor changes in their population. Therefore, understanding these small changes in the population of gut microbiota is very challenging. Nonetheless, researchers have been making some progress.

To understand how gut microbiota influences mental and physical health, researchers use so-called germ-free mice. These are mice that lack any kind of gut microflora. Then by introducing gut microflora in these mice, researchers can see the impact of different types of microbiota on mental and physical health. This helps us understand how and what changes in the gut microbiota are harmful and suggests ways of normalizing gut microbiota.

Researchers now know that gut microbiota produces neurotransmitters, short-chain fatty acids, bile acids, vitamins, lactate, and many other bioactive compounds, thus impacting health. They are now also learning to appreciate the importance of various bioactive compounds produced by gut microbiota, modulating their levels by tweaking the gut microbiota.

In the future, researchers think that understanding how to use microbiota to alter the production of various bioactive compounds may help manage most mental health disorders, from depression, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), to autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

There are many good things about such a therapy. First, it is a more natural way to treat mental health disorders. Such methods may work slowly, but they can provide prolonged relief without causing any significant side effects.

Moreover, it is vital to understand that though there are hundreds of medications to treat mental health disorders, they work only in a small number of cases. Additionally, these drugs cause severe side effects.

Just take the example of depression. There are tens of drugs to treat the condition. Yet, these drugs barely work in less than half of all cases. It means that medications almost completely fail to help in more than 50% of the cases. Even worse, they have many side effects, they help slowly, and people must take these medications for long, sometimes even lifelong.

Unlike medical drugs, novel therapies like using gut microbes may provide prolonged relief. Moreover, once the healthy gut population has been reinstated, one can start living without the need to take any medications. Thus, such an approach is not only safe, but it also helps mental health management. 

It is therefore suggested to take expert help in case of common mental health problems. Telehealth addiction treatment offered by Addictionology Center helps you in mental health management right in the comfort of your home. 

Summary: Alcohol consumption is common, but only a few people are prone to alcohol addiction or alcohol use disorder (AUD). These are often people with some emotional deficit and struggle to control their alcohol intake. It appears that altered gut microbiota can also alter emotional responses and thus increase the risk of AUD. These alterations may occur due to various reasons. New studies confirm that gut microbiota is altered in those living with AUD. Hence, normalizing gut microbiota along with telehealth treatment can be one way to manage alcohol addiction.

In the last few decades, researchers have given significant attention to billions of bacteria and fungi living in the human body, particularly in the gut. These beneficial bacteria and fungi in the gut are called microbiota. There are more of these tiny organisms in our body than the total number of body cells. It means that these billions of microbes must be playing some essential role in human health.

 

When it comes to the role of microbiota, science has still only scratched the surface. However, researchers know that humans have evolved in a way that they cannot live a healthy life if the population of microbiota is disrupted. Microbiota produces nutrients, vitamins, hormones, and other biologically active compounds.

 

Further, it seems that the gut plays a vital role in the brain’s health and microbiota in the gut’s health. For example, the gut produces 90% of serotonin, an important neurotransmitter, which plays a significant role in brain functioning and mental health. However, the gut also produces other neuropeptides. Thus, researchers call this gut and brain relation “the gut-brain axis.” Since microbiota can significantly influence this axis, the researchers have coined a new term, “microbiota-gut-brain axis.”

 

It seems that microbiota play a vital role in the production of many bioactive compounds that can influence the working of the brain. Thus, changes in microbiota may increase the risk of mood disorders and various mental health issues and may even play a role in alcohol addiction.

 

In one of the recent events, The FENS Forum 2022, some of the leading neurologists discussed their findings regarding how gut microbiota alterations may promote alcohol addiction. They presented their findings in the panel session – “Unravelling the role of the gut microbiome in addiction.”

 

The gut and the binge drinking

 

The studies show that one is more likely to see changes in gut microbiota in those who engage in binge drinking. It seems that altered gut microbiota can affect emotional responses and promote impulsivity.

 

Stress, microbiota, and alcohol dependency

Another opinion shared by Dr. Benjamin Boutrel was that stress causes changes in the gut microbiota in some individuals. And animal experiments suggest that these people often suffer from severe alcohol dependency.

 

Gut microbiota, hormones, and alcohol dependency

Dr. Lorenzo Leggio presented the findings in which he outlined the role of altered levels of the “hunger hormone,” ghrelin, in developing alcohol dependence. In addition, it appears that changes in gut microbiota may also alter ghrelin levels in the body.

 

Transplanting gut bacteria to explore their role in alcohol use disorder (AUD)

In yet another presentation, Pr. Nathalie Delzenne presented the findings from the research done by her team at UC Louvain. Science knows that people living with alcohol use disorders (AUD) have some emotional issues or deficits. By planting the bacteria from people living with AUD to lab mice, she could demonstrate the role of altered microbiota in changed emotional responses and AUD.

 

There are exciting times as researchers are exploring an entirely new way to treat alcohol use disorder (AUD), that is, by focusing on normalizing the gut microbiota. However, this also highlights the importance of diet and nutrition, particularly dietary fiber, in managing AUD.