Probiotics can Improve Mood: A Correlational Study Investigating the Relationship between Probiotics and Overall Mental Health

There is evidence that when individuals suffer from indigestion (e.g., acid reflux, Crohn's Disease, or any other stomach related ailment), there is a significant likelihood that those individuals have also experienced various mental health symptoms. According to a national survey completed in 2013 by the National Alliance on Mental Illness, mood disorders are the third most common cause of hospitalization in the U.S. for adults between the ages 18 to 44. Gastrointestinal diseases affect an estimated 60 to 70 million Americans annually. More than 100 trillion bacteria live in our gut and 99% of the DNA in our body is bacterial. A study that was conducted in Ireland found that the mice that were born by caesarean section were significantly more anxious and had symptoms of depression. The inability to pick up their mothers’ vaginal microbes during birth may cause lifelong changes in mental health. Probiotics help treat irritable bowel syndrome, infectious diarrhea, some skin conditions, and help to improve digestion and regularity overall. The purpose of this study was to determine whether there is a significant correlation between the use of a daily probiotic and the quality of general mental health. While the main hypotheses for this study were not fully supported, there are significant findings to discuss with regard to mental and physical health, exercise and probiotics.