Stress May Alter Gut Bacteria to Hinder Immune System: MedlinePlus

Stress May Alter Gut Bacteria to Hinder Immune System
By changing bacteria levels in gut, stress causes changes in physiological function, study finds




URL of this page: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_110272.html(*this news item will not be available after 06/23/2011)

By Robert Preidt
Friday, March 25, 2011

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Digestive Diseases
Immune System and Disorders
Stress


FRIDAY, March 25 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers have found that stress can alter the balance of bacteria that live in the intestine, leading to immune system problems.

Stress changes the composition, diversity and number of intestinal bacteria, said the team at Ohio State University. The communities of bacteria become less varied, and there are greater numbers of potentially harmful bacteria.

The study is published in the March issue of the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity.

"These changes can have profound implications for physiological function," lead researcher Michael Bailey said in a journal news release. "When we reduced the number of bacteria in the intestines using antibiotics, we found that some of the effects of stress on the immune system were prevented. This suggests that not only does stress change the bacteria levels in the gut, but that these alterations can, in turn, impact our immunity."

Previous research has linked intestinal bacteria to conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease and asthma. Future studies need to determine whether changes in intestinal bacteria may explain why these conditions tend to become worse when people are under stress, the authors say.

SOURCE: Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, news release, March 2011

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Stress May Alter Gut Bacteria to Hinder Immune System: MedlinePlus