American and Bulgarian scientists have proven that
the good Bulgarian bacterium improves our mental health
More recently, scientists from the Medical University in the US state of Virginia through experimental study on mice found that the good Bulgarian bacterium Lactobacillus bulgaricus prevents mental disorders such as depression and anxiety. During that study, rodents that generally don’t have Lactobacillus bulgaricus in their guts showed increased anxiety responses and lower levels of interferon gamma, which is involved in regulation of the immune response to high stress.
Dr. Bankole Johnson from Miami summarizes that this study highlights the role of the gut microbiome in regulating stress and anxiety and shows how nutrition affects our mental well-being.
Renowned American nutritionist Sas Parsad emphasizes that this research provides valuable insights into the connection between gut health and our mental state. What’s more, Lactobacillus bulgaricus contributes to reducing inflammation in the gut, which can further contribute to improving our mental health. “These findings could lead to a revolution in the treatment of mental disorders, as they suggest that the inclusion of lactobacilli-rich foods may become an additional strategy to deal with stress, depression and anxiety” – believes Dr. Parsad.
In practice, American scientists proved experimentally on rats that Lactobacillus bulgaricus is a psychobiotic, that is by controlling inflammations and dysbacteriosis in the large intestine it improves our mental health. The good Bulgarian bacterium regulates the dialogue between the intestines and the central nervous system by influencing the production of neurotransmitters and especially serotonin and gamma-aminobutyric acid – both of these substances are essential for mood control.
In Bulgaria, the gut-brain axis was talked about already in the 19th century by the Master Dunov. He wrote that our gut is our second brain and both immunity and overall health depend on it.
Laktera’s team proved the claim of the American scientists not by studies on mice, but on humans. Laktera, containing the first in the world strain of water origin Lactobacillus bulgaricus DWT1, travelled on the board of RSV 421 St. St. Cyril and Methodius – our ship that carried out the 31st expedition to Antarctica in 2022-2023. The 20 crew members of the ship were the subject of the clinical study. They were divided into two groups – half of them were taking the probiotic Laktera Nature, and the others – did not.
Standardized psychological studies have proven that sailors and officers who were taking Lactera during the Antarctic expedition, which lasted about 150 days and saturated with extreme physical and mental stress, were more mentally stable with lower levels of depression, anxiety and absence of burn-out syndrome. The project was carried out in collaboration with specialists from the Nikola Vaptsarov Naval Academy, Sofia University Kliment Ohridski and Medical University Varna. Also the sailors who were taking Laktera got sick less than the control group. This clinical study unequivocally proves the effect of Lactobacillus bulgaricus DWT1 of water origin as a psychobiotic and its importance in improving human mental health. Laktera again travels to Antarctica and the studies with the crew of our ship RSV 421 St. St. Cyril and Methodius continue during their 32nd expedition to Antarctica in 2023-2024.
Stay healthy with Laktera!