Probiotics potential to improve behavioral symptoms of chronic inflammatory diseases

Probiotics may improve the behavioral symptoms of chronic inflammatory diseases by altering communication between the immune system and the brain, according to an animal study. Chronic inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease are associated with behavioral symptoms that include fatigue, depression, and social withdrawal. Researchers at the University of Calgary fed probiotics to mice with liver inflammation and found that the treatment reduced these behaviors.