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L. helveticus R0052 + B. longum R0175

L. helveticus R0052 + B. longum R0175 (Cerebiome)

Psychobiotic duo studied for mood, anxiety, and stress reactivity

Mixed evidence 🦠Probiotics🛡️Gut & Immune

✚ Updated · How we grade evidence

Evidence tier
Mixed
Research weight
Citations
9 verified / 9
Classification
Probiotics
❝
What the evidence says. Conflicting results across studies; benefit uncertain.

What is L. helveticus R0052 + B. longum R0175?

L. helveticus R0052 + B. longum R0175 (L. helveticus R0052 + B. longum R0175 (Cerebiome)) is a probiotic strain used for reduced self-reported anxiety and depression scores (hads, hscl-90) in healthy volunteers over 30 days (messaoudi 2011). NutriDex grades the human evidence as Mixed. L. helveticus R0052 + B. longum R0175 (Cerebiome/Probio'Stick) is the most-studied "psychobiotic" formulation. A foundational 30-day RCT in healthy volunteers (Messaoudi 2011) reduced self-reported anxiety/depression scores (HADS, HSCL-90) and lowered urinary free cortisol, and an 8-week RCT in major depressive disorder (Kazemi 2018) showed a significantly greater fall in Beck Depression Inventory score vs placebo (-8.3 vs -2.6, p=0.042). However, a well-conducted 8-week RCT for low mood (Romijn 2017, n=79) found NO benefit over placebo, so overall human evidence is mixed/moderate rather than definitive. Effects are strain- and population-specific; most data are small trials or open-label pilots.

Purported Benefits

✓Reduced self-reported anxiety and depression scores (HADS, HSCL-90) in healthy volunteers over 30 days (Messaoudi 2011)
✓Lowered urinary free cortisol, suggesting blunted stress/HPA-axis reactivity (Messaoudi 2011)
✓Greater reduction in Beck Depression Inventory score vs placebo in major depressive disorder over 8 weeks (Kazemi 2018)
✓Reduced stress-related GI/somatization complaints (abdominal pain, nausea/vomiting) in stressed adults
✓Open-label improvements in mood, anxiety, anhedonia and sleep quality in treatment-naive MDD (Wallace 2021)
✓Note: a parallel low-mood RCT (Romijn 2017) found no benefit — efficacy is not consistent across studies

Evidence by outcome

The same supplement can be well-proven for one use and unproven for another — here is the human evidence graded outcome by outcome.

OutcomeEvidenceEffectStudies
Depressive symptoms (MDD)One 8-wk MDD RCT (Kazemi) lowered BDI vs placebo, but a low-mood RCT (Romijn) found no benefit; rest is open-label. Mixed ↔ mixed · moderate 3
Anxiety / psychological distress in healthy adultsSingle 30-day RCT (Messaoudi, n=55) reduced HADS/HSCL-90; small and not consistently replicated. Preliminary ↑ benefit · small 1
HPA-axis / urinary cortisolOnly the Messaoudi RCT showed lowered urinary free cortisol; exploratory single-trial finding. Preliminary ↑ benefit · small 1

Dosing & Compounds

Typical Dose
3 x 10^9 CFU/day (combined R0052 + R0175), typically one 1.5 g sachet or capsule daily for 4-8 weeks; trials dosed once daily, often in the morning, on an empty stomach or with a cool drink.
Active Compounds
Cerebiome (Lallemand Health Solutions) — research-grade brandProbio'Stick / Zenix — 1.5 g sachet formulationsBranded consumer products containing L. helveticus R0052 + B. longum R0175Freeze-dried powder sachets and capsules

Safety & Cautions

Well tolerated in trials with no serious adverse events; mild transient GI effects (bloating, gas) possible. As with all live probiotics, use caution in the critically ill, those with central venous catheters, severe immunocompromise, or short-gut/intestinal-barrier compromise, where rare bacteremia risk exists. Not a substitute for established antidepressant or anxiolytic therapy; discuss with a clinician if used adjunctively for diagnosed mood disorders. Educational only — always check with your doctor or pharmacist before combining L. helveticus R0052 + B. longum R0175 with any medicine.

