How faecal transplants and changes in your gut microbiome might affect your mood

Belinda Smith

3 Apr 2022

12 min

BLUF

While organ transplants are often discussed, poo transplants are not. Yet this awkward topic could actually help the quality of life for many people living with a mental health disorder.

Summary

This article by Belinda Smith, writing for ABC-Australia, makes the following points:

A recently published case study showed that people with bipolar disorder found their symptoms drastically improved after receiving faecal microbiota transplantation—or poo transplants.
Our intestines contain trillions of bacteria and other bugs.
It's thought that imbalances in the gut can contribute to diseases, including those affecting mental health.
A faecal transplant involves taking faecal matter from a donor and mixing it with a solution, then transplanting it into a patient's gut.
It has been discovered that poo transplants can ease psychiatric symptoms and other diseases, but there are more questions to be answered before it becomes an approved treatment.