Gut Feelings and New Treatment Opportunities for Anxiety Disorders

Anxiety rates are at an all-time high, with an estimated 31.1% of adults in the United States experiencing

an anxiety disorder at some point in their lives. However, there is new hope on the horizon in the realm of

treatment and it comes from within. Inside every one of us is another world full of trillions of

microorganisms known as our gut microbiome. These microorganisms, known as microbiota, have a wide

variety of functions within us such as supporting our immune system and metabolism and overall keeping

us running smoothly. But can these microbes pave the way for a healthier, calmer life?

A systematic review run by Dr. Jinghong Chen looked at over 3000 articles and 21 studies to compile

evidence for the influence of our gut microbiome on our general mental health. The studies varied, with

some treating their experimental group with probiotic supplements and others using non-probiotic

strategies to influence balances in the microbiome. Over half of these studies concluded that there is a

connection between balances of microbiota and general anxiety symptoms and that these symptoms can

be alleviated with the regulation of these levels. This is a promising outlook for individuals battling

anxiety and means that with more research and better guidance, people could begin modulating their diets

to alleviate their symptoms.


These findings connect to other information already at our disposal regarding the role of certain

neurotransmitters, such as serotonin, in both mood and feeding behavior. Serotonin operates as an appetite

suppressant and is synthesized from compounds primarily absorbed when we consume carbohydrates.

Serotonin is also associated with a positive mood and calmness. There is a mechanism within our bodies

known as the “gut-brain” axis, where over 500 million neurons communicate back and forth from the

brain to the enteric nervous system lining our intestines. This network has been found to connect with our

HPA axis, which regulates our stress response, supporting the idea that imbalances in our gut could have

impacts on our stress levels.


Seen by some researchers as a whole separate organ, our gut and its far-reaching connections influence

nearly every aspect of our well-being, and learning more about how it functions could give us the

information we need to live healthier, more informed lives. More research needs to be done, but this new

field of microbiome research and its connections to our mental health opens a world of possibilities for

new treatment options and a higher understanding of how we work.


Posted by Megan Winkler (9)

Sources:

Appleton, J. (2018). The Gut-Brain Axis: Influence of Microbiota on Mood and Mental Health.

Integrative Medicine: A Clinician's Journal, 17(4), 28-32.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6469458/

Yang B, Wei J, Ju P, Chen J. Effects of regulating intestinal microbiota on anxiety symptoms: A

systematic review. Gen Psychiatry. 2019 May 17;32(2):e100056. doi: 10.1136/gpsych-2019-100056.

PMID: 31179435; PMCID: PMC6551444.


https://www.utsouthwestern.edu/newsroom/articles/year-2023/nov-gut-bacteria-anxiety.html#:~:text=One

%20specific%20microbial%20community%20was,(CDRC)%20at%20UT%20Southwestern.

Comments

  1. AnonymousNovember 27, 2023 at 12:58 PM

    Hi Megan this was really cool to read and totally makes sense. The body is so connected and intertwined that it doesn't surprise me to hear that imbalances in the gut can effect the brain and the endocrine system. Did the research suggested that taking or consuming probiotics helped with alleviating anxiety? I wonder if there is a correlation between the increased consumption of processed foods and the increase in anxiety.
    -Payton Carroll

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Megan WinklerDecember 4, 2023 at 10:15 AM

      Hey Payton! The study gets into the benefits of consuming either supplemental probiotics or those in your food. Outside of this post, I've read a lot about how diets high in processed food can negatively impact both your gut microbiome and your mood so I think you're on to something!

      Delete
  2. Madeline GouldNovember 28, 2023 at 10:45 AM

    Hi Megan, this is super interesting! The fact that there is a connection between balancing the microbiota and regulating generalized anxiety symptoms is very interesting and could help so many people, myself included. Microbiome research's correlations with mental health regulations can change many people's lives in a new way. I hope there is more research done on this!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnonymousDecember 4, 2023 at 10:16 AM

      Thanks so much Madeleine! I agree - the more we can learn about potential causes of mental health issues, the better the future of treatment will be for these affected individuals

      Delete
  3. AnonymousNovember 28, 2023 at 5:13 PM

    Hello Megan! I am glad to hear that more possible treatments for anxiety are being developed. As you mentioned, this issue effects so many people, especially college students. I am interested to know if any more research will come out on this topic. Hopefully this can soon be a simple way to reduce anxiety. Thanks for this post!

    -Anya Quaglietta

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Megan WinklerDecember 4, 2023 at 10:18 AM

      Hey Anya! I'd imagine this is an even more prominent issue in college aged students given our unbalanced diets and alcohol consumption. I'm also excited by potential implications in treatment moving forward after research like this!

      Delete
  4. AnonymousNovember 29, 2023 at 9:35 AM

    Hi Megan! This is a super interesting post! I never really thought about how much our gut-biomes. I eat a lot of gut-healthy food, like kombucha or kimchi without really any consideration for my gut-health. But maybe they're having a better effect on my mood than I thought (which is a plus). I think it's great though that we're focusing research on this idea now. There are so many things about the body we have yet to discover and your article makes the correlation between microbiomes and improved mental health super promising!

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousNovember 29, 2023 at 9:53 AM

    Hey Megan! Thank you for sharing it was really interesting to see that we may at some point be able to move away from prescription drugs and turn to microbes, which honestly would probably have less adverse side effects. Hopefully this will mean that more people can live their lives without daily anxiety.
    Alexis Carson

    ReplyDelete
  6. Adrian AlcantaraDecember 1, 2023 at 10:02 AM

    Hey Megan! This was an great post to read and to learn about other treatments for anxiety that are being tested other than prescription drugs. Hopefully, with this new treatment of microbes, less side affects will be present and more people can live their daily lives without anxiety and the side affects that comes with taking prescription drugs.

    ReplyDelete

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