An Umbrella Review (To 30 April 2025) of the Impact of Gut Microbiome on Mental Health - mauriceling/mauriceling.github.io GitHub Wiki

Citation: Lim, MJE, Khoo, JY, Lee, ZCL, Ling, MHT. 2025. An Umbrella Review (To 30 April 2025) of the Impact of Gut Microbiome on Mental Health. Acta Scientific Nutritional Health 9(12): 16-28.

Link to [PDF].

Here is the permanent [PDF] and [dataset] links to my archive.

Mental health conditions affect millions worldwide, disrupting behavioural and cognitive functions. Emerging evidence suggests an association between gut microbiota alterations and the development of these conditions; however, findings remain inconsistent due to methodological limitations and variation in sequencing techniques. Therefore, this umbrella review aims to synthesize and critically evaluate existing systematic reviews and meta-analyses investigating the role of the gut microbiome in mental health. A PubMed search identified systematic reviews and meta-analyses published up to 30 April 2025, focusing on major depressive disorder (MDD), anxiety, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), schizophrenia, bipolar disorder (BD), anorexia nervosa (AN), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Of 150 reviews screened, 31 were included in this umbrella review. Findings were organized into two themes: (a) microbial composition and diversity in mental health conditions, and (b) functional metabolites of the microbiota influencing brain function. Across disorders, alpha diversity findings were relatively inconsistent, except for more reliable differences reported in MDD, ASD, and AN. Beta diversity differences were observed more consistently, particularly in MDD and ASD. At the taxonomic level, reproducible shifts included reductions in butyrate-producing taxa (Faecalibacterium and Coprococcus) and enrichments of pro-inflammatory taxa (Eggerthella and Escherichia / Shigella). Alterations in functional metabolites, such as reduced short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), particularly butyrate, and disruptions in tryptophan metabolism were also highlighted to impair gut barrier integrity and influence neurotransmitter pathways. Hence, current evidence suggests that gut microbiota alterations may play a role in the pathophysiology of several mental health conditions, although inconsistencies and reliance on indirect associations across these reviews limit the strength of findings. Future research with standardized methodologies and mechanistic analyses is needed to clarify gut-brain pathways and strengthen disorder-specific microbial signatures.