Can Probiotics Reduce Anxiety Symptoms? : The Gut-Brain Axis And Well-Being

Sammanfattning

Evidence suggests that the gut-brain axis can influence stress-related behaviour, mood and neuropsychological disorders, including anxiety. Stress exposure can increase anxiety-related symptoms such as muscle tension & worrying. Medical treatment has low success and a range of side effects on anxiety. This review aimed to see if probiotics can reduce anxiety symptoms in humans. Where relevant articles on people with anxiety disorders are lacking, the review evaluates articles addressing healthy participants in stressful situations such as exams or public speeches via anxiety questionnaires. I hypothesized that probiotics could be an effective anxiolytic treatment in combination with therapy. Most articles demonstrated reduced subjective and objective results in anxiety and stress measurements after a daily intake of probioticstrains. Findings demonstrate potential anxiolytic benefits with a daily probiotic intake. However, future research on participants with an anxiety disorder is needed to conclude the hypothesis.