New Delhi: Gut microbiome may hold the key to improving depression, anxiety and other mental health conditions -- one of the world’s most pressing health challenges affecting nearly one in seven people globally, according to a study.
Researchers from the University of South Australia explored the connections between the gut and the brain to decipher their role in mental health and wellbeing.
They examined the growing evidence that the gut and the brain are deeply connected. Their findings, published in the journal Nature Mental Health, found the strongest proof yet that changes in a person’s gut microbiome can directly affect their brain chemistry.
“The gut–brain connection is one of the most exciting frontiers in mental health research,” said lead author Srinivas Kamath, a doctoral candidate at the varsity.
“We already know that the trillions of microbes in our digestive system talk to the brain through chemical and neural pathways, affecting our mood, stress levels, and even cognition.
“But the big question is whether changes in gut bacteria actually drive mental illness or mirror what’s happening elsewhere in the body,” Kamath said
The team's review of studies found strong causal evidence that gut microbes can change brain chemistry, stress responses, and behaviours in animal models, as well as disrupted gut patterns in conditions like depression and schizophrenia.
