How gut health affects anxiety

Regulating anxiety isn’t all up to the brain—the gut plays a big part, too. New research shows us how.

April 03, 2025

Feature of the week

Gut microbes can help manage anxiety

Have you ever felt anxious and noticed your stomach all tied up in knots?

There’s some scientific truth to this sensation—studies have shown that the gut microbiome plays a role in modulating brain chemistry and anxiety responses. But the exact biological pathways linking gut microbes to anxiety-related brain changes remain unclear.

In a study with germ-free mice—mice raised without any exposure to microbes—scientists from Duke-NUS Medical School at the National University of Singapore, and the National Neuroscience Institute, identified specific gut microbes that influence brain activity linked to anxiety-related behaviors.

Their findings open up new possibilities for targeting the gut-brain axis to help manage anxiety disorders and other mental health conditions.

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