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Your gut bacteria influences how you handle stress, study suggests- and could be used to personalize mental health treatment
Healthy bacteria in your gut could be the key to tackling stress, a study suggests.
Researchers in California looked at more than 100 adults without mental health conditions and conducted surveys about their mental health and resiliency.
They were then divided into two groups: high and low resiliency. Each participant also underwent MRI scans and provided stool samples.
The team found the high resiliency group had lower inflammation and a stronger gut barrier than those who were less resilient. A strong barrier is essential for absorbing nutrients and blocking toxins from the gut.
They did not look at patients with mental health conditions.
The relationship is based on the direct communication between the brain and the digestive system. An example includes the gut sending hunger or satiety signals to the brain.
The researchers said these findings could lead to treatments that can use gut bacteria to personalize mental health care.
Researchers at the UCLA Goodman-Luskin Microbiome Center suggested more resilient people have stronger gut barriers and microbiomes
Dr Arpana Gupta, senior study author and co-director of the UCLA Goodman-Luskin Microbiome Center, said: 'If we can identify what a healthy resilient brain and microbiome look like, then we can develop targeted interventions to those areas to reduce stress.'
The team at UCLA evaluated 116 adults who had not been diagnosed with a mental health condition.
About 61 percent of participants were female, while the remainder were male.
The majority of participants in both groups were white, followed closely by Asian adults. The average BMI was about 28, which is classified as overweight.
All participants underwent MRI scans and provided stool samples with at-home kits two to three days before the test.
And the week prior, they filled out detailed questionnaires about their diet.
In a self-reported survey, participants answered questions about their resiliency on a scale from zero (not true at all) to 4 (true nearly all the time).
The total score consisted of seven factors: personal competence; high standards and tenacity; trust in one's instincts; tolerance of negative outcomes and stress; accepting change and securing relationships; control; and spiritual influence.
Higher scores meant higher resiliency - meaning they were able to handle stress and respond to adversity better.
The researchers found those in the high resiliency group were less anxious and depressed, less prone to judgment, and better at regulating their emotions than those who were less resilient.
Additionally, this group had healthier microbiomes, which is the network of bacteria, parasites, and fungi that regulates digestive, immune, hormone, and nervous system health.
The researchers said these participants excreted chemicals linked to lower inflammation and stronger gut barriers compared to those with less resiliency.
The study adds to a mountain of recent research on the gut-brain connection, which influences hunger, satiety, food cravings, digestion, metabolism, stress, and immunity, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
'Resilience truly is a whole-body phenomenon that not only affects your brain but also your microbiome and what metabolites that it is producing,' Dr Gupta said.
Dr Desiree Delgadillo, study author and postdoctoral researcher at UCLA, added: 'We have this whole community of microbes in our gut that exudes these therapeutic properties and biochemicals, so I’m looking forward to building upon this research.'
There were several limitations, however. The researchers noted that future studies should also include participants with mental health conditions like depression and PTSD, and more research is needed in general to confirm the findings.
The study was published last week in Nature Mental Health.