Feeding the Mind: The Role of Fermented Foods and Probiotics in Anxiety Treatment
Introduction: Anxiety disorders represent the most common mental health disorders globally which makes their treatment a major clinical problem. Recent research has increasingly focused on the gut-brain axis, because scientists have discovered that gut microbiota functions as a key controller of m...
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| Language: | English |
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Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Quality in Sport |
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| Online Access: | https://apcz.umk.pl/QS/article/view/62368 |
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| author | Marta Ignatiuk-Chilkiewicz Joanna Kałuska Dominika Hakało Adam Rafałowicz Aleksandra Sokół Klaudia Mościszko Katarzyna Nowicka Wiktor Klimek Maria Majewska Monika Olszanska |
| author_facet | Marta Ignatiuk-Chilkiewicz Joanna Kałuska Dominika Hakało Adam Rafałowicz Aleksandra Sokół Klaudia Mościszko Katarzyna Nowicka Wiktor Klimek Maria Majewska Monika Olszanska |
| author_sort | Marta Ignatiuk-Chilkiewicz |
| collection | DOAJ |
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Introduction: Anxiety disorders represent the most common mental health disorders globally which makes their treatment a major clinical problem. Recent research has increasingly focused on the gut-brain axis, because scientists have discovered that gut microbiota functions as a key controller of mental health. Scientists investigate fermented foods as dietary interventions because they contain probiotics and bioactive molecules to potentially adjust the gut-brain axis for anxiety symptom reduction.
Methods: This review combines results from PubMed and Google Scholar databases through searches of "probiotics," "gut microbiota," "anxiety disorders," "fermented food" and "gut-brain axis" to evaluate existing evidence.
Findings: Research shows that the gut microbiota influences anxiety through multiple pathways, including direct modulation of microbial composition, production of neuroactive compounds like gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), and regulation of systemic inflammation. Research conducted in both laboratory and human subjects demonstrates that consuming fermented foods together with particular probiotic strains can positively impact these mechanisms. However, clinical evidence shows inconsistent results because some studies demonstrate substantial anxiety symptom reduction in clinical populations yet other investigations reveal minimal or no effects while bacterial strain and dosage and host factors play a significant role.
Conclusion: The gut microbiota is a promising therapeutic target for anxiety disorders. Specific probiotics and fermented foods added to the diet could become important supplementary treatments. Nevertheless, large-scale, well-controlled clinical trials are necessary to establish optimal strains, dosages, and treatment protocols to translate these findings into reliable clinical strategies.
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-3876245492c648eeb5fe63d498bcd9b3 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2450-3118 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Quality in Sport |
| spelling | doaj-art-3876245492c648eeb5fe63d498bcd9b32025-08-20T03:49:55ZengNicolaus Copernicus University in ToruńQuality in Sport2450-31182025-07-014310.12775/QS.2025.43.62368Feeding the Mind: The Role of Fermented Foods and Probiotics in Anxiety TreatmentMarta Ignatiuk-Chilkiewicz0https://orcid.org/0009-0005-7002-0829Joanna Kałuska1https://orcid.org/0009-0003-3500-9494Dominika Hakało2https://orcid.org/0009-0004-9363-8747Adam Rafałowicz3https://orcid.org/0009-0005-2535-6884Aleksandra Sokół4https://orcid.org/0009-0008-9707-9179Klaudia Mościszko5https://orcid.org/0009-0001-4919-6898Katarzyna Nowicka6https://orcid.org/0009-0006-5472-9157Wiktor Klimek7https://orcid.org/0009-0006-6271-799XMaria Majewska8https://orcid.org/0009-0003-3236-8950Monika Olszanska9University Clinical Hospital in Bialystok ul. M. C. Skłodowskiej 24a, 15-276 Białystok, PolandIndependent Public Healthcare Complex in Minsk Mazowiecki, Szpitalna 37, 05-300 Minsk MazowieckiUniversity Clinical Hospital in Bialystok ul. M. C. Skłodowskiej 24a, 15-276 Białystok, PolandUniversity Clinical Hospital in Bialystok ul. M. C. Skłodowskiej 24a, 15-276 Białystok, PolandUniversity Clinical Hospital in Bialystok ul. M. C. Skłodowskiej 24a, 15-276 Białystok, PolandUniversity Clinical Hospital in Bialystok ul. M. C. Skłodowskiej 24a, 15-276 Białystok, PolandRegional Health Center in Kartuzy, Ceynowy 7, 83-300 KartuzyRegional Health Center in Kartuzy, Ceynowy 7, 83-300 KartuzyUniversity Clinical Hospital in Bialystok ul. M. C. Skłodowskiej 24a, 15-276 Białystok, PolandMedical University of Bialystok Introduction: Anxiety disorders represent the most common mental health disorders globally which makes their treatment a major clinical problem. Recent research has increasingly focused on the gut-brain axis, because scientists have discovered that gut microbiota functions as a key controller of mental health. Scientists investigate fermented foods as dietary interventions because they contain probiotics and bioactive molecules to potentially adjust the gut-brain axis for anxiety symptom reduction. Methods: This review combines results from PubMed and Google Scholar databases through searches of "probiotics," "gut microbiota," "anxiety disorders," "fermented food" and "gut-brain axis" to evaluate existing evidence. Findings: Research shows that the gut microbiota influences anxiety through multiple pathways, including direct modulation of microbial composition, production of neuroactive compounds like gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), and regulation of systemic inflammation. Research conducted in both laboratory and human subjects demonstrates that consuming fermented foods together with particular probiotic strains can positively impact these mechanisms. However, clinical evidence shows inconsistent results because some studies demonstrate substantial anxiety symptom reduction in clinical populations yet other investigations reveal minimal or no effects while bacterial strain and dosage and host factors play a significant role. Conclusion: The gut microbiota is a promising therapeutic target for anxiety disorders. Specific probiotics and fermented foods added to the diet could become important supplementary treatments. Nevertheless, large-scale, well-controlled clinical trials are necessary to establish optimal strains, dosages, and treatment protocols to translate these findings into reliable clinical strategies. https://apcz.umk.pl/QS/article/view/62368probioticsanxiety disordersmental healthgut microbiotagut-brain axisfermented food |
| spellingShingle | Marta Ignatiuk-Chilkiewicz Joanna Kałuska Dominika Hakało Adam Rafałowicz Aleksandra Sokół Klaudia Mościszko Katarzyna Nowicka Wiktor Klimek Maria Majewska Monika Olszanska Feeding the Mind: The Role of Fermented Foods and Probiotics in Anxiety Treatment Quality in Sport probiotics anxiety disorders mental health gut microbiota gut-brain axis fermented food |
| title | Feeding the Mind: The Role of Fermented Foods and Probiotics in Anxiety Treatment |
| title_full | Feeding the Mind: The Role of Fermented Foods and Probiotics in Anxiety Treatment |
| title_fullStr | Feeding the Mind: The Role of Fermented Foods and Probiotics in Anxiety Treatment |
| title_full_unstemmed | Feeding the Mind: The Role of Fermented Foods and Probiotics in Anxiety Treatment |
| title_short | Feeding the Mind: The Role of Fermented Foods and Probiotics in Anxiety Treatment |
| title_sort | feeding the mind the role of fermented foods and probiotics in anxiety treatment |
| topic | probiotics anxiety disorders mental health gut microbiota gut-brain axis fermented food |
| url | https://apcz.umk.pl/QS/article/view/62368 |
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