Dr Kathy Martyn, Registered Nutritionist and Principal Lecturer in the university’s School of Health Sciences, has conducted a systematic review in collaboration with Sanjay Noonan, a medical student at Brighton and Sussex Medical School, and Elaine Macaninch, a Registered Dietitian with Brighton and Sussex University Hospital Trust. This research published in the July edition of has already attracted considerable media attention.
In seven studies where pre/probiotics – which help ‘good’ bacteria in the GI tract to flourish – were given to patients results showed a “demonstrated significant improvement” in treating anxiety and/or depression.
Dr Martyn said, the results called for more robust research to elucidate the mechanisms of pre/probiotics via the microbiome and to determine whether they could be useful adjuncts in the management of common mental health disorders (CMDs).