Diet quality and anxiety: a critical overview with focus on the gut microbiome

In this cross-sectional study by Hernández-Cacho et al. (2025), participants from the PREDIMED-Plus trial (n = 400) were investigated for a potential gut–brain axis connection between gut microbiota and depression. Depression was identified by either the use of antidepressants or elevated scores on the Beck Depression Inventory-II. Researchers analyzed gut microbiota using 16S rRNA sequencing […]

Mental disorders may be caused by disorders in the intestinal flora or a breakdown in the bidirectional communication between the gastrointestinal tract and the central nervous system (gut-brain-axis), according to this 2021 paper. The author Liu et al. explain that changes in the composition of the intestinal flora may increase the permeability of the gut […]