Exploring Kombucha’s Role in Mental Health: Support Research on Probiotics and Depression

We propose a seven-week, experimental, small-scale, single-blind study conducted at the Psychiatric Department of the Hospital Universitario Dr. José Eleuterio González in Monterrey, México. In this randomized trial, 30 medical students aged 18 to 26 with a recent diagnosis of major depressive disorder (without suicidal ideation) and currently on antidepressant treatment will be recruited and assigned to either the kombucha or placebo group, with 15 participants in each. Specifically, we aim to study the effects of probiotics as an adjuvant intervention alongside the participants existing treatment.

We will quantify the severity of the depressive symptoms using the PHQ-9, MADRS, and QIDS scales, the presence/absence of gastrointestinal symptoms with GSRS IBS, and FFQ, and we will measure the difficulties participants experience in carrying out their daily activities as a consequence of their depression through the WHODAS scale. The GSRS IBS will be applied at the beginning of the study, mid-way through, and as it concludes to evaluate the positive impact fermented beverages could have on gastrointestinal health.

Refrigerated kombucha samples, produced by RGB Pura Fermentación®️, will be sent to the Food Laboratory of the Faculty of Chemical Sciences of the Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León (UANL) to undergo chemical and microbiological analysis (basic bromatological analysis, determination of total ethanol, determination of total dietary fiber, and determination of titratable total acidity). Additional samples will be sent to the Microbiology Laboratory of the Regional Center for Control of Infectious Diseases (CRCEI) of the Microbiology Department for qualitative and quantitative testing of total aerobic bacteria and total yeasts commonly present in fermented beverages.

The total funding required to carry out the study is $32,590 USD ($663,068.40 MXN)