Poo transplant and diet change helped Melbourne woman overcome depression

An Australian woman who suffered depression for two decades says she finally overcame the condition with the help of these changes.

Jacinta Cross has overhauled her diet and undergone a poo transplant to treat severe depression. Picture: Tony Gough

Jacinta Cross says overhauling her diet was critical to overcoming the depression that plagued her for two decades.

The 36-year-old Melbourne woman started experiencing depression when she was just 13.

While exercise helped, she had difficulty engaging with treatment and finding effective medication.

Ms Cross suffered chronic suicidal thoughts, and struggled to find time for friends and hobbies due to exhaustion.

A few years ago she learnt more about the powerful links between the gut and mental health in a book by nutritional psychiatry expert Professor Felice Jacka, founder of Deakin University’s Food and Mood Centre.

Jacinta with her dog Kermit. Picture: Tony Gough

“It really clicked — I need to totally change my life,” Ms Cross said.

“If I’ve got this severe, enduring mental health condition that treatment hasn’t really helped that much, I can’t tinker around the edges here, I have to eliminate ultra-processed food.”

The government worker said her diet was previously “really poor” and at her lowest she would eat scones for dinner every night.

Ms Cross started changing her diet with healthier, but simple, options like tins of tuna.

“I got a cheap slow cooker, and I started to just soak beans overnight and make dal,” she said.

After a few months she noticed a significant change.

Ms Cross also underwent an experimental treatment for depression – a faecal microbiota transplant (FMT) — using donor stool.

She said the transplant and diet overhaul were “life-changing”, and she had not been depressed in three years.

Ms Cross, who attends weekly counselling sessions for her mental health, plans to make a cake using chickpea flour to celebrate.

Ms Cross, who assists the Food and Mood Centre with research from a lived experience perspective, said she thought it was “staggering” FMT research had not attracted more funding.

The approved clinical indication for FMT is the treatment of clostridioides difficile infection — a disease of the large intestine — but it is being trialled for other conditions.

Experts warn that risks can include transmitting health problems to the recipient, and complications can also include gastrointestinal symptoms.

FMT products cannot be supplied directly to the public.

Wolfgang Marx, from the Food and Mood Centre, said the gut-brain axis was a bi-directional system between the brain and microbiome.

Dr Wolfgang Marx form the Food and Mood Centre. Picture: Brad Fleet

“There’s this really interesting interplay … if we can affect our gut, we can improve our mental health, our cognition … but our mood and our stress levels can also influence our gut,” Dr Marx said.

He said this may be why people with diseases typically associated with the mind, like schizophrenia or depression, often had comorbid gut issues.

Research pointed towards a diet of minimally processed foods like fruits, vegies and beans, as well as omega-3 fatty acid containing food like oily fish, and powerful plant based foods like olive oil and spices that were rich in polyphenols being good for our mental health, Dr Marx explained.

Fermented foods containing live bacteria and prebiotics, like yoghurt and sauerkraut, could help create a healthy, diverse population of bacteria in the gut, he said.

New research at the centre by Dr Amelia McGuinness is set to probe whether probiotic yoghurt can help adolescent girls with depression, Dr Marx said.

It’s also conducting a trial looking at the interaction between the diet of pregnant women, changes in their microbiomes, and infant cognition and mental health.

A Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) spokesman confirmed the use of FMT products for the treatment of depression was not approved in Australia.

“The TGA’s approval of FMT products for the treatment of depression would require an application to be lodged containing robust clinical evidence that usually comes from specifically designed clinical trials that demonstrate the benefits and risks of using a product for the proposed indication,” he said.

“Patients may be able to access FMT via the authorised prescriber or special access scheme.”

Get Your Gut Health Right tips

Nutritionist and dietitian Jemma O’Hanlon has shared tips on what to eat to improve your mood.

She said salmon was rich in omega-3s which boosted brain health and supported learning and memory.

“Try grilled salmon and keep the skin on for all the healthy fats,” she said.

And coffee, when enjoyed in moderation, could boost alertness and was also packed with antioxidants that could protect us from disease, Ms O’Hanlon said.

But she urged people to avoid the added sugars and syrups and aim for no more than four coffees a day.

Ms O’Hanlon, who has previously worked with Australian Bananas, said the fruit contained B vitamins that boosted mood and was packed with natural carbs that fuelled our brains with energy.

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Editorial note: This article is for general interest and informational purposes only. It does not constitute medical advice

Originally published as Poo transplant and diet change helped Melbourne woman overcome depression