Management and Resilience: Stress and the Probiotic PS128
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Stress is inevitable. We know it is a part of our lives, but how do we deal with it? How do our bodies cope with the seemingly innumerable stressors that threaten to interrupt our sense of calm, stability, and, ultimately, our overall health? The answer may be found in our gut.
Our body’s gut microbiome plays a pivotal role in orchestrating our response to stress. And, probiotics may be able to improve both muscle health and mood by supporting this response. From sports performance to a high-stress workplace, let’s explore the different ways PS128 may help us manage stress while also building resilience against it.
PS128 Supports Stress Management and Recovery
Life is full of daily demands that consistently cause stress throughout our bodies. We may have resilience to handle this stress, including a resilient gut. Yet when we encounter stress day after day because of long work hours or challenging relationships and conflicts, we will feel the effects.
This type of chronic stress can change the structure of the gut’s microbiome and lead to imbalances not just in our digestive system, but throughout the whole body. We may experience lower moods, difficulty sleeping, and poor concentration.
Recent studies suggest that the L. plantarum PS128 probiotic strain may help with our body’s stress response, leading to multiple areas of relief. This includes supporting both physically demanding situations that stress muscles and the whole body, while also supporting mood and sleep. How? Let’s dive in.
What Does Stress Do to Our Bodies?
Stress is our body's natural reaction to anything that demands attention or action. Without stress, we would not be aware of threats and challenges. And, we would not be prepared to address them.
Have you ever been in a stressful situation and felt like your heart was pounding out of your chest? Maybe you felt something amiss in your stomach or gut. These necessary but oftentimes uncomfortable responses are caused by the release of stress hormones, including adrenaline and cortisol, that trigger the “fight or flight” response.
However, one need not be in a super stressful situation to feel these effects. Sometimes, simple day-to-day events, like going to work meetings or going to the gym can spark our stress response. No matter the source, our bodies and minds read stressors and respond with the same physiological response, including the release of stress chemicals.
Stress hormones cause a number of changes in our body so we can face or flee threat. Our heart rate increases as our blood pressure rises, sending blood to our muscles and other body tissues under demand.
Our muscular and skeletal systems respond with tension. We may find that our breathing gets faster, which helps bring extra oxygen throughout the body. Lastly, we may feel it in our gut, including queasiness, “butterflies,” and even gastrointestinal distress.
The Gut-Brain Axis and Stress
The brain and gut are in constant communication, and changes in the microbiome can affect our mental and physical health. We are whole beings, with each system within us intimately connected with all others. A condition in one part of the body will affect the others. Similarly, certain probiotics may influence our central nervous system because they exert an effect on mood-regulating neurotransmitters via the gut-brain axis.
Our gut’s microbiome is a complex ecosystem where several species of microorganisms coexist in a delicate balance. This ecosystem is inhabited by trillions of gut microbiota that influence human health and well-being through a communication network known as the gut-brain axis (GBA).
The GBA is a two-way pathway between the brain and the gut that involves communication between several systems in the body. Similar to the system of roadways in everyday life, this pathway uses three major highways to deliver its “packages,” or chemical messages.
These pathways include the vagus nerve, the circulatory system, and the immune system. In this remarkable process, the gut and the brain talk to each other using immune molecules, nutrients, hormones, and nerve signals.
The microbiome-gut-brain axis (MGBA) is the link between the gut and the brain through which feedback from the gut’s microbiome supports our response to stress. In this network, the microbiome plays a significant role in influencing the production of mood-regulating neurotransmitters in the brain (like serotonin) that can impact mood, behavior, and cognitive function. Further, the microbiome contributes to the regulation of the stress response, including levels of cortisol, a stress hormone.
Let’s take a closer look at how the microbiome influences the stress response. Then we’ll explore the positive impact that PS128 may have on the stress response, with a special focus on recent studies.
How Our Microbiome Influences the Stress Response
Gut microbes can influence the stress response, and we can see this at the molecular level. For example, the microbiome has been shown to influence the regulation and production of key neurotransmitters in the body, including serotonin and dopamine.
These “good feeling” chemicals regulate a number of important functions in our body, including cognition, motivation, mood, digestion, and sleep. They are produced in the brain and the gut, but serve different functions in the two locations. As an illustration, serotonin in the brain regulates mood and emotional well-being, while in the gut it is known to control bowel movements and speed digestion.
Scientists can measure the levels of certain molecules in the body, including the stress hormone cortisol and serotonin, to determine the impact of stress. In a research setting, they are known as biomarkers - molecules found in bodily fluids or tissues that indicate the state of the body. Specifically, elevated levels of cortisol in the saliva can indicate that someone is under stress, which may be physical or psychological in nature.
PS128 has been linked to higher brain and gut serotonin levels in preclinical studies along with reduced levels of the stress hormone cortisol. While the mechanism behind these findings is still being studied, the results are intriguing and relevant for those experiencing everyday stress.
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PS128 Preclinical Studies: A Gut-Brain Probiotic for Stress Support
Many preclinical studies have looked at the impact of this gut-brain probiotic for stress relief, both in models of intestinal distress as well as other types of stress. PS128 supported intestinal motility - the movement of food waste through the gut. This means that the probiotic may relieve the occasionally constipated gut in a preclinical model.
