It is common knowledge that depression is a medical term used to describe a condition where a person feels very sad and down for a long time. And it is more common than you might think. It affects many people, including kids, teenagers, and adults. The interesting part is there is new research published in the Journal of Affective Disorders. It shows how fungal imbalance is linked to adolescent depression. But let’s first understand what exactly is fungal imbalance.
Inside our guts, there are lots of tiny living things like bacteria, fungi, and viruses. They help us digest our food and keep us healthy. Scientists think these little helpers might also affect how we feel and stay well. When something changes with these tiny living things, it can sometimes make us sick.
This amazing discovery is called the “microbiota-gut-brain axis.” It helps us see how our gut friends can interact with our brains and influence how we feel and think.
Let’s Understand The Reason Behind This Study!
In the new study led by Shao-rui Hao and the team of researchers, they observed that previous studies had looked into the relationship between gut bacteria and depression. However, they noticed that not much attention had been given to exploring the connection between depression and the specific types of fungi in the gut.
So, in the study, 145 young people between the ages of 12 and 18, who were being treated for depression at two hospitals in China, were included. The researchers collected fresh stool samples from each person and looked at the DNA in those samples.
They used a special technique to study the DNA closely. The scientists checked how many different types of fungi were in the samples and which ones were the most common. They also compared the fungi with the bacteria present.
The findings showed that the majority of the participants in the depression group had quite serious symptoms of depression.
What Are The Findings?
When the researchers looked at the stool samples, they found that the number of different types of fungi in the gut was similar between the group of young people with depression and the healthy group (control group).
However, they noticed some differences in the amounts of specific fungi between the two groups. In the depressed group, there were more Saccharomyces and Apiotrichum fungi in their guts compared to the healthy group.
On the other hand, the amounts of Aspergillus and Xeromyces fungi were lower in the guts of those with depression compared to healthy children. These differences in fungal species may be linked to depression and could help us understand the condition better.
In the study, the researchers demonstrated that there is a disturbance in the gut microbiota of children and adolescents with depression. This disturbance affects the way the fungal community in their guts is structured and the types of fungi present.
What Does This Bring To The Existing Literature?
While the study has its own limitations, there’s something more that it brings to the table! The researchers discovered that the balance between these microorganisms might play a significant role in depression.
Based on these results, gut mycobiota emerges as a potential target for therapeutic interventions in young individuals with depression. By targeting the gut fungi, treatments such as probiotics, prebiotics, antifungal drugs, or faecal fungal transplantation could potentially be explored as ways to prevent the progression of psychiatric diseases in this specific population. However, it is essential to conduct further research to fully understand and confirm the potential benefits of these interventions.
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