The microbiota, the gut and the brain in eating and alcohol use disorders: A ‘ménage à trois’?

Since evidence has been accumulating for gut microbiota’s role in eating disorders (EDs) and alcohol and substance use disorders, Temko and colleagues (2017) conducted this systematic review examining preclinical and clinical studies that evaluated the gut microbiota, EDs and alcohol and substance use disorders. The result was 12 original papers, some of which suggested that dysbiosis (gut microflora imbalance) and gut microbial byproducts may influence the pathophysiology of EDs via direct and indirect interference with peptide hormone signaling, and one of which conducted on mice implied that manipulations in the gut microbiota may also affect cocaine-related behaviors. Dysbiosis was actually shown to correlate with alcohol use disorder-related symptoms such as craving, depression and anxiety, supporting gut microbiota’s potential role in behavioral correlates of EDs and alcohol and substance use disorders. [NPID: substance use, addiction, drugs, eating disorders, recovery, alcohol, gut microbiota, dysbiosis, cocaine, craving, depression, anxiety]

Year: 2017

Reference: Temko, J. E., Bouhlal, S., Farokhnia, M., Lee, M. R., Cryan, J. F., & Leggio, L. (2017). The Microbiota, the Gut and the Brain in Eating and Alcohol Use Disorders: A 'Ménage à Trois'?. Alcohol and alcoholism (Oxford, Oxfordshire), 52(4), 403–413. https://doi.org/10.1093/alcalc/agx024

Related Studies

The effect of fruit smoothie supplementation on psychological distress and biomarkers among people with opioid dependence receiving opioid agonist therapy: A randomized controlled trial

The effectiveness of fruit smoothie supplementation on psychological distress Unhealthy dietary patterns are prevalent among individuals with opioid dependence. While diets rich in fruits and vegetables are associated with mental health benefits, research on this topic in the context of opioid agonist therapy(OAT) remains scarce. This multicenter randomized controlled trial, known as the FruktBAR trial, […]

Chapter 2 – The role of nutrition in addiction recovery: What we know and what we don’t

This 2019 review presents the impacts of alcohol, cocaine, methamphetamine, and opioids on nutritional status, by exploring gut health, microbiome, and associated neural interactions in particular. Not only are the homeostatic and hedonic mechanisms of eating behavior discussed, Wiss (2019) delves into effective treatment modalities: he mentions human research that made a case for individual […]