A scientist who studies the link between our gut and brain shared 3 diet tweaks that could improve your mental health

• Valerie Taylor studies the link between our gut health and mental health.

• She said gut microbes, the brain, and central nervous system can influence one another via the "gut-brain axis."

• Her tips for caring for gut health include eating a nutritious diet that suits you best.

A professor of psychiatry shared three ways caring for our gut health could improve our mental health.

Valerie Taylor, who is based at the University of Calgary, studies the relationship between the gut microbiome — the trillions of microorganisms in the digestive system — and the brain.

The gut microbiome is a rapidly growing area of research, with more than 40 times as much funding for related research in the US in 2016 as there was in 2007.

Research suggests that gut microbes, the brain, and the central nervous system can influence each other via what is known as the "gut-brain axis," including by regulating the production of certain chemicals.

For example, when people get stressed, their bodies release more of the "stress hormone" cortisol, which can make the gastrointestinal system digest food faster, leading to diarrhea or an upset stomach, Taylor said.

Although the research is promising, Taylor doesn't think that addressing gut health can "cure" mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety.

But a greater understanding of the gut-brain axis could encourage people to make lifestyle changes that could improve their gut and mental health, Taylor said. Experts are increasingly questioning the idea that depression, for instance, is solely caused by low serotonin levels, instead believing it is linked to a combination of biological, genetic, environmental, and psychosocial factors — including the gut-brain axis.

Taylor said, based on her research, the following gut-friendly lifestyle changes could help those with mental health issues to maintain a more stable mood after their symptoms improve — with therapy, drugs, or time — and could prevent particularly serious symptoms in people who are predisposed to them.

1) Eat a nutritious diet that fits with your lifestyle

Certain diets and foods can make your brain and your gut bacteria "very happy," Taylor said.

These include the Mediterranean diet and vegetarianism, and fermented foods such as kefir, kimchi, sauerkraut, and pickles preserved using natural processes instead of vinegar.

Look for the words "naturally fermented" on labels and bubbles in the liquid when you open the jar, which signal that there are live organisms inside, Taylor said.

"At the end of the day, as long as you're eating healthy and getting the right balance of essential nutrients, there's no one magic diet, just as long as it's a reasonable diet that people feel well when they eat it," she said.

A 2020 review of studies published in the journal BMJ suggested an anti-inflammatory diet, meaning high in fiber, polyphenols, and unsaturated fatty acids, could help to reduce depressive symptoms, but that doesn't mean that a poor diet causes depression.

BI has previously reported on how to start eating healthily.

2) Consider taking probiotics

After someone's mental health improves, emerging evidence suggests probiotics could help to maintain gut flora and prevent further symptoms, Taylor said — although it's hard to measure how well a treatment prevents something.

According to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, while probiotics have shown promise for treating gastrointestinal issues, we still don't know which specific ones are helpful, how much to take, or who might benefit from them.

But Taylor said she knows anecdotally of people feeling better and having more stable moods with probiotic use. "At the end of the day, there's probably no harm," she said. "And if it helps, it helps."

3) Avoid ultra-processed foods

Taylor said that trying to avoid ultra-processed foods might be helpful for people who are predisposed to conditions such as depression and anxiety.

A 2022 meta-analysis published in the journal Nutrients found that across 17 studies involving 385,541 participants, those who ate more UPFs were at a higher risk of experiencing depressive symptoms.

The researchers suggested that this could be because additives found in UPFs, such as emulsifiers and artificial sweeteners, could disrupt how the body makes and releases chemicals that regulate mood, including dopamine and serotonin.

They also suggested that UPFs could change the way the gut microbiome works and cause inflammation, which has also been linked to mental health issues.

Bonus tip: Don't take antibiotics unless a doctor prescribes them

You should take antibiotics when prescribed by a doctor, Taylor said.

But it's helpful to be aware that they can strip the gut of essential bacteria. When there is "nothing else in your system that replicates what those particular bacteria do," it can cause gastrointestinal issues, Taylor said.

"We've become a society that really likes to take antibiotics for everything," Taylor said. Antibiotics can help treat bacterial infections, but sometimes people take them when an infection could go away on its own.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention encourages healthcare providers to use antibiotics sparingly to prevent antimicrobial resistance and an unbalanced gut microbiome.

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