UCC discovery worked on internationally
An international study has shown that a strain of bacteria, first discovered at UCC, appears to improve the ability to cope with stress
This is new scientific data, showing for the first time that a probiotic enables better stress management by changing the brain’s central processing of stress stimuli. The B. longum 1714 was first discovered at the APC Microbiome Institute in UCC.
It is from the family of bacteria given by baby from mother at birth. It is now being developed by Alimentary Healthcare for the probiotic, Zenflore.
This latest trial was carried out by Professor Paul Enck and his colleagues at University Hospital Tübingen. He is a renowned researcher on the placebo effect.
Their interest was in assessing if probiotics really had an effect on the brain. The trial was over four weeks and participants were asked to play a renowned stressful game, which is a virtual ball-tossing game with two other virtual players. All of the people showed increased stress during the Cyberball game.
They concluded that the probiotic:
- enabled them to better cope or manage increased stress levels
- enhanced brain process that deal with stressful events
- moderated brain processes linked to negative emotions
Dr Barry Kiely, CEO of Alimentary Health said: “We are delighted with these results, which show the potential for targeted strains with a scientific basis to support claims.
“Mental wellness is rapidly becoming one of the greatest challenges in the modern world. Studies have shown that 35 per cent of Americans reported increased levels of stress in the past year, with this figure growing to 39 per cent for millennials.”
Dr Paul Enck, Head of Research at the Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, Tubingen, Germany, said: “As researchers in the placebo effect, we have been sceptical about many of the claims made about probiotics and the gut-brain axis. We have significant experience in the placebo effect and so our team designed a comprehensive double-blind placebo-controlled study to assess this strain. We think the results are novel and innovative and provide a scientific basis to assess the true impact of specific bacterial strains on the brain.”