Scientists hope ‘poo pills’ dubbed ‘crapsules’ will unlock new treatment for depression

DAILY STAR

In a truely gut-churning experiment, scientists are trialling a poo pill as a treatment for depression.

In what seems like the plot to a South Park episode, University of Calgary are launching a study to test if a faecal microbiota transplant (FMT) can reduce symptoms of depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The FMT is administered to study participants via a ‘crapsule’. This may seem like a hard pill to swallow, but researchers have long believed there is a connection between gut and brain health.

Early studies have suggested that altering the stomach’s microbiome can improve signalling between the gut and brain, said clinical medicine professor Dr Thomas Louie.

He added: “Our gut bugs are part of us — they help us sleep, digest food and provide us with vitamins, and seem to have a connection with how our brains work.”

Study lead Dr Valerie Taylor said evidence suggests that people with a mental illness have a different gut microbiome to others.

She said: “Underlying our whole research is the concept that we believe the gut-brain axis impacts mental illness and that this is a very viable target for treatment — that mental illness is not just a brain disease, that it actually has strong links to your gastrointestinal system.”

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