The Best Vitamins and Herbs for Depression and Mood

A recent study[i] compared nutraceuticals alone and in conjunction with prescription anti-depressants for depression and the results were surprising. Nutraceuticals are functional foods and supplements. Most nutraceuticals performed better than prescription antidepressants by themselves. The below chart summarizes the important findings and ingredients that may be helpful for mood.

Best Monotherapies for Depression

While probiotics were examined, they only had a SMD of 0.35 with a confidence interval of   -0.22 – 0.93 which is not statistically significant since the confidence interval includes 0 which is when an intervention has a no effect. There can be several explanations for this. Probiotics vary greatly in terms of strains and potency. For example, while zinc is zinc, the probiotic Lactobacillus acidophilus is not the same is Bifidobacterium infantis. Each probiotic strain is a completely different organism, much in the way different breeds of dogs are specialized for different jobs.

Since the above study did not find any benefits if probiotics for depression we searched the literature for another powerful study regarding probiotics, specifically Bifidobacteria probiotics. We found another meta-analysis which aggregated the results of 13 studies on Bifidobacterium probiotics[ii]. The study found that taking Bifidobacteria probiotics along with prescription antidepressants was more helpful than taking Bifidobacteria probiotics alone.

4 of the studies involved taking probiotics with antidepressants and found a mean difference of -0.82 (Confidence Interval CI -1.07, -0.58). 9 studies took only Bifidobacteria and found a mean difference of -0.33 (CI -0.59, -0.08) which still favors treatment since 0 is neutral.

Utilizing a mood boosting probiotic that integrates this research, such as DrFormulas Nexabiotic Mood Support, can help support your mood and help fight off negative feelings. Having multiple ingredients may work better than any of these individual ingredients alone. In the first study, prescription anti-depressant therapy combined with herbs like saffron, carnitine, and zinc yielded the most benefit.

One final study published in the BMJ[iii] compared the effects of SSRI anti-depressants to physical activity such as dancing, walking/jogging, and other forms of exercise. They found that dancing provided the most clinically important benefit, followed by walking/jogging, therapy, yoga, exercise + SSRI, exercise + therapy, and then strength training. SSRI therapy alone was less effective than almost all forms of exercise.

This study highlights the power of physical activity on the mind. We hope this article will help guide you on your path to mental and physical wellness. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask one of our health professionals.

About the Author:

Dr. Bryan Do, D.O.

Dr. Do co-founded DrFormulas in 2010 with his wife and partner. They completed medical school together. Their experience with the healthcare system and common medical problems has given them insight into the human body and most common medical problems. In addressing these problems, they take an integrative and holistic approach that is not bound by traditional medicine. Their focus is immunology, diet, and exercise and their goal is to maximize your health and well-being using all the tools and resources available to you.