First, they noticed that there was a lot of overlap between the body’s circadian system and the stress response. circadian rhythm It refers to the regulation of basic body functions, such as sleep-wake cycles, that occur throughout a 24-hour day.

The stress response, “characterized as a rapid adaptation process to real or perceived danger,” can significantly affect the circadian rhythm, the researchers note in their paper. previous studies we showed.

The authors of the latest study also note that one of the key pathways that helps inform circadian rhythm and stress response is hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. This pathway is also central to how bacteria in the gut can influence both behavior and brain functioning.

The researchers used germ-free and conventional mice to help examine the complex relationship between the gut microbiota and the stress response. They collected data from components such as blood samples, brain imaging, behavioral tests and tissue analysis.

They were able to use control mice to find that the gut microbiota changed throughout the day. The researchers depleted the gut microbiota of some mice using antibiotics and looked at germ-free mice.

While studying these mice, they found that microbiota depletion affected the circadian rhythm of corticosterone levels in the mice’s plasma. Human equivalent of corticosterone cortisola glucocorticoid. Glucocorticoids are central to the stress response and circadian rhythms.

Further analysis in mice also revealed that gut bacteria influence central circadian rhythmicity. The results also showed that changes in gut bacteria can alter the rhythm of stress pathways in parts of the brain that regulate the “stress response” and that microbial depletion alters the 24-hour rhythms of the HPA axis.

The researchers were then interested in seeing how the mice responded to stress depending on the time of day and microbiota depletion.

Mice whose gut microbiota was depleted after exposure to stress did not show an increase in corticosterone levels at a particular time of day as in control mice.

Similarly, mice experiencing microbial depletion experienced no changes in their social interactions after being exposed to stress at a specific time of day. In contrast, the control group experienced a decrease in interaction with other mice. The groups behaved similarly at other measurement times of the day.

They also found that mice with microbial depletion experienced changes in their gut bacteria throughout the day. It has been suggested that this time-specific change is associated with time-specific increases in corticosterone in plasma, a blood component.

Based on fecal microbial transport data, the researchers also found that bacterial species Limosilactobacillus reuteri It may be key to changes in corticosterone levels.

Overall, the results showed that the gut microbiota plays an important role in the stress response, possibly in a “circadian manner.”

Marc J. Tetel, PhDAllene Lummis Russell, professor and chair of neuroscience at Wellesley College in Massachusetts, who was not involved in this study, commented on the study’s findings: Today’s Medical News.

“The latest paper (…) provides intriguing and exciting evidence that the gut microbiota can coordinately regulate both stress and circadian systems through the gut-brain axis. “Understanding how stress and circadian systems interact and are influenced by the gut microbiota is critical to better understand the role of these systems in various mental health disorders, including anxiety and depression.”

Because this research was conducted in mice, there are some questions about whether and how these findings can be applied to humans.

Future studies in humans could add to the data in this area and possibly confirm the findings of this study. The authors stated in their article that it would be useful to examine these concepts in people from different regions who follow various diet and lifestyle patterns.

There are also aspects of the research that raise other questions. For example, researchers will also be interested in discovering how gut microbiota signals reach the brain.

He also emphasized that “the findings and conclusions are interesting, but the question remains how much of them can be transferred to humans.”

“Even long-term broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy or probiotic consumption L.Reuteri “As far as I know, it does not significantly affect the stress response in humans,” Mayer said.

“Additionally, the stress response to daily stressors is mediated primarily by the sympathetic nervous system and not the HPA axis, an aspect not addressed in this study. Due to much of the intriguing data from these types of mouse studies, when extrapolating the findings to human health and disease “We need to be careful,” he added.

Although more research is needed, people can take steps to pay attention to their gut health as an important component of overall well-being. This may include: steps Like eating fermented foods and cutting out sugar.

People should seek help from their primary care doctor and other experts to determine what steps toward better gut health will be most beneficial to them.

David Merrill, MD, PhDA board-certified geriatric psychiatrist at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, CA, and the Singleton Endowed Chair in Integrative Brain Health, who was not involved in the recent research, recommended:

“We can support a healthy gut microbiome with dietary changes rich in fiber and prebiotic foods, such as bananas, onions, and oats, which help feed beneficial bacteria. Supplements that include probiotics lactobacillus or Bifidobacterium “The strains promise to positively impact mood and stress responses by increasing microbial diversity.”

However, caution must be exercised. “I do not believe that recommendations for specific diets or supplements aimed at normalizing the exaggerated stress response should be made before data from well-designed human studies are available to confirm the above hypotheses,” Mayer told us.

“However, a wealth of clinical data already exists supporting the many health benefits of a largely plant-based diet, and this information has been incorporated into the new field of Nutritional Psychiatry,” he noted.