Today, Professor Krista Power leads the initiative, building on the groundbreaking work of its founding director, Professor Susan Tosh. “This donation made it possible to form collaborations we couldn’t have developed otherwise,” Power says. “The scholarships and equipment opened doors to working with partners across Canada and internationally.”
Power is joined in the initiative by top-tier researcher teams. Professor Riadh Hammami’s team explores how gut bacteria communicate with the brain and identifies compounds that might one day treat depression. Professor Marie-Claude Audet’s lab researches how stress, gut bacteria and mental health interact and why people respond so differently to the same challenges. Together, these three researchers and others are building a comprehensive understanding of the gut–brain connection.
From diet to personalized treatment
Power’s research spans from fundamental science to patient care. Her lab’s studies in mice show that adding beans and flaxseeds to the diet changes gut bacteria in helpful ways, reducing inflammation throughout the body and brain. This suggests that even small dietary changes could lower mental health risks.
Some of her team’s most compelling findings involve teenagers with eating disorders. The team studied adolescents with anorexia nervosa at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) and compared them to healthy teens. It turns out that teens with eating disorders have very different gut bacteria. The researchers found much lower levels of the beneficial compounds produced by gut bacteria, especially in teens who struggle with depression and anxiety.
“Our goal is to see if we can use personalized diets or probiotics as part of treatment,” Power explains. Her team also wants to identify patterns in gut bacteria that could predict which teens are at a higher risk of negative health impacts.
Unlocking the gut–brain connection
The Hammami Lab studies how gut bacteria influence mental health at the most fundamental level.
His team has discovered that certain bacteria produce brain chemicals like serotonin and GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) that, together, maintain a proper balance of brain activity. They’ve also found that gut bacteria release tiny packages that can travel through the bloodstream to the brain, carrying beneficial compounds with them. This research is paving the way for probiotics specifically designed to improve mental health.
Hammami’s lab also investigates an overlooked problem: how psychiatric medications can harm helpful gut bacteria. Many people take antidepressants for months or years, but these drugs can act like antibiotics, disrupting digestive balance. His research shows that probiotics could protect against this damage, potentially helping patients get better results from their medications.
His team develops and tests new probiotic formulations using lab models that simulate the human digestive system. This allows them to predict how different combinations will affect gut bacteria before testing in people — work that’s essential to creating evidence-based treatments for mental health conditions.
The effects of stress
Stress is a major contributor to mental illnesses. The Audet Lab studies why stressful experiences affect some people more than others, and why only some people will have adverse mental health impacts. Their research indicates that differences in gut bacteria could affect how these bacteria communicate with the brain. Notably, stress affects men and women differently, which suggests that treatments (diet, probiotics, lifestyle changes) might need to be different for men and women.
Audet’s team is also looking at the relationship between diet and mental health during pregnancy and postpartum. They’re studying whether eating well during pregnancy can reduce depression and anxiety after giving birth. Early results are promising and could point to proactive nutritional decisions that would limit or eliminate postpartum depression, which affects about 10% to 15% of new mothers.
Real-world impact
The Nutrition and Mental Health initiative has gained a lot of traction. Hammami alone has led or co-led over $3.5 million in grants and trained 49 highly qualified personnel. The initiative has supported multiple doctoral and master's students through scholarships named in honour of the late Dr. Parviz Sabour, a champion of the research program whose passion for supporting young researchers continues through these awards. The funding has established specialized research platforms and created a hub for microbiota-based research, with partnerships spanning CHEO, universities across Ontario and Quebec, and international institutions.
There’s also the ongoing human impact — students whose potential is being realized, patients whose treatment options are expanding and health-care providers who are gaining new tools to address mental health challenges through nutrition.
Integrating nutrition science with mental health research is a fundamental shift in how we approach mental health care. The founding gift has made important discoveries possible, but translating this research into treatments that change lives requires ongoing investment. Realizing the full potential of this work means developing nutritional therapies, continuing clinical trials, training the next generation of researchers and bringing personalized mental health care to patients. To do that, the initiative needs donors and partners to join this transformative effort.
Donate to the Nutrition and Mental Health initiative to support this transformative work.
This is one of many stories at uOttawa about how transformational donor support is challenging the status quo and making real-world impacts in innovative and ambitious ways.