Lasting mood benefits from gut treatments remain uncertain
A review found mixed long-term results for depression and anxiety, mostly in studies designed to treat gastrointestinal conditions.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
Some studies reported lasting improvements in depression or anxiety after gut-directed treatments, while others found that mood improvements did not persist. Because most studies primarily addressed gastrointestinal disorders, their psychiatric outcomes offer limited evidence about treating a psychiatric condition directly. The review does not establish a consistent, durable mood benefit.
Follow-up schedules were inconsistent, making studies hard to compare. The authors also called for larger placebo-controlled studies; this abstract-based account cannot establish which intervention produced a reliable long-term effect.
Why the study setting matters
Fecal microbiota transplantation and probiotics were common interventions. Psychiatric well-being was generally assessed alongside gastrointestinal treatment, so the findings should not be treated as equivalent to trials designed primarily around depression or anxiety.
Persistence was not consistent
The review asked whether mood-related changes lasted after treatment. Its mixed findings leave open whether any sustained improvement depends on the intervention, the underlying condition or when symptoms were measured.
The original publication
Assessing the long-term effects of microbial therapeutics as treatment within psychiatry: a systematic review.
Sgarbossa C, Chinna Meyyappan A, Forth E et al.
Front Psychiatry · 2025
- PubMed ID
- 41601518
- Record checked
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