By David Bell
Published Oct 10, 2019
A Calgary psychiatry professor and department head is leading one of two Canadian studies looking at potential benefits of, well, No. 2.
“You have more serotonin receptors in your gastrointestinal system than in your brain,” Dr. Valerie Taylor told The Homestretch.
“We have assumed it’s a brain illness because that’s where we think emotion is regulated, but it may be much more complicated than that.”
Two studies, one in Toronto and one in Calgary, are taking different approaches to the question, ‘Can someone else’s poo in your system improve your mental health?’
Recruitment is starting for the Calgary study and is halfway done for the Toronto research.
Toronto’s study is about ingesting the brown stuff via colonoscopies, whereas Calgary is about pill popping.
“The stool is processed, packaged and put in a capsule form and ingested,” Taylor said.
Both studies are randomized, controlled trials, meaning there are placebos and active treatment but some people will get their own poo.
“No one knows who gets what until the end of the study,” she said.
