The gut microbiome of people with anorexia nervosa is different from that of healthy people. Bacterial imbalance is also associated with psychological symptoms, reports the journal Psychosomatic Medicine.
«We cannot say that bacterial imbalance causes symptoms of anorexia nervosa such as anxiety or depression. However, severely restricting the body’s nutrient supply that characterizes anorexia can alter the composition of the bacterial population in the gut. These changes can in turn contribute to depression, anxiety and further weight loss. It is a vicious circle, so we want to see if we can help patients avoid this phenomenon or reverse it »says the author of the study, Dr. Ian Carroll from the University of North Carolina.
The composition of bacteria in the gut was analyzed on the basis of stool samples taken from 16 women suffering from anorexia shortly after admission to the eating disorder treatment center and then returning to a safe weight.
The researchers found that the population of gut bacteria was much less heterogeneous when treatment was started than when treatment was completed. Still, the condition of the microbiome was far from that of a group of 12 healthy people.
As the diversity of bacteria increased, the overall mood of the respondents improved. However, it is not yet entirely clear whether increasing the variety alone would alleviate the symptoms of patients.
“We know from previous studies that by administering the gut bacteria of an obese person to mice kept in sterile conditions and devoid of gut bacteria, the rodents gained significantly more weight than those given the bacteria of a lean person. This suggests that these bacteria stimulate weight gain or loss. In turn, other studies showed that such colonization of mice’s intestines with someone else’s bacteria changed their behavior, especially in terms of anxiety and vulnerability to stress, ‘Dr Caroll notes.
The researcher intends to conduct a similar experiment on mice, but in this case the bacteria of people suffering from anorexia will be used before treatment and after reaching 85 percent. your ideal weight.
“We want to find out if, by influencing the gut microbiome, we can help patients maintain weight and stabilize their mood,” adds Dr. Caroll.