Key Studies

Meta-analysis Liu 2024 (Gut Pathogens) ✓ Full text
Strain-specific meta-analysis of 12 RCTs (n=707) found probiotics significantly reduced depressive symptoms on the BDI; the L. helveticus R0052 + B. longum R0175 blend was among formulations associated with reduced psychological distress and lower urinary free cortisol, though blend design limits single-strain attribution.
Meta-analysis BMC Psychiatry 2025 ✓ Source
Systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs reported that probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics significantly improved anxiety, depression, and sleep outcomes versus placebo.
RCT Kazemi 2018 ✓ PubMed
8-week RCT in MDD (81 completers): probiotic group BDI fell 17.4 to 9.1 vs placebo 18.2 to 15.6, a significantly greater decrease (p=0.042).
RCT Romijn 2017 ✓ PubMed
8-week double-blind RCT (n=79) for low mood found NO significant difference between probiotic and placebo on any psychological outcome; MADRS response 23% vs 26%.
RCT Messaoudi 2011 ✓ PubMed
30-day RCT in 55 healthy volunteers: probiotic reduced HADS and HSCL-90 global scores and lowered median urinary free cortisol (50.5 to 43.7 ng/ml, p=0.04) vs no change in controls.
RCT / preclinical Messaoudi 2011 (BJN) ✓ PubMed
Companion rat + human study established anxiolytic-like and psychotropic-like properties of the R0052/R0175 formulation, underpinning the human cortisol findings.
Review SHIME study 2023 (PMC10056475) ✓ Full text
In vitro gut-simulation study characterizing L. helveticus R0052 and B. longum R0175 as psychobiotics, showing modulation of microbial metabolites relevant to the gut-brain axis supporting the strains' proposed mechanism.
open-label pilot Wallace 2021 ✓ Full text
8-week open-label pilot in 10 treatment-naive MDD patients: significant reductions in MADRS scores by week 4 sustained to week 8, plus improved sleep; no adverse events.
post hoc analysis Wallace 2020 (post hoc) ✓ Full text
Post hoc analysis of the open-label MDD cohort linked Cerebiome supplementation to changes in serum BDNF, a putative antidepressant-response biomarker.
9 sources cited · 9 verified Search all studies on PubMed ↗

Common questions about L. helveticus R0052 + B. longum R0175

What is L. helveticus R0052 + B. longum R0175 used for?

L. helveticus R0052 + B. longum R0175 is most often taken for Reduced self-reported anxiety and depression scores (HADS, HSCL-90) in healthy volunteers over 30 days (Messaoudi 2011), Lowered urinary free cortisol, suggesting blunted stress/HPA-axis reactivity (Messaoudi 2011), Greater reduction in Beck Depression Inventory score vs placebo in major depressive disorder over 8 weeks (Kazemi 2018), Reduced stress-related GI/somatization complaints (abdominal pain, nausea/vomiting) in stressed adults. Psychobiotic duo studied for mood, anxiety, and stress reactivity

Does L. helveticus R0052 + B. longum R0175 work — what does the evidence say?

Mixed evidence. Conflicting results across studies; benefit uncertain. L. helveticus R0052 + B. longum R0175 (Cerebiome/Probio'Stick) is the most-studied "psychobiotic" formulation. A foundational 30-day RCT in healthy volunteers (Messaoudi 2011) reduced self-reported anxiety/depression scores (HADS, HSCL-90) and lowered urinary free cortisol, and an 8-week RCT in major depressive disorder (Kazemi 2018) showed a significantly greater fall in Beck Depression Inventory score vs placebo (-8.3 vs -2.6, p=0.042). However, a well-conducted 8-week RCT for low mood (Romijn 2017, n=79) found NO benefit over placebo, so overall human evidence is mixed/moderate rather than definitive. Effects are strain- and population-specific; most data are small trials or open-label pilots.

What is the typical dose of L. helveticus R0052 + B. longum R0175?

3 x 10^9 CFU/day (combined R0052 + R0175), typically one 1.5 g sachet or capsule daily for 4-8 weeks; trials dosed once daily, often in the morning, on an empty stomach or with a cool drink.

Is L. helveticus R0052 + B. longum R0175 safe? Any cautions or side effects?

Well tolerated in trials with no serious adverse events; mild transient GI effects (bloating, gas) possible. As with all live probiotics, use caution in the critically ill, those with central venous catheters, severe immunocompromise, or short-gut/intestinal-barrier compromise, where rare bacteremia risk exists. Not a substitute for established antidepressant or anxiolytic therapy; discuss with a clinician if used adjunctively for diagnosed mood disorders.

How many studies support L. helveticus R0052 + B. longum R0175?

NutriDex cites 9 sources for L. helveticus R0052 + B. longum R0175, graded "Mixed".

Cite this page
APA

Peh, D. (2026). L. helveticus R0052 + B. longum R0175 (L. helveticus R0052 + B. longum R0175 (Cerebiome)): Benefits, Dosage, Side Effects & Evidence. NutriDex — The Supplement Research Compendium. Retrieved 26 Jun 2026, from https://nutridex.info/s/l-helveticus-r0052

BibTeX
@misc{nutridex_l_helveticus_r0052,
  author       = {Peh, Daryl},
  title        = {L. helveticus R0052 + B. longum R0175 (L. helveticus R0052 + B. longum R0175 (Cerebiome)): Benefits, Dosage, Side Effects \& Evidence},
  year         = {2026},
  howpublished = {NutriDex --- The Supplement Research Compendium},
  url          = {https://nutridex.info/s/l-helveticus-r0052},
  note         = {Reviewed by Dr Daryl Peh, MBBS Singapore, MMed FM. Accessed 2026-06-26}
}

For medical claims, citing the underlying primary studies linked above is preferred. NutriDex is an educational reference, not medical advice.

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