While some of the researchers are trying to figure out the main reason behind depression and how to deal with it, a team came with a study which stated that the micro-organisms known as probiotics might protect people from this mental disease.
The study was done by the Department of Clinical Medicine at Aarhus University, Denmark and was published in the journal 'Brain', 'Behavior', and 'Immunity'. A medical expert and PhD, Anders Abildgaard had examined the effects of probiotics. He said that the probiotics can decrease the consequences of an unhealthy diet both physically and mentally.
The recent study included a mischief of rats, divided into two groups. The researchers provided extra fatty and fibreless foods to one group of rats and others had received a mix of micro-organisms in the form of lactic acid bacteria through drinking water.
Later, during a swimming test, the researchers had discovered that rats who ate fatty food were behaving more depressively. On the other hand, those rats who received water did not show any change in their nature.
According to Eurekalert, the researchers have found that the number of white blood cells has been increased, in the brain tissues of those rats, who did not receive the probiotic supplement. This situation is common in humans also, who are overweight and diabetic. But researchers hadn't seen such effects on other rats who lived on probiotic-drinking water.
"This may indicate that one of the things the probiotics do is work to reprogramme the immune system. Specifically, in this study, the rats offset the consequences of the fatty diet with the help of probiotics, so that they were on a par with their peers in the control group," said Anders.
This is a fascinating discovery which supports the conclusion that probiotics, which normally do well in the intestines, also affect the brain. That makes the result interesting for the treatment of depression," he further added.
Even though there are questions, whether this study will help humans to fight depression or not, as rats don't behave like humans, Anders think that it is possible to apply the concept on humans and prevent the depression through probiotics or the micro-organisms.
While researchers from University of Warwick said that they know what triggers symptoms of depression, such as reduced happiness and pleasure or negative memories, the new study on the diet control might add an extra dimension to understand the disease.
