Anxiety You Feel in Your Gut
Intestinal microflora -- beneficial bacteria that live in the gut and are an important part in the digestive process -- may be more important than we think. A recent Canadian study shows these microorganisms exert a noticeable influence on how people behave.
In experiments, mice with less gut bacteria exhibited less anxious behavior. Studying the mice suggested that the differences in gut bacteria seemed to be associated with differences in genes responsible for a chemical called brain-derived neurotrophic factor, or BDNF. BDNF is linked with depression and anxiety in a number of animals, including humans.
This finding may help explain why irritable bowel syndrome and similar illnesses are frequently found with depression, and why certain mental illnesses are correlated with gut bacteria abnormalities.