Scientists have discovered that your gut microbiome – the trillions of microbes in your digestive tract – plays a key role in how your body responds to stress.
A new study suggests that your gut microorganisms may have a huge impact on your body clock – in particular, how your body responds to stress throughout the day.
The research, published in Cell Metabolism, indicates that your gut microorganisms naturally fluctuate in activity and composition, which influences how the body releases stress-regulating hormones like adrenaline and cortisol.
Researchers hope these findings will bring them closer to using microbes as a potential treatment for mental health conditions.
“This study is a significant leap forward in our understanding of how the microbiome shapes our mental health,” said Professor Paul Ross, director of APC Microbiome Ireland, a research centre based at University College Cork.
If microbiota levels drop too much, researchers believe it disrupts the body’s circadian rhythm (its day/night cycle), which influences your sleep, immune system and metabolism. This may also change how the body releases stress hormones.
Scientists suggest that the composition of microbes known as Lactobacillus may play a particularly large role in regulating stress hormones.
“Our research highlights the importance of the gut microbiome in maintaining the body's natural stress-regulation processes,” explained first author of the study Dr Gabriel Tofani.
So how did scientists figure this out? Researchers gave antibiotics to mice to decrease their microbiota. They found the mice with disrupted microbes had an altered rhythm for releasing its stress hormone corticosterone.
Scientists believe this research could be the foundation for future therapies targeting mental health conditions. By understanding the connection between the gut and brain, they hope it will give health professionals a new way to target the body’s stress response.
“The potential to improve mental health through microbiome-based interventions is very real, and this study takes us one step closer to that goal,” said Ross.
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About the experts:
Dr Gabriel Tofani is a researcher at the University College Cork in Ireland. His work focuses on circadian rhythms, stress and the gut microbiota.
Professor Paul Ross is the director of APC Microbiome Ireland. His research involves studying the human microbiome including bacterial competition, physiology and genetics.