Hey ADHDer! Boy was that weekend a whirlwind in the social media content creation space - honestly, I’m not personally bummed about TikTok but a lot of my fellow content-creator friends have been having a hard time, and maybe you’ve been too.

My biggest ick is that I didn’t have access to CapCut (it’s back now, but who knows how long). Anyway, this has been the nudge I’ve needed to start focusing even more on YouTube - so, get ready for some exciting times over there as I focus on long-form content!

Subscribe to my YouTube channel - It takes two seconds, but it gets me close to monetization (AKA 1k subs, weirdly enough Instagram doesn’t monetize creators) so I can keep providing you this type of educational content, free. And, when you subscribe, reply to this email with what types of long-form content you want to see! ❤️ I’ll prioritize it 😄 

So, do probiotics help?

How many of you have been suckered into buying a probiotic simply because either someone else told you they did or because it just feels like the right thing to do?

🖐️ Hi, that’s me too.

Before I started getting serious about evidence-based solutions, I too impulsively bought nearly every supplement and hoped that they would help me in the way the people said it would. We have ADHD. It’s hard not to be impulsive and gravitate toward easy fixes, right?

Anyway, the research around probiotics is, quite frankly, very confusing. We have limited evidence for their effectiveness, and this is only in specific populations with specific targeted doses of specific strains of probiotics. Essentially, the over-the-counter probiotics don’t tend to do much according to the research.

However, we don’t have a lot of research on ADHD and probiotics, until this last week. Seriously, this research paper just dropped - hot off the press, right to this newsletter.

Let’s get into it!

The Effect of Probiotics on ADHD and ASD (Autism)

OK, so before I get too deep into this study, I want you to know why they chose to study specifically Lactiplantibacillus plantarum and Levilactobacillus brevis strains. Essentially, both of those strains have been found to be important in the creation of both dopamine and GABA (neurotransmitters that impact both ADHD and autism). Here’s an interesting read if you have a good baseline understanding of the gut microbiome and neurotransmitters, otherwise it is pretty hefty.

They have also been some of the more promising ones in the research with mental health!

Link to the study below:

Boring, right? Unfortunately, probiotics weren’t much of a help. There is a few important things to realize, here though:

• It got less effective the older they were

• We saw directional trends in symptom easement, even though they weren’t statistically significant

• The impact was more significant for autism than ADHD

Essentially, we likely didn’t see an overall change because the dose wasn’t appropriate for their weight. Considering the younger group had improved their scores, we may be looking at a dosage error rather than a “this doesn’t work” error.

So, should I take a probiotic?

Honestly, what this research indicates is that if you have ADHD, you more than likely won’t benefit from this specific strain, unless you also are autistic. And, in fact, you also probably won’t benefit unless you take a higher dose, such as 10 billion CFUs - though please note that this isn’t backed up by evidence at this time.

Regarding other research on ADHD and probiotics, a recent 2024 meta-analysis found the same answer essentially: it’s unlikely that probiotic supplements improve ADHD symptoms. However, based on a tiny number of studies with methylphenidate, taking both ADHD meds and a targeted probiotic supplementation might actually improve the medication’s effectiveness!

This curious interaction similar to depression: even though we don’t see statistical improvements with probiotics alone with depression, probiotics can improve the working ability of anti-depressants!

Thanks for reading!

If you have any thoughts, questions, or comments, be sure to shoot me a DM on Instagram @Nutrimindcoach or simply reply to this email. I LOVE hearing from you!

This week on the Nutritional Mental Health Podcast: Do Omega-3's ACTUALLY Help ADHD? Join me as I talk about all of the research on ADHD and omega-3s, including the research on supplementation.