ArticleGut pathogens2024
Strain-specific effects of probiotics on depression and anxiety: a meta-analysis.
Article in Gut pathogens, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 33 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
33 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- The therapeutic readiness of probiotics in major depressive disorder: A systematic review of randomised controlled trials.Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England) · 2026Pooled it
- Probiotic intake and mental health in healthy working adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.BMC psychology · 2026Pooled it
- The effect of probiotics on the diarrhea and constipation outcomes in children: an umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses.Frontiers in nutrition · 2025Pooled it
- The effect of probiotic supplementation on perceived stress and bowel function in healthy young adults: evidence from a randomized controlled trial in Makkah.Frontiers in nutrition · 2025Trial
- The gut neuroepithelial unit as a neurodegeneration-relevant interface in the gut-brain axis.Translational neurodegeneration · 2026Review
- Safety and Effectiveness of Probiotic Preparations: A Contemporary Review.Diseases (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Associations among probiotic/prebiotic consumption, depression and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: A cross-sectional study.Medicine · 2026Article
- Specificity vs. Synergy Between Single-Strain and Multi-Strain Probiotics for Ulcerative Colitis Treatment: A Review of the Literature.Biomedicines · 2026Review
- Probiotic Bacteria in Stimulating Human Physiological Responses: Metabolic Function and Overall Health.Foods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- The root rhizosphere as a functional analog to the gut microbiome: Cases for microbial symbiosis and dysbiosis in parallel contexts.PNAS nexus · 2026Review
- Diet Quality, Nutrition Knowledge, and Social Media-Driven Supplement Use Among Polish Adolescents and Young Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study.Nutrients · 2026Article
- Probiotics and the Human Microbiome: Classical Functions, Emerging Systemic Roles, and Future Therapeutic Frontiers.Biology · 2026Review
- From Plate to Mind: Scientific Perspectives on Foods That May Influence Anxiety and Depression.Nutrients · 2026Review
- The Potential Anticancer Mechanisms of Probiotics: A Comprehensive Review.Probiotics and antimicrobial proteins · 2026Review
- Behavioral, antioxidant, and kynurenine pathway modulation of a specific strain of Ligilactobacillus salivarius in a preclinical model of depression.European journal of nutrition · 2026Article
- Article
- Current Evidence from Animal Models on Molecular Changes Underlying Antidepressant Effects of Psychobiotics.Pharmaceutics · 2026Review
- "Attacking" the Gut-Brain Axis with Psychobiotics: An Umbrella Review of Depressive and Anxiety Symptoms.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Oral supplementation with Lactiplantibacillus plantarum 6.2 in rats enhances bone and epithelial tissue repair by inhibiting NF-κB protein and promoting extracellular matrix synthesis via TGF-β.Brazilian journal of microbiology : [publication of the Brazilian Society for Microbiology] · 2026Article
- Therapeutic impact of Mongolian Andai therapy on gut microbiota and metabolomic profiles in depression.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
11 authors.
Funding
Abstract
introductionDepression and anxiety are pervasive mental health disorders with substantial global burdens. Probiotics, live microorganisms known for their health benefits, have emerged as a potential therapeutic intervention for these conditions. This systematic review and meta-analysis aim to evaluate the strain-specific effects of probiotics on relieving depressive and anxiety symptoms while elucidating underlying mechanisms.
methodsEMBASE, Cochrane CENTRAL and PubMed/Medline were systematically queried to identify studies released until May 15, 2024. Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) that employed standardized assessment tools for depression and anxiety namely Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD), Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS), or Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) were included.
results12 RCTs involving 707 participants were included. Seven RCTs utilizing the BDI questionnaire demonstrated a significant decrease in depressive symptoms favoring probiotics containing strains such as Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus paracasei, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus salivarius, Bifidobacterium bifidum, Bifidobacterium lactis, Bifidobacterium breve, and Bifidobacterium longum (MD: -2.69, CI95%: -4.22/-1.16, p value: 0.00). Conversely, RCTs using HAMD showed a non-significant reduction in depressive symptoms (MD: -1.40, CI95%: -3.29/0.48, p value: 0.14). RCTs employing DASS and MADRS scales also showed no significant differences.
conclusionThis meta-analysis offers valuable insights into the strain-specific effects of probiotics containing Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium species on depressive and anxiety symptoms. While our findings suggest a significant reduction in depressive symptoms based on the BDI scale favoring probiotics, the lack of significant effects observed on the HAMD, DASS, and MADRS scales underscores the complexity inherent in these conditions. It is imperative to acknowledge the mixed results across different measurement scales, indicating the need for cautious interpretation. Therefore, we advocate for a nuanced understanding of probiotics' impacts on various dimensions of mood, emphasizing the necessity for further research.
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What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.