Researchers develop $80 fruity drink that can help beat baby blues - the first ever supplement for the problem that affects 80% of new moms

A new supplement drink that can block depressive signals in the brain in might be the key to beating the baby blues, according to a new study. 

The product, which costs $79.95 for a full dose, will be available to buy on April 11th and has been shown in trials to reduce symptoms of post partum depression for up to six months after use. 

It works by blunting the effects of a protein called MAO-A which interferes with mood-boosting hormones in the brain. 

The drink, which is seperated into four small bottles, and drunk over the course of three days, is flavored with cocoa powder, berry extract and sugar to make it more palatable.

Postpartum blues may increase the likelihood of developing more severe postpartum depression four-fold

The new supplement is based on findings recently published in the journal eClinicalMedicine by researchers at Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Canada, affiliated with the University of Toronto. 

'Postpartum depression is the most common complication of childbearing,' Dr Jeffery Meyer, a neuroscientist and psychiatrist at CAMH, who developed the supplement, told the Daily Mail. 'So we need to be thinking more and more about strategies to prevent this from happening.'

Roughly eighty percent of new moms suffer some sadness or depressive symptoms after birth, otherwise known as baby blues, according to CAMH.

The symptoms range in severity depending on the person, but tend to include mood swings, anxiety, problems sleeping and crying spells. 

Some 13 percent of new moms go on to develop full-blown postpartum depression - a clinical condition that can manifest in chronic depression, suicide attempts, low energy and might interrupt the early development of kids. 

If a mom has postpartum blues, she's at a four-fold increased risk for developing postpartum depression, Meyer said.

CAMH partnered with the pharmaceutical Exeltis to bring this product to the market. Exeltis, a New Jersey based company, mainly produces women's health products, like Nuvessa, a gel used to treat bacterial vaginosis. 

Blues Away is a series of four shakes designed to be taken over three days

Meyer, who is credited as the inventor of this supplement, found that women produce more of a certain protein, called MAO-A, shortly after giving birth.

This protein interferes with other chemicals in the brain that regulate mood-boosting hormones like dopamine, norepinherine and serotonin. 

Some previous studies have shown that especially high levels of MAO-A can lead to depression because it decreases the amount of the other neurotransmitters that keep your brain running smoothly. 

Dr Meyer honed in on three natural chemicals that could potentially blunt the effects of MAO-A - L-Tyrosine, L-Tryptophan and blueberry extract - which might allow new mothers to replenish their natural supply of mood stabilizing molecules.

 L-Tyrosine and L-Tryptophan are the raw ingredients that the brain can use to create new neurotransmitters. And the blueberry extract is high in antioxidants, which can help block the effects of MAO-A, Meyer explained.

For their latest study, researchers gave 103 new mothers a supplement containing those three ingredients from January 2019 to December 2022. They were given it for the first five days after giving birth, when research has detected some of the highest levels of MAO-A, Meyer said. 

'It's a really opportune time to go in with a dietary supplement and provide a better outcome for new mothers,' Dr Meyer said.

Women who took the supplement in the immediate term had reduced symptoms of post partum blues. They also had fewer headaches and reported having more energy than mothers who took the placebo. 

Over the next three to six months, the new mothers who had taken the supplement had significantly less symptoms of postpartum depression than those who hadn't.

Postpartum depression can lead to loss of energy, feelings of hopelessness and in extreme cases, suicidal ideation

'I was expecting an effect on depression symptoms later, but it was larger than I had expected it to be in a favorable way, ' said Dr Meyer.

However, it didn't make everything perfect. When the new mothers we're tested in the following months, they found that taking the supplement had no effect in how they reacted to sad stimuli, like depressing songs or books.  

Still, these findings were encouraging because they were well tolerated by both the mothers and babies, and are one of very few treatment options for the early baby blues, Meyer said. 

'There isn't really an another option for postpartum blues per se, and we don't have widespread strategies that are used for preventing postpartum depression,' he said. 

The first FDA approved treatment for postpartum depression, called Zulresso, was released last year. 

It's a prescription injection, that according to Drugs.com, may cost over $7850 dollars. 

Other, non medication based treatments, like therapy,  can be costly as well, the authors wrote in the study. 

Improving early baby blues is crucial for women who are dealing with plenty of other complications following childbirth, Meyer said. Further, as their results showed, it could help with the massive burden that is postpartum depression. 

'The connection between postpartum blues and postpartum depression is an important one that we can use to try to promote better health,' he said.