A new Canadian study finds that probiotics, used to reduce gastrointestinal distress, also appear to mitigate symptoms of depression. McMaster University researchers discovered twice as many adults with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) reported improvements from co-existing depression when they took a specific probiotic than adults with IBS who took a placebo. The findings appear in the medical journal Gastroenterology. The study provides further evidence that the microbiota environment in the intestines communicates with the brain, said senior