In a preclinical early-life stress model, researchers observed that stress induced a decrease in brain dopamine and serotonin levels. Following PS128 administration, the levels of the same neurotransmitters increased. For example, dopamine levels in the prefrontal cortex of the brain significantly increased.
This increase in these “feel good” hormones also corresponded to improvements in behaviors connected with anxious feelings or low mood. The PS128 probiotic bacteria seemed to improve the stress response as measured by the positive changes in brain biomarkers and behavior.
In another model without bacteria (“germ-free”), PS128 showed that it could impact brain and behavior without a gut microbiome being present. PS128 consumption resulted in more exploratory behavior, suggesting more confidence.
In addition, the brain’s striatum (a deep part of the brain that connects motivation to movement) had elevated levels of dopamine and serotonin after PS128 ingestion. By itself, PS128 can signal to the brain to cause these neurotransmitter and behavioral effects. The microbiome wasn’t present, so it was PS128 without the microbiome as a mediator.
While this germ-free model is not like our real lives, since we all live in microbial environments in, on, and around us, this research does suggest that PS128 is able to have an impact on the brain without affecting gut bacteria.
Other preclinical models where microbes were present showed that PS128 had a beneficial effect on stress. A (non-germ-free) preclinical model of stress using PS128 showed reductions of stress hormone, restoration of dopamine in the brain, and improvement in behaviors affected by stress. In a small randomized, placebo-controlled study in dogs, PS128 supplementation supported improved emotional status and behavior according to their owners. These early findings suggest that this microbe can modulate stress in preclinical studies where microbes are present, as well as without other microbes being present.
Clinical Studies Spotlight: PS128 Supports Stress in Healthy Adults
At this point, you now know that our microbiome is intimately connected to our brains and the stress response. This connection has been tested on people in different situations to evaluate the microbiome’s impact on stress and related outcomes, such as sleep or gut health. The following studies showcase how PS128 may benefit people, especially under stressful conditions.
Study on Workplace Stress - Information Technology
Information technology (IT) is a demanding field of work, with workers in the field facing an immense amount of pressure. They often find themselves in high-stakes situations with short deadlines. This stress can lead to mental and physical health issues, including a loss of job satisfaction, lack of sleep, nervousness, and loss of concentration.
A pilot study provided PS128 to IT workers to test its ability to impact outcomes, including insomnia, job stress, and quality of life. After taking PS128 for eight weeks, their cortisol levels, perceived stress, job stress, negative emotions (sadness, anger or disgust for example), sleep disturbances and some gastrointestinal problems were decreased.
Meanwhile, their feelings of hopefulness and optimism were higher. These changes were statistically significant compared to baseline. This single-arm study suggests that PS128 may help with job satisfaction, sleep, mood, and possibly gut symptoms.
Studies of Physical Stress - Endurance Athletes
PS128 has also been studied in physically demanding situations, including a sprint triathlon and a triathlon championship in which athletes swam, cycled, and ran for 1-3 hours. In a double blind, randomized study, a group of healthy volunteers that had already been training for eight weeks started taking PS128.
When supplementation was completed, they completed a sprint triathlon. Four immunological markers showed improvement with PS128 supplementation, and an endurance test showed that PS128 supported endurance.
Separately, another group took the capsules daily for three weeks while completing a specialized training program. This group finished the triathlon championship (an Olympic distance triathlon, twice the distance of a sprint triathlon). PS128 increased peak power, average power, and lowered the fatigue index measured in a triathlon in this small group of male triathletes.
Based on results from these studies, a variety of performance, recovery and immune response measures were better with PS128. Compared to the placebo group, the probiotic group had improved athletic performance and recovery measures. There were also immune biomarkers that were better post-exercise recovery in the group taking PS128. In addition, certain biomarkers of cardiovascular and kidney health were better with PS128.
Finally, in a small study of eight runners completing a half-marathon, PS128 also seemed to support the immune response and muscle recovery (double blind, randomized, placebo-controlled crossover design). In addition, PS128 appeared to support running faster in the last stage of the race and experiencing less decline in strength after the race.
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Takeaway: PS128 and Daily Life Support
No matter the source of the stress, psychological or physical, our minds and bodies will always turn on this fight-or-flight mode. Whether you are worried about your job or just ran your first marathon, our bodies perceive it equally. And, with time, this response can wear you down.
A probiotic, however, is simply one part of an overall lifestyle that is needed to support health. A holistic approach utilizes many natural tools, not simply natural products or probiotics, but also nutrition, exercise, and healthy daily habits as ways to manage stress. All these combined can positively influence the health of our microbiome and encourage resilience.
In addition to other lifestyle tools, a probiotic for the whole body addresses the systemic response to stress. Some probiotics, like PS128, seem to have the ability to influence serotonin and dopamine, which play a crucial role in stress response. By supporting not only muscle recovery for the “fight or flight” response, as well as the feelings in stressful situations, PS128 shows the ability to be not only a “sports” probiotic, but a “stress response” probiotic. Thus, PS128 is a gut-muscle and gut-brain probiotic.
Could PS128 help you maintain a healthy stress response? Find out by trying Neuralli Mood.
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