“Depression is the leading cause of years lost due to disability.”
World Health Organization, Geneva 2008
Depression in the elderly
It is difficult to obtain statistics on geriatric depression, as depression is underreported in seniors’ surveys, which makes it impossible to reveal the true extent of the problem. Old age is a period of loss and frailty (in terms of autonomy, cognition, motor functions, among others). It may well be that you know a relative, family member or loved one who experiences a mood disturbance and expresses sadness (or have you ever been depressed?). It is noteworthy that ladies are at higher risk, especially those with little social support and sleep disorders.
Probiotics in all this?
Scientific research has shown that the stool microbiota (yes, we’re talking about the faecal flora …) of people with depression was different from that of people in good mental health1. This being said, it is noted that the administration of the Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Bifidobacterium longum strains (as found in the Probaclac 50+ probiotic) would improve depressive symptoms2,3. It also appears that probiotics have the potential to reduce the risk of depression in individuals who are not depressed4,5. This is proof of the powerful two-way interaction between the digestive system and the central nervous system; our two brains!
What are you waiting for to do you good and to allow yourself to live long and prosper ?!
REFERENCES
1Naseribafrouei A, Hestad K, Avershina E, Sekelja M et al. Correlation between the human fecal microbiota and depression. Neurogastroenterol. Motil. 2014 ; 26 : 1155–1162.
2Bravo JA, Forsythe P, Chew MV, Escaravage E, Savignac HM et al. Ingestion of Lactobacillus strain regulates emotional behavior and central GABA receptor expression in a mouse via the vagus nerve. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 2011 ; 108 : 16050–16055.
3Messaoudi M, Lalonde R, Violle N, Javelot H, Desor D et al. Assessment of psychotropic-like properties of a probiotic formulation (Lactobacillus helveticus R0052 and Bifidobacterium longum R0175) in rats and human subjects. Br. J. Nutr. 2011 ; 105 : 755–764.
4Kelly JR, Clarke G, Cryan JF et Dinan TG. Brain-gut-microbiota axis : Challenges for translation in psychiatry. Ann. Epidemiol. 2016 ; 26 : 366–372.
5Mohammadi AA, Jazayeri S, Khosravi-Darani K, Solati Z, Mohammadpour N et al. The effects of probiotics on mental health and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in petrochemical workers. Nutr. Neurosci. 2015.
