Probiotics Improve Mental Status In Fibromyalgia
Probiotic supplements help people with fibromyalgia overcome fatigue and perform activities that improve their life.
In addition to physical pain, people with fibromyalgia experience emotional and psychological difficulties. To cope with them they often resort to the help of psychologists and practice therapies such as meditation, but from now on they have reasons to take a supplement of live bacteria.
These probiotic supplements act on the composition of the intestinal microbiota, which in turn influences mood and even the ability to make the right decisions that allow for greater control over one’s life.
Probiotic supplements reduce impulsivity and improve decision making
The efficacy of probiotics has been proven by a team of researchers from the University of Almería, led by Dr. Pablo Román.
The main conclusion of the study, the first to assess the effect of probiotics on fibromyalgia, is that the intake of a supplement composed of lactobacilli and bifidobacteria “improves decision-making towards the activities they perform.”
Those affected by fibromyalgia suffer pain at different points distributed throughout the body: in the back of the neck, shoulders, chest, lumbar region, hips, shins, elbows and knees. And this pain, which feels deep, stabbing, or burning, radiates around him.
They also experience digestive discomfort, fatigue, depression, difficulty concentrating, and sleep disturbances. Fibromyalgia affects 2.4% of the Spanish population, with a higher incidence in women.
Increase intellectual flexibility
Well, beneficial gut bacteria act directly on complex cognitive functions.
Specifically, they reduce impulsivity and improve the ability to make positive decisions. The researchers found that their cognitive flexibility had increased, allowing them to face everyday life with greater satisfaction.
Study results indicate that digestive bacteria affect areas of the brain related to adaptive response to a task, allowing fibromyalgia sufferers to engage in activities without feeling overwhelmed by habitual fatigue.
4 strains of lactobacilli and bifidobacteria
To reach these conclusions, the researchers created three groups of 20 fibromyalgia patients. Two of them took oral probiotic supplements for 8 weeks and the third received placebo. The supplements used included a variety of strains of lactobacilli and bifidobacteria (with a total of 5-6 million bacteria).
Participants had to answer questionnaires and perform certain experimental tasks to determine changes in their intellectual abilities before, during, and after treatment. The effect on the secretion of the main stress hormone, cortisol , was also measured .
On the other hand, stool samples were taken to determine the direct influence of the ingestion of microorganisms on the microbiota.
“When we started the study, we wanted to see if these bacteria contribute to reducing both the intensity of pain and the anxiety and depression suffered by patients with fibromyalgia, as well as an improvement at the cognitive level,” explained Dr. Román. But after two months of continuous evaluation they found that the greatest changes occurred in intellectual abilities.
These beneficial effects are consistent with the known properties of probiotics, discovered in previous studies. Digestive bacteria affect the production of neurotransmitters such as gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA), serotonin, dopamine, and acetylcholine.
They also reduce the levels of inflammatory cytokines that affect mood and produce changes in behavior.
The study authors hope that their work, in addition to contributing to a better treatment of patients, will serve to better understand the “gut-brain axis”.
Bibliography:
Roman P, e. (2018). Probiotics for fibromyalgia: study design for a pilot double-blind, randomized controlled trial. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29130724
