Gut bacteria may play a role in anxiety

Making dietary changes has a positive effect on symptoms, review of the research shows

A recent systematic review has found that regulating gut bacteria through dietary change and probiotic intake might help alleviate symptoms of anxiety.

And, further, the review of 21 studies suggested that changing what a person ate, such as following a low FODMAP diet, was likely more effective than adding in a probiotic supplement.

Fourteen of the studies used one or more probiotics as the intervention and the remainder used non-probiotic methods.

Overall, more than half of the studies showed that adjusting the gut microbiome had a positive effect in reducing anxiety symptoms.