We speak of phobia or social anxiety when a person always feels insecure, restless, tense or even terrified in certain social situations. A study involving the transplantation of gut bacteria from humans to mice could pave the way to possible therapies, scientists say. The consumption of fermented foods may take a leading place.
While some of us look forward to the New Year party, for others socializing can trigger feelings of fear, anxiety and stress. Science suggests that gut microbes may play a role in triggering social anxiety disorder, opening up new therapeutic possibilities.
Some time ago, scientists discovered that the gut microbiome, that is, the collection of bacteria and microorganisms that live in our gastrointestinal system, differs in people who have social anxiety disorder compared to healthy people. Research has also shown that microbes in the gut can influence brain activity, and vice versa.
We need to take care of our gut flora
Scientists have recently discovered, however, that when the intestinal flora, i.e. the bacteria in the intestines of people suffering from social phobia, are transplanted into mice, the animals have a corresponding reaction when exposed to certain stimuli. Professor John Cryan, co-author of the research from University College Cork, said the new study highlights the importance of gut flora, alongside other factors such as genetics and environment.
“The bottom line is that we need to take care of our microbes, especially during development and even into adulthood, to keep our social brain functioning properly,” he explained.
John Cryan and colleagues report in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences how they took stool samples from six healthy people and six people with social phobia, and ran DNA tests that confirmed that the gut microbiome of the two groups differed significantly. Then each sample taken was transferred to six laboratory mice, after they had previously received antibiotics that annihilated their intestinal flora.
Gut bacteria decide who adapts to stress and who doesn’t
Mice were subsequently subjected to behavioral exploration tests. To investigate their propensity for social fear, they were given small electric shocks each time a new mouse approached them, then observed how they behaved around other mice when the shocks were no longer applied.
While the mice’s behavior did not change for most of the experiments investigating anxiety and social behavior, they began to behave differently after the social fear experiment. While mice that received gut microbes from healthy people quickly regained their curiosity about strangers in the days that followed, those with gut microbes from people with social anxiety disorder continued to be too scared to approach other mice and then.
Fermented foods bring benefits
The research team says the results suggest that the gut microbiome may play a causal role in heightened social fear responses in social anxiety disorder, while the study also provides new avenues in the development of therapies for people who suffer from it.
Cryan said these may include diets designed to change the microbiome.
“Increasing the amount of fiber and fermented foods in the diet could have beneficial effects,” the researcher said. “And that’s an aspect we’re quite interested in exploring.” Note: Meat and processed foods have no fiber and do not benefit our gut flora at all.
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2023-12-29 19:07:05
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