NORFOLK, Va. — Dan Malana from Virginia Beach adds about half a cup of yogurt to the smoothies he drinks around his daily workouts. He claims that he's felt better after adding the ingredient to his diet, and new research is backing that claim.
"I don't like yogurt by itself," Malana said. "But mixing it in with my smoothie makes it a lot better to take in."
Malana said exercise is part of his regimen for recovering from mental illness.
"I was just, like, in a very dark place," Malana said. "And I wanted to get over that."
While he didn't think certain foods would help improve his mental health, Malana said he does feel better after adding yogurt smoothies to his routine.
"I feel mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually different from what I was three or four years ago," Malana said.
Now, new findings by researchers at the University of Virginia are backing that up.
Dr. Alban Gaultier led a study of a gut-resident bacterium also commonly found in fermented foods like kimchi, pickles and yogurt.
"What we have discovered is that a specific bacteria called Lactobacillus can influence mood and is involved in depression and anxiety," Dr. Gaultier said.
In clinical trials, scientists noted the levels of Lactobacillus in the microbiomes of mice when they were subjected to stress.
They found that the amount of bacteria in the gut affects the level of a metabolite in the blood that drives depression, called kynurenine.
"Animals lose [Lactobacillus] when they are depressed," Dr. Gaultier said. "We tried to see if we could fix some of the mood by giving back Lactobacillus. And we discovered it was beneficial."
Dr. Gaultier said this discovery could pave the way for new therapies for people to manage or help prevent certain mental health issues.
"Maybe we can address some anxiety and depression condition[s] by fixing our diet or supplementing our diet with missing bacteria, such as Lactobacillus," Dr. Gaultier said. "That's better than taking drugs with side effects and, of course, high cost."
Malana said he hopes it leads to more people getting the help they need.
"As an advocate for mental health, I really think the more resources we have, the better for those who are suffering," Malana said.
UVA researchers are planning to confirm their findings in trials involving human patients.
In the meantime, Dr. Gaultier said adding fermented foods to your diet or taking probiotic supplements that contain Lactobacillus could help improve your health and your mood.
"Treat your microbiome well because it impact[s] a lot of health and happiness," Dr. Gaultier said.