So much for a sugar high.
Soda’s popularity has fizzled over the years as study after study has revealed that its sugar and calories fuel the risk of obesity, Type 2 diabetes and dental issues, among other health problems.
Now, new research out of Germany suggests that consuming soft drinks can also increase the odds of developing depression. Researchers say that popping pop raises levels of Eggerthella, a type of gut bacteria found to be more abundant in people with depression. Women are at higher risk than men.
“These findings underscore the role of diet in depression and highlight the gut microbiome as a key mediator,” Dr. Sharmili Edwin Thanarajah, of University Hospital Frankfurt, told Inside Precision Medicine.
“The observed sex-specific effects suggest the need for tailored prevention and intervention strategies.”
Thanarajah’s team studied 405 people with major depressive disorder and 527 people without.
Participants self-reported their mental health symptoms and soda intake. Stool samples were used to analyze their gut bacteria.
The study authors hypothesized that soda consumption is linked to depressive symptoms — and the bacteria Eggerthella and Hungatella are key to this relationship.
Soft drink intake predicted the diagnosis of major depressive disorder. The scientists also found an abundance of Eggerthella but not Hungatella in female participants.
“In male participants, we did not find a significant association,” the researchers wrote Wednesday in JAMA Psychiatry.
Sugar in soft drinks disrupts the gut microbiome — the collection of bacteria, viruses and fungi in our digestive system — by decreasing beneficial bacteria that maintain gut health and increasing species associated with inflammation.
In mice, Eggerthella has been shown to reduce butyrate, an anti-inflammatory short-chain amino acid crucial for gut health, and deplete tryptophan, a key precursor for serotonin, a neurotransmitter that influences mood.
“The microbiome is sort of a big player in what’s happening between the gut — all the food that we eat, everything goes through there — and the immune system, which is monitoring the gut so that we stay safe,” Dr. Arun Swaminath, director of the Inflammatory Bowel Diseases Program at Lenox Hill Hospital, told The Post.
“What’s really interesting here is that they’ve connected these same bacteria to a psychiatric disorder and have shown that you increase these types of pro-inflammatory bacteria when you take in these sugary drinks,” added Swaminath, who was not involved with the new research.
As for why this link was seen predominantly in women, the researchers speculated that sex hormones “likely play a key role,” while also acknowledging that about two-thirds of the participants were women.
“While our analysis links soft drink consumption, gut microbiota changes and depressive symptoms, experimental studies in humans and rodents are necessary to prove a causal link,” the researchers wrote.
It’s probably a good idea to ditch your sugar- and calorie-packed beverages in the meantime — water is a wonderful alternative that helps you stay hydrated throughout the day.
Dr. Anna K. Costakis, psychiatry residency program director at Northwell Staten Island University Hospital, isn’t so sure about loading up on trendy probiotic sodas designed to improve the gut microbiome by introducing beneficial bacteria.
“I don’t know that this is the response because most of those beverages are also so chock full of either real sugar or artificial sugar,” Costakis told The Post. “And the artificial sweeteners disrupt the gut microbiome just as much as regular sugar.”
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