Probiotic add-on improved anxiety relief in a colitis trial
Patients with ulcerative colitis and emotional disorders more often had anxiety relief with an added probiotic. A difference in depression improvement remained statistically uncertain.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
For patients with mild to moderate ulcerative colitis and anxiety or depression disorders, adding probiotic LAB to conventional treatment increased the reported proportion with anxiety relief. Depression improvement was not statistically distinguishable between groups. The result applies to this clinical population and does not establish a general mental health benefit from probiotics.
The abstract does not define the threshold for anxiety relief or describe blinding and adverse events. It also provides no between-group estimate for the endoscopy result, limiting conclusions about added benefit for bowel disease.
What researchers found
Patients whose anxiety disorder was reported as relieved
At 8 weeks, probiotic LAB plus conventional treatment versus conventional treatment alone; p = 0.03.
Anxiety and depression differed
The trial assessed emotional symptoms alongside bowel disease activity. Anxiety relief favored the probiotic group, but the depression comparison remained uncertain. A nonsignificant depression result does not establish that the treatments were equivalent for that outcome.
Reading the bowel results
Overall disease activity scores decreased in both groups. The endoscopy score improved significantly within the probiotic group alone, but comparing significance within separate groups cannot establish a treatment difference. Stool bacteria changes were also measured.
The original publication
Brain-gut co-management: probiotic LAB improves mental health and further reduces disease activity in ulcerative colitis patients with emotional disturbance.
Liu X, Zhou H, Zhang J et al.
Nutr Neurosci · 2025
- PubMed ID
- 40629893
- Record checked
AI-assisted research and writing. This explains one selected publication; it is not a complete review of everything known. Our approach.
One more question, understood.
Keep track of the research you’ve explored.