Nat. Microbiol. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-018-0337-x (2019)

Gut microbiome composition and metabolic capabilities are associated with depression and quality of life.

There is an increasing understanding of the importance of the communication between the gut and the brain in physiology and disease, and much of this is thought to be mediated by the gut microbiome.

A group of researchers from Belgium and Norway analyze data from the stool microbiomes of the Belgian and Flemish Gut Flora Project cohort and the Dutch LifeLines DEEP cohort, along with information on quality of life and depression. They find that certain species of bacteria are associated with depression and quality of life and that the metabolic products are also linked to measures of mental health.