Does A Healthy Microbiome Promote Social And Personal Development?

Science says gut bacteria can impact human personality and behavior!

As humans, we might consider ourselves the most advanced and evolved beings.

But microbiome science tells us surprising truths - about how tinier beings can shape our health and lives! And every time a scientific truth is uncovered, we learn to appreciate the amazingly intricate relationships we share with the microbes that live within and around us.

There is evidence indicating the potential of our microbiomes in improving stress response and emotional behavior, ultimately shaping our unique personalities. Studies suggest that gut microbes modulate psychiatric and neurological tendencies via interactions with the gut-brain axis.

This can directly biological traits such as stress resilience, extraversion and mood!

• Microbial metabolites such as Short Chain Fatty Acids (SCFA) reduce inflammation in the microglia of the host, which can modify host behavior
• Important nutrients including Vitamin B6 and Vitamin B9 are synthesized by gut microbes like Prevotella copri, Bacteroides fragilis and Bifidobacterium longum. These nutrients play a key role in maintaining mental health
• Neurotransmitters (e.g. GABA, serotonin, acetylcholine) produced by gut microbes regulate emotions, neural plasticity and shape sleep patterns, which impact stress resilience

Stress is a major environmental factor that can put individuals at increased risk for anxiety and depression. Adopting a microbiome-friendly diet and lifestyle can promote gut bacterial diversity and offset this risk.

An exploratory study in children pointed to a possible link between personality traits and microbial diversity. One of the significant associations was between extraversion and increased microbial diversity in young boys. Another study in 600+ adults found connections between low conscientiousness and reduced abundances of SCFA (butyrate) producing bacteria. While these studies did not establish causality for specific behavioral traits, they show the potential of microbiome-based interventions for improving mental and behavioral development.

As more research continues to take place, a growing body of evidence suggests that host behavior can also influence microbiome composition.

Animal studies indicate that increased social interactions can lead to greater bacterial species richness and diversity in the gut microbiome.

• In an eight-year long study, scientists identified a significant association between behavioral traits and gut health in chimpanzees. A key finding from this study is that sociability positively correlates with gut bacterial diversity.
• A study in bumblebees revealed that socially active members harbored more diversity in their gut microbiomes, especially with higher abundance of Lactobacillus species and Bifidobacteriaceae.

It may be understood that gut microbes and host behavior are influenced by each other, but the means for how this connection should be utilized for better health outcomes is not fully clear. For example, increased contact with others might lead to increased microbiome sharing - but it also poses a risk for infections. More research is required to establish other environmental factors which may need to be modulated for optimal microbiome development.

It is safe to say that improving gut bacterial diversity should be prioritized while creating individual (and community) health restoration programs. Diet and lifestyle modifications directed towards specific microbial imbalances can increase precision and help achieve better outcomes.

Do you work with patients to improve their microbiome health? Share your experiences with us or schedule a call to get oriented with our microbiome health programs!

References

1. Erny, Daniel et al. “Host microbiota constantly control maturation and function of microglia in the CNS.” Nature neuroscience vol. 18,7 (2015): 965-77. doi:10.1038/nn.4030

2. Yoshii, Ken et al. “Metabolism of Dietary and Microbial Vitamin B Family in the Regulation of Host Immunity.” Frontiers in nutrition vol. 6 48. 17 Apr. 2019, doi:10.3389/fnut.2019.00048

3. Christian, Lisa M et al. “Gut microbiome composition is associated with temperament during early childhood.” Brain, behavior, and immunity vol. 45 (2015): 118-27. doi:10.1016/j.bbi.2014.10.018

4. Kim, Han-Na et al. “Correlation between gut microbiota and personality in adults: A cross-sectional study.” Brain, behavior, and immunity vol. 69 (2018): 374-385. doi:10.1016/j.bbi.2017.12.012

5. Moeller, Andrew H et al. “Social behavior shapes the chimpanzee pan-microbiome.” Science advances vol. 2,1 e1500997. 15 Jan. 2016, doi:10.1126/sciadv.1500997

6. Billiet, Annelies et al. “Colony contact contributes to the diversity of gut bacteria in bumblebees (Bombus terrestris).” Insect science vol. 24,2 (2017): 270-277. doi:10.1111/1744-7917.12284