Probiotics as Adjuvant Treatment for Psychiatric Disorders: A Systematic Review
Introduction Many psychiatric illnesses have been linked to the gut microbiome, with supplements such as probiotics showing some efficacy in alleviating the symptoms of some psychiatric illnesses. Though probiotics alone have been found to be efficacious in alleviating the symptoms of psychiatric i...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Cambridge University Press
2023-03-01
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| Series: | European Psychiatry |
| Online Access: | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0924933823005588/type/journal_article |
| _version_ | 1797616715416207360 |
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| author | E. A. Forth B. Buehner A. Storer C. Sgarbossa R. Milev A. Chinna Meyyappan |
| author_facet | E. A. Forth B. Buehner A. Storer C. Sgarbossa R. Milev A. Chinna Meyyappan |
| author_sort | E. A. Forth |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
Introduction
Many psychiatric illnesses have been linked to the gut microbiome, with supplements such as probiotics showing some efficacy in alleviating the symptoms of some psychiatric illnesses. Though probiotics alone have been found to be efficacious in alleviating the symptoms of psychiatric illnesses, the combination of probiotics and first-line psychotropic medications has not been investigated as thoroughly.
Objectives
The primary objective of this review was to evaluate the current literature investigating the effects of adjuvant probiotic or synbiotic administration in combination with first-line psychotropic treatments for psychiatric illnesses.
Methods
A systematic search of four databases was conducted using key terms related to treatments for psychiatric illnesses, the gut microbiome, and probiotics. All results were then evaluated based on specific eligibility criteria. The salient outcome measures from the studies that met this eligibility criteria were then extracted and analysed.
Results
Eight studies met eligibility criteria and were analysed for reported changes in outcome measures used to assess the symptoms of psychiatric illness and the tolerability of treatment. All Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) (n=5) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) (n=1) studies found adjuvant probiotic or synbiotic treatment to be more efficacious in improving the symptoms of psychiatric illness than the first-line treatment alone or with placebo. The schizophrenia studies (n=2) found adjuvant probiotic treatment to have no significant difference in clinical outcomes, but it was found to improve the tolerability of first-line antipsychotics.
Conclusions
The findings of the studies included in this review suggest the use of adjuvant probiotic treatment with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) for MDD and GAD to be superior to SSRI treatment alone. Probiotic adjuvant treatment with antipsychotics could be beneficial for improving the tolerability of the antipsychotics, but these findings do not suggest that adjuvant probiotic treatment would result in improved clinical outcomes for symptoms of schizophrenia.
Disclosure of Interest
None Declared |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T07:45:15Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-5e72c48819564fe9bc7f251f5d47a698 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0924-9338 1778-3585 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T07:45:15Z |
| publishDate | 2023-03-01 |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | European Psychiatry |
| spelling | doaj.art-5e72c48819564fe9bc7f251f5d47a6982023-11-17T05:07:43ZengCambridge University PressEuropean Psychiatry0924-93381778-35852023-03-0166S242S24310.1192/j.eurpsy.2023.558Probiotics as Adjuvant Treatment for Psychiatric Disorders: A Systematic ReviewE. A. Forth0B. Buehner1A. Storer2C. Sgarbossa3R. Milev4A. Chinna Meyyappan51Centre for Neuroscience Studies 2Department of Psychiatry, Queen’s University 3Department of Psychiatry, Providence Care Hospital1Centre for Neuroscience Studies1Centre for Neuroscience Studies1Centre for Neuroscience Studies 2Department of Psychiatry, Queen’s University 3Department of Psychiatry, Providence Care Hospital1Centre for Neuroscience Studies 2Department of Psychiatry, Queen’s University 3Department of Psychiatry, Providence Care Hospital 4Department of Psychology, Queen’s University, Kingston, Canada1Centre for Neuroscience Studies 2Department of Psychiatry, Queen’s University 3Department of Psychiatry, Providence Care Hospital Introduction Many psychiatric illnesses have been linked to the gut microbiome, with supplements such as probiotics showing some efficacy in alleviating the symptoms of some psychiatric illnesses. Though probiotics alone have been found to be efficacious in alleviating the symptoms of psychiatric illnesses, the combination of probiotics and first-line psychotropic medications has not been investigated as thoroughly. Objectives The primary objective of this review was to evaluate the current literature investigating the effects of adjuvant probiotic or synbiotic administration in combination with first-line psychotropic treatments for psychiatric illnesses. Methods A systematic search of four databases was conducted using key terms related to treatments for psychiatric illnesses, the gut microbiome, and probiotics. All results were then evaluated based on specific eligibility criteria. The salient outcome measures from the studies that met this eligibility criteria were then extracted and analysed. Results Eight studies met eligibility criteria and were analysed for reported changes in outcome measures used to assess the symptoms of psychiatric illness and the tolerability of treatment. All Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) (n=5) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) (n=1) studies found adjuvant probiotic or synbiotic treatment to be more efficacious in improving the symptoms of psychiatric illness than the first-line treatment alone or with placebo. The schizophrenia studies (n=2) found adjuvant probiotic treatment to have no significant difference in clinical outcomes, but it was found to improve the tolerability of first-line antipsychotics. Conclusions The findings of the studies included in this review suggest the use of adjuvant probiotic treatment with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) for MDD and GAD to be superior to SSRI treatment alone. Probiotic adjuvant treatment with antipsychotics could be beneficial for improving the tolerability of the antipsychotics, but these findings do not suggest that adjuvant probiotic treatment would result in improved clinical outcomes for symptoms of schizophrenia. Disclosure of Interest None Declaredhttps://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0924933823005588/type/journal_article |
| spellingShingle | E. A. Forth B. Buehner A. Storer C. Sgarbossa R. Milev A. Chinna Meyyappan Probiotics as Adjuvant Treatment for Psychiatric Disorders: A Systematic Review European Psychiatry |
| title | Probiotics as Adjuvant Treatment for Psychiatric Disorders: A Systematic Review |
| title_full | Probiotics as Adjuvant Treatment for Psychiatric Disorders: A Systematic Review |
| title_fullStr | Probiotics as Adjuvant Treatment for Psychiatric Disorders: A Systematic Review |
| title_full_unstemmed | Probiotics as Adjuvant Treatment for Psychiatric Disorders: A Systematic Review |
| title_short | Probiotics as Adjuvant Treatment for Psychiatric Disorders: A Systematic Review |
| title_sort | probiotics as adjuvant treatment for psychiatric disorders a systematic review |
| url | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0924933823005588/type/journal_article |
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