Acadia University, in Wolfeville, Nova Scotia is the site of three studies into the benefits of probiotics; one on depression and anxiety in adults, one on anxiety in children, and the third on ADHD in children.
Dr. Susan Potter, supervisor of the study now underway, says the benefits of probitics may seem like news to many of us, but people have always valued their “gut-feelings” and the foods that served us best we have been eating for millenia. “How long have we had refrigeration? Prior to that everything we ate was either fresh, dried, or fermented” says Dr. Potter.
Gut-Brain relationship
The study will be investigating what’s come to be known as the Gut-Brain axis; the link between gut disruptions, or an imbalance in the microbiotics, and conditions people suffer from, such as depression and anxiety, to ADHD and autism in children.
The adults and children alike will be taking a probiotic powder supplied by Lallemand, a company based in Montreal, Quebec.
It is hoped the study will bolster the notion that bacteria-rich foods like yogurt, sauerkraut and kimchi, mainstays in diets around the world, will prove beneficial for conditions many Canadians may be treating with medication.
The results of the studies should be available by the summer or fall of 2014
Carmel Kilkenny spoke with the Dr. Susan Potter to find out more:
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